Can you spot the ultraprocessed foods?

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Polly-O Original Ricotta Cheese
Dairy
📊 NOVA 3🌾 Gluten-Free✨ Seed Oil Free

Polly-O Original Ricotta Cheese

Polly-O
15 oz
Available at Foodtown
110
Calories
7g
Protein
2g
Sugars
65mg
Sodium
6
Ingredients

What You Should Know

Polly-O Original Ricotta Cheese is a familiar sight in the refrigerated dairy aisle, typically shelved with other fresh cheeses and near containers of cottage cheese, mascarpone, and ricotta-based spreads. Packaged in a 15-ounce tub with a peel-back lid, it reads as a pantry staple for cooks who want a simple, creamy dairy component without fuss. This ricotta suits casual shopping trips as well as planned grocery runs for weekend entertaining: scoop it onto warm toast for brunch, fold it into lasagna for weeknight dinners, or spoon dollops into desserts and holiday baking. Brand positioning leans on Italian-American tradition and home cooking rather than trend-driven health claims; Polly-O evokes family recipes, practical familiarity, and broad mainstream appeal to shoppers seeking reliable, everyday cheese. The label often emphasizes the product name and heritage, with clean, straightforward art rather than child-focused characters; there is no indication of organic certification on the ingredient list, and the short ingredient panel itself acts as a naturalness cue. Sensory-wise the ricotta presents a soft, slightly grainy curd that is moist and creamy, lending itself to spreading, folding, or baking. Serving rituals include stirring to loosen the curds, spooning onto baked pasta, or blending with herbs for a quick dip. Processing context: this is a fresh cheese made from pasteurized milk, whey, cream, vinegar, and salt — a lightly processed dairy product created through standard cheese-making steps rather than heavy industrial reformulation. At about 110 calories per serving with 65 mg sodium and 2 g sugars, it reads as a modest, versatile dairy ingredient in American kitchens.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 0.25 cup
Servings per Container: 7
Calories110
% Daily Value*
Total Fat8g10%
Saturated Fat5g25%
Cholesterol25mg8%
Sodium65mg3%
Total Carbohydrate2g1%
Total Sugars2g
Protein7g
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Ingredients

Pasteurized, Milk,, Whey,, Cream,, Vinegar,, Salt..

Dietary Labels

This product is not vegan, is gluten-free, and is not organic.

Ultra-Processing Assessment

NOVA Score:3 / 4

Processed Food

Why this score?

This ricotta is a processed food made by transforming pasteurized milk into cheese using simple ingredients (whey, cream, vinegar, salt). It lacks industrial additives typical of ultra-processed products but is not unprocessed, so it fits NOVA group 3.

Daily Ritual

Can you Spot Ultraprocessed Foods? Play our Supermarket Game

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Shopping in the supermarket oil aisle

Others also viewed

Common Questions about Polly-O Original Ricotta Cheese

Well, 'healthy' can be a bit subjective, right? Polly-O ricotta packs in 7 grams of protein per serving, making it a solid choice for adding some muscle-building goodness to your meals. It's not loaded with sugar, which is a plus, but keep in mind that it’s also not organic, so if you're looking for that, you might want to explore other options.

Perfect For

weekend-brunch
holiday-baking
meal-prep-sunday

Vibe:

wholesomecomfortingpractical
$NaN
per package