Hill Country Fare
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Hill Country Fare, 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
Hill Country Fare averages 90.8/100 across the 140 of 588 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 30.0% 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.
- 90.8/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 140 scored products
- 588
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 30.0%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 70.9%
- 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 588 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Spice Drops; Beef Lasagna Dinner Mix; Jelly beans frijolitis; 30.0% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 90.8/100. 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 140 of 588 tracked Hill Country Fare records (23.8%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 448 cannot be screened, so the 90.8/100 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 Hill Country Fare
Hill Country Fare: 588 products tracked, 140 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 90.8/100, 30.0% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 23.8% 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), Hill Country Fare's 30.0% flagged share is 12 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Hill Country Fare processing intensity
Hill Country Fare's NOVA-classified set is 134 products: 70.9% ultra-processed (Group 4, 95 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 95. That ultra-processed share sits 7.4 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Hill Country Fare shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Hill Country Fare concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (37, 47% of this top-five); Dairies (16); Meats and their products (11); Snacks (8); Beverages (7).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 19 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Dairies | 11 | 97.7/100 | 9.1% |
| Meats and their products | 7 | 92.9/100 | 57.1% |
| Beverages | 6 | 50.8/100 | 66.7% |
| Condiments | 5 | 100/100 | 0% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Hill Country Fare's 30.0% flagged share is measured across 140 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.
Hill Country Fare flagged share vs large-brand cohort
30.0% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
30% 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 (90.8/100) summarizes 140 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.
Hill Country Fare product score distribution
Brand average 90.8/100 across 140 scored products
91 25th percentile sits above 25% of the 140 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
- 4 scored products (3%)
- 20–30
- 3 scored products (2%)
- 30–40
- 2 scored products (1%)
- 40–50
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 50–60
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 60–70
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 70–80
- 5 scored products (4%)
- 80–90
- 10 scored products (7%)
- 90–100
- 15 scored products (11%)
- 100 and above
- 98 scored products (70%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Hill Country Fare relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 140 Hill Country Fare products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 10. 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 | Hill Country Fare products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 10 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Yellow 5 | 9 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 6 | 9 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Carrageenan | 8 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Red 40 | 8 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Acesulfame Potassium | 4 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Aspartame | 4 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Blue 1 | 4 | 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 Hill Country Fare 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 (15 ingredients and 85/100) 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
- 15 ingredients
- Median score
- 85/100
The outlined point is Spice Drops, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (5). 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
- Spice Drops: 10 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Beef Lasagna Dinner Mix: 35 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Jelly beans frijolitis: 15 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Freeze Pops: 13 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Hill country fare, diet grape soda, garpe: 11 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Hill country fare, diet soda, orange: 12 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Hill country fare, diet pineapple soda, pineapple: 12 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Cheesy Shells: 43 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Tuna Alfredo Dinner Mix, Fettucine Pasta And Alfredo Sauce Mix: 42 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Hill country fare, diet strawberry soda, strawberry: 10 resolved ingredients, 45/100, 3 flagged.
- Sweet Treats Cream Bars: 29 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 3 flagged.
- Pasta & Cheese Sauce Mix: 37 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Cinnamon Imperials Candy: 8 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- Corn Bread Stuffing Mix: 35 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer: 14 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches: 17 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: 25 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Iced Coffee Caramel Macchiato: 12 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Potato salad: 32 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Greek Grade A Nonfat Strained Yogurt: 14 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Gelatin Dessert: 12 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Hill country fare, candy, orange slices: 6 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Turkey Flavored Stuffing Mix: 35 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Chicken Alfredo Dinner Mix: 41 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Chicken Flavored Stuffing Mix: 30 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Oven Roasted Turkey Breast with White Turkey Meat: 10 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Franks made with chicken and pork hotdogs: 17 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Hill Country Fare Smoked Original Snack Sticks: 17 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Cantinero Snack Mix, Peanuts And Chips With Chili And Garlic: 11 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Hill Country Fare Smoky Maple Hickory Sliced Bacon: 11 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Chili With Beans: 17 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Hot Dog Chili Sauce: 15 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Frozen Chicken Wings, Mild Buffalo Style: 32 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Sandwiches: 17 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Chili: 16 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Ranch Dip Mix: 9 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Wheat Enriched Bread: 22 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Mini Beef Ravioli In Tomato And Meat Sauce: 36 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Macaroni & Beef In Tomato Sacue: 27 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- turkey breast: 17 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Cocoa Rageous Sweetened Rice Cereal With Real Cocoa: 14 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Iced Coffee Mocha: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Pecans Halves: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Hill country fare, sauce, jellied cranberry: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Whole Almonds: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mexican Rice Sauce: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Guisada Sauce: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Enchilada Sauce: 13 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Enchilada Sauce: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Italian Salad Dressing Mix: 13 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Hill Country Fare
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 538 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 Hill Country Fare: closest on tracked product count (588 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (90.8/100 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 Hill Country Fare food safe? ▼
Hill Country Fare has an average safety score of 91/100 across the 140 of 588 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 30.0% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Hill Country Fare products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 588 Hill Country Fare products. 140 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 448 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Hill Country Fare catalog? ▼
Hill Country Fare has 134 NOVA-classified products; 70.9% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 95 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Hill Country Fare catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Hill Country Fare concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (37, 47% of this top-five); Dairies (16); Meats and their products (11); Snacks (8); Beverages (7).
Does Hill Country Fare use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Hill Country Fare 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 Hill Country Fare 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 Spice Drops, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (5) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 10 scored Hill Country Fare products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Hill Country Fare's 90.8/100 average and 30.0% 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.
