El Monterey
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for El Monterey, 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
El Monterey averages 95.0/100 across the 84 of 144 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 36.9% 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.
- 95.0/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 84 scored products
- 144
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 36.9%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 98.8%
- 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 144 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Shell Shockers Chicken Taquitos; El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese; Burritos; 36.9% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 95.0/100. 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 84 of 144 tracked El Monterey records (58.3%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 60 cannot be screened, so the 95.0/100 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 El Monterey
El Monterey: 144 products tracked, 84 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 95.0/100, 36.9% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 58.3% 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), El Monterey's 36.9% flagged share is 18.9 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
El Monterey processing intensity
El Monterey's NOVA-classified set is 82 products: 98.8% ultra-processed (Group 4, 81 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 81. That ultra-processed share sits 20.5 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where El Monterey shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, El Monterey concentrates in Frozen foods (57, 74% of this top-five); Meals (10); Sandwiches (8); Frozen-breakfast-sandwiches (1); Meats and their products (1).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen foods | 57 | 94.9/100 | 31.6% |
| Meals | 10 | 90.5/100 | 60% |
| Sandwiches | 6 | 98.3/100 | 33.3% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
El Monterey's 36.9% flagged share is measured across 84 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.
El Monterey flagged share vs large-brand cohort
36.9% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
37% 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 (95.0/100) summarizes 84 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.
El Monterey product score distribution
Brand average 95.0/100 across 84 scored products
95 24th percentile sits above 24% of the 84 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
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 20–30
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 70–80
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 80–90
- 7 scored products (8%)
- 90–100
- 21 scored products (25%)
- 100 and above
- 53 scored products (63%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
El Monterey relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 84 El Monterey products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 18. It is used by 3,551 other brands in this database (10.1% 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 | El Monterey products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 18 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Sodium Nitrite | 7 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
| Carrageenan | 5 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Yellow 6 | 3 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 40 | 2 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 2 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
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 El Monterey 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 (45 ingredients and 95/100) 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
- 45 ingredients
- Median score
- 95/100
The outlined point is Shell Shockers Chicken Taquitos, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (4). 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
- Shell Shockers Chicken Taquitos: 50 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese: 48 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Burritos: 84 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Chimichangas: 82 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Egg & sausage roll-ups: 70 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Egg, Potato, Cheese Sauce & Ham Breakfast Wraps, Egg, Potato, Cheese Sauce & Ham: 82 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Signature Meat Lovers Egg, Sausage, Bacon & Cheese Burritos: 84 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- SIGNATURE MEAT LOVERS EGG, SAUSAGE, BACON & CHEESE BURRITO: 83 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Burritos: 65 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Fresh baked burritos tortilla: 83 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Taco Seasoned Beef & Cheese Taquitos: 66 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- El Monterey Beef & Bean Burrito: 30 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Chimichanga: 29 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Chicken Fajita Enchiladas: 58 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Chimichangas: 37 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Burritos: 46 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Burrito: 39 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- El monterey beef: 49 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef, Bean & Cheese Flavor Chimichangas: 46 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef and Bean Chimichangas: 35 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Burritos: 35 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Burritos: 37 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Burritos: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Beef & Bean Green Chili Burritos: 40 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Spicy red hot beef & bean burrito: 33 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Xx large spicy red hot beef and bean: 33 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Mild beef & bean red chili burritos, beef & bean red chili: 31 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Breakfast wrap: 80 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Burritos: 37 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Lean Chipotle Chicken Bowl: 58 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Taquitos: 79 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Burritos: 44 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- XXLarge Chimichanga Spicy Red Hot Bean & Cheese: 39 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Chicken Enchiladas: 43 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Bean & Cheese Burritos: 40 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Bean & Cheese Burrito: 35 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Bean & cheese burritos: 37 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- SPICY JALAPEÑO BEAN & CHEESE CHIMICHANGAS: 36 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Bean & Cheese Burrito: 40 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Burritos: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Burritos: 40 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Bean & Cheese Burritos: 50 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Breakfast wrap egg, potatoe cheesse & sausage: 3 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Chicken & Mango Salsa Burritos: 64 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Southwest Chicken & Veggie Burritos: 46 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Chicken & Roasted Veggie Burritos: 49 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Jalapeno egg & cheese breakfast burrito: 62 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Egg, Sausage & Cheese Burrito: 68 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Lean burrito, egg, cheese, tomato & basil: 70 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Breakfast Supreme Jalapeno, Egg & Cheese Burritos: 13 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by El Monterey
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 94 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 El Monterey: closest on tracked product count (144 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (95/100 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 El Monterey food safe? ▼
El Monterey has an average safety score of 95/100 across the 84 of 144 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 36.9% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many El Monterey products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 144 El Monterey products. 84 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 60 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the El Monterey catalog? ▼
El Monterey has 82 NOVA-classified products; 98.8% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 81 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the El Monterey catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, El Monterey concentrates in Frozen foods (57, 74% of this top-five); Meals (10); Sandwiches (8); Frozen-breakfast-sandwiches (1); Meats and their products (1).
Does El Monterey use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which El Monterey 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 El Monterey 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 Shell Shockers Chicken Taquitos, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (4) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 18 scored El Monterey products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare El Monterey's 95.0/100 average and 36.9% 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.
