Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Nutrition & Labelgrade C (64/100)
C 64 / 100 — Oregon farmer-cooperative cheddar — 4-ingredient panel (cultured milk, salt, enzymes, annatto for orange color). Like Cabot, the C Labelgrade reflects the structural saturated-fat-and-sodium ceiling of any aged cheddar, not the quality of Tillamook's product.
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Tillamook Sharp Cheddar gives you 7 g of protein and 200 mg of calcium in a single 1 oz (28 g) slice for 110 calories (USDA FDC 399213) — roughly 25 g of protein per 100 g, which is dense by weight for any food. The label is four words long: cultured milk, salt, enzymes, annatto. It earns a C (64/100). That grade isn’t a knock on Tillamook — the protein density and ingredient quality both score in the 80s. It’s the saturated fat and sodium, which are inseparable from making real aged cheddar, that pull the average down.
Why the C
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A- | 88 / 100 | 25 g per 100 g — tied with every US aged cheddar; cheese is genuinely protein-dense by mass |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 82 / 100 | Four ingredients, the annatto present only for color — about as clean as the cheese aisle gets |
| Sugar | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g — the lactose is largely gone after aging |
| Saturated fat | F | 19 / 100 | 6 g per ounce (~21 g per 100 g) — crosses the FDA daily ceiling at just 100 g of cheese |
| Sodium | F | 35 / 100 | 170 mg per ounce — salt forms the curd; it can’t be engineered out |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g, unavoidable for any dairy product |
The two F’s look alarming next to the A- on protein, but they’re structural, not a defect in this particular cheese. Cheddar is concentrated milkfat held together by salt — that’s the definition of the food. No cheddar on the market, however premium, escapes those two numbers. What Tillamook controls is the ingredient line, and there it does about as well as anyone: no added colors beyond annatto, no anti-caking agents (the block format avoids the cellulose you’d find in pre-shredded bags), no preservatives.
The one number that gets overlooked: calcium
Most cheddar write-ups fixate on the fat. The quieter story is the 200 mg of calcium in every ounce — about 15% of the daily value from a single slice. That isn’t fortification; it’s milk solids concentrated by the cheesemaking process, so the calcium comes packaged with the protein at no extra calorie cost. Two ounces puts you near a third of the day’s calcium. For anyone who doesn’t drink milk, a sharp cheddar like this is one of the most calorie-efficient whole-food calcium sources on the shelf — a real point in its favor that the headline grade doesn’t capture.
What “Sharp” actually means here
Tillamook’s tiers are a function of time on the shelf, not a different recipe. This Sharp is aged about 6 months — the everyday middle of the lineup. Step up to Extra Sharp (9–12 months) or Vintage (18+ months) and the flavor gets more pungent and you start finding the small crunchy crystals of aged cheddar, but the macros barely move: protein, fat, sodium, and calories are essentially flat across the aging levels. So the choice between Sharp and Extra Sharp is purely about how much tang you want, not about nutrition. If you’re cooking — melting it over eggs, into a sauce, on a burger — Sharp’s milder profile is the more versatile pick; save Extra Sharp for the cheese board where its bite is the point.
Tillamook vs Cabot: a near-tie
These are the two big farmer-owned cooperative cheddars, and on paper they’re almost the same cheese. Per ounce both deliver 7 g protein, 6 g saturated fat, and 200 mg calcium, on a clean 4-ingredient panel. The only spec that separates them is sodium — Tillamook 170 mg vs Cabot 180 mg per ounce — which nudges Tillamook’s Labelgrade to 63 against Cabot’s 62. That’s a rounding-error difference, not a reason to choose one over the other. The actual deciding factors are flavor and region: Tillamook (Oregon co-op, founded 1909) runs creamier and milder, while Cabot (Vermont co-op, 1919) is sharper and tangier. Compared to a snacking cheese like Babybel — 5 g protein and 150 mg calcium per wheel — Tillamook’s full ounce simply carries more of both protein and calcium per serving, at the cost of more saturated fat.
Who it’s for
A clean, co-op-made everyday cheddar that does two jobs well: it adds real protein and a meaningful slug of calcium to whatever you put it on. Shred it over eggs, melt it on a sandwich, cube it for a snack. The shopper who should pause is anyone managing saturated fat or sodium closely — for them cheddar is a portion-controlled garnish (an ounce or two), not a daily protein source. Everyone else gets one of the cleanest labels in the category from a brand whose farmer-ownership is the genuine article.
Ingredients
Cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto for color. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 399213.) Annatto is a plant pigment from the achiote seed, used purely to give the cheese its orange hue — it has no flavor and no nutritional role. Tillamook’s white-cheddar variants leave it out, which is the only meaningful difference in their ingredient lines.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 oz (28 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 oz (28 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 110 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 9g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 170mg |
| Cholesterol | 25mg |
| Calcium | 200mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese (8 oz (226 g) block) · UPC 218063407661. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Tillamook Sharp Cheddar?
7 g per 1 oz (28 g) slice (USDA FDC 399213) — about 25 g per 100 g, which is dense for a food you eat by the ounce. The catch is that the same ounce brings 110 calories and 6 g of saturated fat, so cheddar earns its place as a flavor-and-protein addition to a meal, not the lever you pull to hit a daily protein target the way Greek yogurt or chicken breast do.
Is Tillamook Sharp Cheddar a good source of calcium?
Yes — genuinely. One ounce delivers 200 mg of calcium, about 15% of the daily value, from a single 28 g slice. That density comes from the cheesemaking itself: aged cheddar is concentrated milk solids, so the calcium rides along with the protein and fat. It's one of the more efficient food sources of calcium you can eat without a supplement.
Sharp vs Extra Sharp — what actually changes?
Aging time, and almost nothing else on the nutrition panel. Tillamook ages this Sharp roughly 6 months; Extra Sharp goes 9–12 months and Vintage 18+. Longer aging concentrates the tang and produces the small crunchy crystals (calcium lactate / tyrosine) you find in old cheddar — but protein, fat, sodium, and calories stay essentially the same. You're choosing intensity of flavor, not a different macro profile. This Sharp is the milder, everyday tier.
Is aged cheddar low in lactose?
Effectively, yes. Almost all of milk's lactose is in the whey, which drains off during cheesemaking, and the bacterial cultures consume most of what remains as the cheese ages. The USDA panel lists 0 g of sugar per serving, and Tillamook's Sharp — at ~6 months — has had ample time for that conversion. Many people who react to milk tolerate aged cheddar comfortably, though it isn't certified lactose-free.
Why is the Labelgrade only a C if the ingredient list is so clean?
The panel really is clean — four ingredients, nothing engineered in. The C comes from two numbers that are inherent to cheddar, not to Tillamook: 6 g of saturated fat per ounce (~21 g per 100 g, which crosses the FDA's 20 g daily ceiling at just 100 g of cheese) and 170 mg of sodium, since salt is part of forming the curd. Labelgrade weights saturated fat and sodium heavily, so every standard cheddar — organic, grass-fed, or boutique — lands in this same C-to-C+ band.
Tillamook vs Cabot Sharp Cheddar?
Two farmer-owned cooperatives with near-identical cheese. Both are 7 g protein, 6 g saturated fat, and 200 mg calcium per ounce; sodium is a hair lower on Tillamook (170 mg vs Cabot's 180 mg). Both run a 4-ingredient label, and both score in the low 60s (Tillamook 63, Cabot 62). The real differences are taste and geography: Tillamook is the Oregon Pacific-Northwest co-op (founded 1909) and runs creamier and milder; Cabot is the Vermont co-op (1919) and tends sharper and tangier. Pick by flavor, not by spec sheet.
Is it keto?
Yes. 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 9 g fat and 7 g protein per ounce puts it at roughly 73% fat / 4% carb / 25% protein by calories — a textbook keto fit. Two ounces gives you about 14 g of protein for 220 calories with no carb cost.