Mateo's
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Mateo's, 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
Mateo's averages 98.1/100 across the 16 of 27 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 6.3% 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.
- 98.1/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 16 scored products
- 27
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 6.3%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 40%
- 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
Look for consistency across the range
The catalog shows a small but varied range led by Barbecue sauce; Medium Gourmet Salsa; Gourmet salsa. Across 27 tracked products, the mean is 98.1/100 and 6.3% carry a separately flagged ingredient. That is enough to compare formulations inside this captured range, but not enough to assume every current package matches. Start with the lowest-scoring product rows and confirm the ingredient panel when a specific additive matters.
Catalog evidence
Ingredient-list coverage comes before the score
Only 16 of 27 tracked Mateo's records (59.3%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 11 cannot be screened, so the 98.1/100 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 Mateo's
Mateo's: 27 products tracked, 16 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 98.1/100, 6.3% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 59.3% 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 →
Processing mix (NOVA)
Mateo's processing intensity
Mateo's's NOVA-classified set is 15 products: 40% ultra-processed (Group 4, 6 items) with Group 3 (processed foods) largest at 9. That ultra-processed share sits 38.3 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Mateo's shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Mateo's concentrates in Condiments (11, 85% of this top-five); Salsa (2).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condiments | 11 | 97.3/100 | 9.1% |
| Salsa | 2 | 100/100 | 0% |
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (98.1/100) summarizes 16 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.
Mateo's product score distribution
Brand average 98.1/100 across 16 scored products
98 6th percentile sits above 6% of the 16 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
- 70–80
- 1 scored products (6%)
- 100 and above
- 15 scored products (94%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Mateo's relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 16 Mateo's products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 1. 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 | Mateo's products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 1 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Red 40 | 1 | 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 16 concern-sorted Mateo's 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 (11 ingredients and 100/100) 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
- 16
- Median label
- 11 ingredients
- Median score
- 100/100
The outlined point is Barbecue sauce, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (2). 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
- Barbecue sauce: 27 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Medium Gourmet Salsa: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet salsa: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- GOURMET SALSA MEDIUM: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Salsa Mild: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Red Enchilada Sauce: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Salsa: 11 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Taco Sauce- Mild: 11 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Taco Sauce Medium: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Salsa Medium: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Medium Cantina Style: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mild Southwest Ranch Taco Seasoning Mix: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Medium Salsa Verde: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa (Medium): 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Salsa Con Queso: 32 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gourmet Hatch Chile Medium Salsa: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Mateo's
Showing 27 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first).
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Mateo's: closest on tracked product count (27 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (98.1/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
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 Mateo's food safe? ▼
Mateo's has an average safety score of 98/100 across the 16 of 27 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 6.3% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Mateo's products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 27 Mateo's products. 16 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 11 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Mateo's catalog? ▼
Mateo's has 15 NOVA-classified products; 40% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 6 items) and Group 3 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Mateo's catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Mateo's concentrates in Condiments (11, 85% of this top-five); Salsa (2).
Does Mateo's use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Mateo's 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 Mateo's 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 Barbecue sauce, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (2) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 1 scored Mateo's products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Mateo's's 98.1/100 average and 6.3% 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.
