Monaco Cheeselings
Parle Monaco Cheeselings are thin, crispy baked snacks flavored with cheese, salt, and herbs, marketed as a convenient munchy for between meals. They fall into **NOVA group 4 (ultra-processed)** due to extruded refined wheat flour, palm oil, cheese powder, emulsifiers (E330, E322), and flavor enhancers (E621, E627, E631).
Why this verdict
Red flags present. Best treated as an avoid-for-regular-use product unless the underlying evidence changes.
The issue is frequency: the red flags make this a poor default, even if rare use carries lower practical concern.
This card is the decision shortcut. The detailed evidence and citations live in the six-axis cards below.
Evidence is insufficient to compute added sugar per 100g from the provided sources; the research characterizes it as a savory snack with negligible free sugars and no clear mention of sugar among the leading ingredients. Based on the provided estimate (<5g/100g) this would meet the GREEN threshold (<5g/100g and no added sugar in top-5), but the exact label values are not cited.
The research classifies the product as NOVA group 4 (ultra-processed) due to refined wheat flour, palm oil, cheese powder and multiple additives/flavour enhancers (E322, E330, E621, E627, E631, E319). Under the v1 rule, NOVA 4 becomes RED when the product also fails another axis; here, the provided research flags high sodium and high fat/saturated fat, so the RED threshold is met.
The research indicates fat largely from palm oil with an estimated ~10–15g saturated fat per 100g, which exceeds the RED threshold of saturated fat >5g/100g for solids. No quantified trans-fat or partially hydrogenated oil evidence is provided, so the trigger is the saturated-fat estimate and palm-oil based formulation.
The research estimates ~1200mg sodium per 100g (range ~800–1200mg/100g), which crosses the RED threshold of ≥625mg/100g for solids. This is described as coming from salt and flavour enhancers.
Evidence is limited to e-commerce framing; the research states the product is marketed as a convenient munchy and notes 'healthy-ish' / 'baked alternative to hunger' style positioning, while composition is ultra-processed with multiple additives. With no documented regulator ruling or a clearly contradictory front-of-pack claim in the provided sources, this matches the YELLOW threshold (soft framing unsupported by composition).
The research reports no FSSAI recalls, ASCI violations, or lab controversies specific to Monaco Cheeselings found in searches. With no adverse regulatory events cited for the product, this meets the GREEN threshold on the provided evidence.
Per 100 g
| Energy | ~500 kcal ⚑ Typical for extruded cheese snacks; high from refined carbs/fats. |
| Total Fat | ~28g ⚑ Predominantly palm oil; saturated ~12g. |
| Sodium | ~1200mg ⚑ From salt + enhancers; ~50% daily WHO limit. |
| Carbohydrates | ~55g ⚑ Refined wheat flour base; low fiber <2g. |
As declared on pack
Refined Wheat Flour (Maida), Edible Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil), Cheese Powder, Salt, Maltodextrin, Herbs, Emulsifiers (E322, E330), Acidity Regulator (E330), Flavour Enhancers (E621, E627, E631), Antioxidant (E319). (Estimated from similar products; exact unconfirmed)
Submit a back-of-pack label image
Got a clear photo of the nutrition panel or ingredients list? Submit it and we'll run OCR, update the page, and credit you. An admin reviews each submission before it goes live.
- January 1980Monaco brand launch by Parle [Source ↗]Parle Products · [1]
Sources of truth
- [1]MonacoParle Products
"Enjoy the crisp and savoury delight of Parle Monaco biscuits."
- [2]Parle Monaco Cheeselings 150gMaurya Grocery