Ritz whole wheat
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Food

Ritz whole wheat

547 g

Score

Poor 20 out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in salt
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains seed oils
  • Contains palm oil
  • Contains whole grains

Why it scores 20

Ritz whole wheat scores 20 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. minus 20 points High fructose corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  3. minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

The Receipt

Ritz whole wheat

START100

Ingredients

  • Sugar minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • High fructose corn syrup minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3][4]
  • Soybean oil minus 2.5 points
    Emerging High in omega-6 linoleic acid. [5][6][7][8]
  • Canola oil minus 1.5 points
    Emerging High in omega-6 linoleic acid. [5][6][7][8]
  • Palm oil minus 1.5 points
    Strong About half saturated fat; WHO recommends keeping saturated fat to 10% of energy or less. [9][10][11]
  • Calcium phosphate minus 1.5 points
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI for phosphates of 40 mg/kg body weight (as phosphorus) and noted that infants, toddlers and children may exceed it. [12]
  • Soy lecithin minus 0.5 points
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [13]
subtotal−47.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [13]
  • 2 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 1.5 points
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: emulsifier and industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate. [13]
subtotal−19.5

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 13.3 g / 100 g minus 5 points
    Strong High in sugar. [1]
  • Saturated fat 3.3 g / 100 g minus 3 points
    Strong High in saturated fat. [9]
  • Salt 2 g / 100 g minus 7 points
    Strong Very high in salt. [14]
  • Energy 467 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
  • Fiber 6.7 g / 100 g plus 4 points
    Strong A good source of fiber. [2]
subtotal−13

TOTAL 20Poor

100 − 80 = 20

Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4]

Can’t score above 79. High in salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [15]


GTIN 00044000058272 · 2025-03-21

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy467 kcal
Fat16.7 g
Saturated fat3.3 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates66.7 g
Sugars13.3 g
Added sugars13.3 g
Fiber6.7 g
Protein6.7 g
Salt2 g

Serving: 5 crackers (15 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL, SUGAR, PALM OIL, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA), SALT, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOY LECITHIN. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY. MONDELEZ GLOBAL LLC EAST HANOVER, NJ 07936 USA CONTAINS A BIOENGINEERED FOOD INGREDIENT MADE IN MEXICO baked wit whole whe 5g whole grain per 15g

Allergens and diets

Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Not gluten-free
  • Not palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. 21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Mar 24, 2023 · Law

    “a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”

    ecfr.gov

  5. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

    BMJ · Apr 12, 2016 · Peer-reviewed

    “replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”

    doi.org

  6. Dietary Linoleic Acid and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

    Circulation · Oct 28, 2014 · Peer-reviewed

    “These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”

    doi.org

  7. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline

    World Health Organization · Jul 17, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”

    who.int

  8. Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods

    European Food Safety Authority · May 3, 2016 · Agency assessment

    “The highest levels of GE, as well as 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD (including esters) were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  9. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food

    European Union (Official Journal) · Apr 25, 2023 · Law

    “Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  10. EFSA issues new advice on phosphates

    European Food Safety Authority · Jun 12, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “We estimated that dietary exposure to phosphates may exceed the new ADI for infants, toddlers and children with average consumption of phosphates in their diet.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  11. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  12. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”

    who.int

  13. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets

    Department of Health and Social Care / Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) · Nov 8, 2016 · Regulator

    “Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”

    assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  14. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org