Cheetos
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Cheetos, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Cheetos averages 49.9/100 across the 183 of 337 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 76.0% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 49.9/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 183 scored products
- 337
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 76.0%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 100%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 337 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Xtra Cheezy Flavored Snack Mix, Cheese; Cheetos, Mix-Ups, Flamin Hot & Cheesy Mix, Flamin Hot & Cheesy Mix; Cheetos, Flavored Snack Mix; 76.0% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 49.9/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
Catalog evidence
Ingredient-list coverage comes before the score
Only 183 of 337 tracked Cheetos records (54.3%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 154 cannot be screened, so the 49.9/100 mean describes the labelled subset rather than the whole brand.
Next check: use the product rows below to verify the labelled subset, then compare the current package for any unscored item.
What the Data Says About Cheetos
Cheetos: 337 products tracked, 183 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 49.9/100, 76.0% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 54.3% of tracked records, this average is a description of the labelled subset, not a brand-wide tier. The coverage gap is the dominant limitation. Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Among the 804 brands with 50+ products (the typical brand in that group flags 18% of its catalog), Cheetos's 76.0% flagged share is 58 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Cheetos processing intensity
Cheetos's NOVA-classified set is 181 products: 100% ultra-processed (Group 4, 181 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 181. That ultra-processed share sits 21.7 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
- G1
- 0
- G2
- 0
- G3
- 0
- G4 ultra
- 181 (100%)
Shelf mix
Where Cheetos shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Cheetos concentrates in Snacks (124, 91% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (5); Cheese-puffs (3); Meals (3); Cheese-flavored-snacks (2).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks | 114 | 49.6/100 | 75.4% |
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 5 | 24/100 | 100% |
| Cheese-puffs | 3 | 66.7/100 | 33.3% |
| Meals | 3 | 50/100 | 100% |
| Cheese-flavored-snacks | 2 | 50/100 | 50% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Cheetos's 76.0% flagged share is measured across 183 scored products. The chart places that rate against the 50 brands with 50+ scored products in this snapshot, the same qualifying cohort used on the rankings page.
Cheetos flagged share vs large-brand cohort
76.0% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
76% 0th percentile is at or above the flagged share of 0% of the 50 qualifying brands we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more qualifying brands. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0%–10%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 10%–20%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 20%–30%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 30%–40%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 40%–50%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 50%–60%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 60%–70%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 70%–80%
- 3 qualifying brands (6%)
- 80%–90%
- 25 qualifying brands (50%)
- 90% and above
- 22 qualifying brands (44%)
Source Open Food Facts × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (49.9/100) summarizes 183 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Cheetos product score distribution
Brand average 49.9/100 across 183 scored products
50 42nd percentile sits above 42% of the 183 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0–10
- 60 scored products (33%)
- 10–20
- 2 scored products (1%)
- 20–30
- 13 scored products (7%)
- 30–40
- 2 scored products (1%)
- 50–60
- 14 scored products (8%)
- 70–80
- 46 scored products (25%)
- 80–90
- 2 scored products (1%)
- 100 and above
- 44 scored products (24%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Cheetos relies most on Yellow 6, an industry staple
Across the 183 Cheetos products scored here, Yellow 6 appears in 127. It is used by 1,766 other brands in this database (5.0% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Cheetos products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow 6 | 127 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 85 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 40 | 83 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 14 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 2 | 4 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Caramel Coloring | 2 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Aspartame | 1 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| BHT | 1 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 50 concern-sorted Cheetos records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (40 ingredients and 0/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 50
- Median label
- 40 ingredients
- Median score
- 0/100
The outlined point is Xtra Cheezy Flavored Snack Mix, Cheese, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (6). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Xtra Cheezy Flavored Snack Mix, Cheese: 60 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Cheetos, Mix-Ups, Flamin Hot & Cheesy Mix, Flamin Hot & Cheesy Mix: 60 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Cheetos, Flavored Snack Mix: 62 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Mac 'n Cheese Cheesy Jalapeño: 50 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Flavored Snack Mix, Cheddar, Nacho Cheese, Double Cheddar, Parmesan: 57 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Cheetos Bolitas: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Flavored Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks, Cheese: 37 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Crunchy: 39 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Limón Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheddar Jalapeño Crunchy: 49 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Puffs: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin' Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks 3.25 Ounce Plastic Bag: 39 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Crunchy Snacks, Flamin' Hot Limon, Cheese: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Xxtra Flamin' Hot Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks, Xxtra Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos Baked Flamin' Hot Flavored: 43 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Crunchy Snacks, Xxtra Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Crunchy Snacks, Flamin' Hot, Cheese: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Snacks, Cheese: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin Hot Puffs, Flamin: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheddar Jalapeno Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks, Cheddar Jalapeno: 45 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Crunchy Flamin' Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks, Crunchy Flamin' Hot Cheese: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos Popcorn flaming hot: 31 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Popcorn flamin hot: 31 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Crunchy: 39 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- cheetos puffs flamin' hot: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- cheetos chedder jalapeño: 48 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Hot cheetos: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Cheetos Popcorn: 32 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Puffs Snack, Cheese, Flamin' Hot: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Xxtra Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno: 48 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Crunchy Snacks, Flamin' Hot Limon, Cheese: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin' Hot Limon Cheese 3.5 Ounce Plastic Bag: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Baked flamin hot cheetos: 39 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot Flavored: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheddar Jalapeño Crunchy: 49 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks: 37 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos, Crunchy Top N Go Walking Taco, Flamin' Hot, Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks, Limon: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheetos Baked Flamin' Hot: 43 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 41 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Crunchy: 39 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Chipotle Ranch Cheese Flavored Crunchy Snacks, Chipotle Ranch: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
Products by Cheetos
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 287 tracked records with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Cheetos: closest on tracked product count (337 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (49.9/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar product count
Nearest other brands by Open Food Facts product count (floored at ≥50).
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cheetos food safe? ▼
Cheetos has an average safety score of 50/100 across the 183 of 337 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 76.0% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Cheetos products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 337 Cheetos products. 183 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 154 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Cheetos catalog? ▼
Cheetos has 181 NOVA-classified products; 100% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 181 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Cheetos catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Cheetos concentrates in Snacks (124, 91% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (5); Cheese-puffs (3); Meals (3); Cheese-flavored-snacks (2).
Does Cheetos use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Cheetos items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Cheetos profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Xtra Cheezy Flavored Snack Mix, Cheese, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (6) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Yellow 6 appears in 127 scored Cheetos products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Cheetos's 49.9/100 average and 76.0% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
