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Parmesan cheese

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Common questions

Is Parmesan cheese healthy?

Parmesan cheese scores 68/100 on Scout's independent analysis of ingredients, additives, and lab results — a fair-to-good score — solid, with tradeoffs. This Parmesan cheese is a processed food with a few additives, including powdered cellulose and potassium sorbate, which are used for anti-caking and preservation.

How processed is Parmesan cheese?

Parmesan cheese is NOVA Group 3: Processed Foods.

Which ingredients drive Parmesan cheese's score?

In Scout's ingredient-by-ingredient analysis, Parmesan Cheese, Cultured Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk count in its favor; Potassium Sorbate is flagged as an ingredient of concern. The full breakdown, with why each one matters, is in the Key ingredients section on this page.

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Parmesan cheese

68 Fair

Analysis updated June 2026 · How Scout scores

$3.79 · 5 oz · $0.76 / ounce
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At a glance

Beneficial ingredients 2
Harmful ingredients 1
Category Cheese
Summary

This Parmesan cheese is a processed food with a few additives, including powdered cellulose and potassium sorbate, which are used for anti-caking and preservation. While Parmesan itself is a high-quality source of protein and calcium, the presence of these additives and the processing level limit its score. The product is not as clean as some other cheeses that avoid synthetic preservatives and additives.

Key ingredients 6

Parmesan Cheese
Good

Parmesan cheese is a natural dairy product rich in protein and calcium, contributing to bone health and muscle function.

See more about Parmesan Cheese →
Cultured Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk
Good

This ingredient provides essential nutrients like calcium and protein while being lower in fat due to the skim milk content.

See more about Cultured Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk →
Salt
Neutral

Standard formulation ingredient — neither beneficial nor harmful at typical use.

See more about Salt →
Enzymes
Neutral

Enzymes are used to facilitate cheese aging and texture development without adding health concerns.

See more about Enzymes →
Powdered Cellulose
Neutral

Powdered cellulose acts as an anti-caking agent to prevent clumping, generally considered safe in small amounts.

See more about Powdered Cellulose →
Potassium Sorbate
Bad

Synthetic preservative — flagged in daily-use products.

See more about Potassium Sorbate →

Processing

Group 3 · Processed

Processed Foods

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