Does Kraft Parmesan Contain Cellulose? BelGioioso Too

Yes: Kraft Grated Parmesan lists cellulose powder, and BelGioioso Freshly Grated Parmesan lists cellulose too, "to prevent caking". The ingredient lists on Open Food Facts for Kraft's 8 oz shaker and BelGioioso's 5 oz tub differ mainly in the preservative: potassium sorbate in Kraft, natamycin in BelGioioso. Sodium is 80 mg per 2 tsp for Kraft and 45 mg per 1 Tbsp for BelGioioso.

TL;DR: Kraft lists 80 mg sodium per 2 tsp (5 g) and potassium sorbate. BelGioioso lists 45 mg sodium per 1 Tbsp and natamycin. Compare the stated serving sizes before comparing the numbers.

Key takeaways

• Kraft lists parmesan cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), cellulose powder, and potassium sorbate (to protect flavor). BelGioioso lists cultured milk, enzymes, salt, cellulose to prevent caking, and natamycin (to protect flavor).
• Kraft lists 80 mg sodium per 2 tsp (5 g). BelGioioso lists 45 mg sodium per 1 Tbsp. Serving sizes differ, so compare the numbers against the stated serving.
• FDA's standard for grated cheese (21 CFR 133.146) lists anticaking agents and antimycotics as optional safe and suitable ingredients.

Kraft vs BelGioioso at a glance: ingredients, preservatives, and sodium per serving

Kraft lists cellulose powder and potassium sorbate, while BelGioioso lists cellulose to prevent caking and natamycin. The most important difference is serving size: Kraft's serving is 2 tsp (5 g), while BelGioioso's is 1 Tbsp, so the sodium figures cannot be compared directly.

Label item	Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese, 8 oz (226 g)	BelGioioso Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, 5 oz tub
Listed cheese or dairy base	Parmesan cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)	Cultured milk, enzymes, salt
Cellulose	Cellulose powder	Cellulose to prevent caking
Preservative	Potassium sorbate (to protect flavor)	Natamycin (to protect flavor)
Labeled serving	2 tsp (5 g)	1 Tbsp (gram weight not disclosed)
Calories	20	20
Total fat	1.5 g	1 g
Saturated fat	1 g	1 g
Sodium	80 mg	45 mg
Sodium % Daily Value	Not shown on sourced labels	Not shown on sourced labels
Protein	2 g	2 g

The Kraft figures come from the Open Food Facts and Food Lion listings, which agree on ingredients and the 2 tsp serving. The BelGioioso figures come from the Open Food Facts ingredient listing and the Hannaford per-tablespoon listing. Kraft listings do not agree on cholesterol, so this table gives no Kraft cholesterol figure.

Does Kraft Grated Parmesan (8 oz shaker) have wood pulp?

The Kraft label does not say: it lists cellulose powder but not the plant source of that cellulose, so wood pulp is neither confirmed nor ruled out by the label.

Cellulose is a plant fiber, so the question is a reasonable one. The label does not say whether the cellulose in this product comes from wood or another plant source, and the label alone cannot answer that. The percentage of cellulose in the Kraft product was not disclosed on the listings cited here.

Does BelGioioso Freshly Grated Parmesan (5 oz tub) have cellulose?

Yes, per the 5 oz tub ingredient list, which includes cellulose to prevent caking.

BelGioioso's Parmesan product page describes a whole wedge with the ingredients cultured milk, enzymes, and salt. That page describes the wedge, not the grated tub, so the wedge ingredients should not be read as the tub's ingredients. The age of the cheese in the grated tub was not disclosed, and the percentage of cellulose was not disclosed either.

Is Kraft Grated Parmesan real Parmesan?

Kraft's label lists parmesan cheese first, made from pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt and enzymes; the label does not state how long the cheese is aged.

After the cheese, Kraft adds cellulose powder and potassium sorbate.

The BelGioioso ingredient list shown here is cultured milk, enzymes, salt, cellulose to prevent caking, and natamycin. The enzyme source for either product, animal or microbial, was not disclosed.

Cellulose in each tub: what the label says it does and why it is listed

The BelGioioso label states that its cellulose is there to prevent caking, while the Kraft label lists cellulose powder without stating a function. Anticaking agents may help keep grated cheese from clumping in the package.

FDA's standard for grated cheeses (21 CFR 133.146) lists optional ingredients considered safe and suitable, including anticaking agents, antimycotics, spices, and certain flavorings. That standard explains why cellulose can appear in grated cheese, but it does not state how much may be used in a particular product. Neither label discloses its cellulose percentage.

Preservatives: potassium sorbate in Kraft vs natamycin in BelGioioso

Kraft uses potassium sorbate and BelGioioso uses natamycin, and both labels say the preservative is there to protect flavor. FDA's grated cheese standard lists antimycotics among the optional ingredients, so both preservatives fit within the category of ingredients the rule describes.

Sodium per serving: why 2 tsp and 1 Tbsp numbers are not directly comparable

Kraft lists 80 mg sodium per 2 tsp (5 g), and BelGioioso lists 45 mg per 1 Tbsp, so the two figures describe different amounts of cheese. The gram weight of the BelGioioso tablespoon was not disclosed, so the two servings cannot be converted to a shared gram basis.

The 80 mg Kraft figure appears on both the Open Food Facts and Food Lion listings for the 8 oz shaker; the 45 mg BelGioioso figure is from the Hannaford listing for the 5 oz tub.

FDA's Daily Value reference for sodium is less than 2,300 mg per day. The listings cited here do not print %DV, so no percentage appears for either product in this article. Read milligram figures against the stated serving.

Is either grated Parmesan safe, and what does FDA allow in grated cheese?

FDA's grated-cheese standard permits the kinds of optional ingredients both labels list, including anticaking agents and antimycotics.

People who track sodium may want to compare serving sizes and milligrams per serving on the package. Both labels list milk-based ingredients, so anyone with a milk allergy will see milk on each ingredient list. Questions about a specific diet or medical condition are best taken to a clinician.

How to check the label on the tub or shaker you actually buy

Use the package in hand, not an online listing, as the final reference. Check these lines in order:

• The product name and net weight, since Kraft's 8 oz and BelGioioso's 5 oz tub are different package sizes.
• The ingredient list, including whether it says cellulose powder or cellulose to prevent caking.
• The preservative, either potassium sorbate or natamycin, and its stated purpose.
• The serving size, such as 2 tsp or 1 Tbsp, before comparing any milligram figure.
• The sodium line on the Nutrition Facts panel for that serving.
• Any cheese age or enzyme source, which was not disclosed for these tubs.

Where to read more: related label and ingredient comparisons

Other cheese comparisons read the label the same way. For cellulose in shredded cheese, see Does Shredded Cheese Have Cellulose? Sargento Yes, Tillamook No. For processed cheese slices, see Kraft Singles vs Velveeta Slices: 230 mg vs 260 mg Sodium. For snack cheese, see Is Frigo Healthier Than Sargento? 80 vs 90 Cal per Stick.