Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Cheddar Cheese Sauce carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 92 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Cheddar Cheese Sauce highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Cheddar Cheese Sauce92
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Cheddar Cheese Sauce has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Cheddar Cheese Sauce currently appears in 92 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Cheddar Cheese Sauce in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 92 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 92 products

Battered Cheddar Nuggets
Poppers
100/100
Breakfast burrito
Unknown
100/100
Breakfast burritos
Good Food Made Simple
100/100
Broccoli Chicken
Giant Eagle
100/100
CHED OVER HEELS CREAMY MILD CHEDDAR SAUCE OVER SHELLS
GOODLES
100/100
Cheese Enchiladas
Frontera
100/100
Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner
Annie's
100/100
Cheesy Skillet Dinner
Essential Everyday
100/100
Chicken Dinner Mix, Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli
Shurfine
100/100
Chili's, southwestern style potato skins, big bold, big bold
Chili's
95/100
Deluxe Mac & Cheese Dinner
Stop & Shop
100/100
Deluxe mac & cheese dinner with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce
That's Smart!
100/100
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese
Roundy's
100/100
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
Signature Kitchens, Safeway Inc.
100/100
Deluxe macaroni & cheese dinner
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe macaroni & cheese dinner
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
Clover Valley
100/100
Deluxe Macaroni And Cheddar Dinner
Shoprite
100/100
Deluxe Microwaveable Macaroni Shells & Cheddar Dinner
Big Y
100/100
Deluxe Shell Pasta
Food Lion
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheddar
Big Y Foods Inc.
100/100
Deluxe shells & cheddar
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheddar Dinner
Food Club
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheddar Dinner
Iga
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheddar Dinner In A Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Schnucks
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
Weis Quality
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheese
Roundy's
100/100
Deluxe shells & cheese cup
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe shells & cheese cup
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe Shells & cheese dinner
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe Shells & Cheese Dinner
Ahold
100/100
Deluxe shells & cheese dinner with creamy cheddar cheese sauce & enriched shell macaroni
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe shells & cheese dinner with creamy cheddar cheese sauce & enriched shell macaroni
Unknown
100/100
Deluxe shells & creamy cheddar sauce
365 Everyday Value
100/100
Deluxe Shells And Cheddar Dinner
Shoprite
100/100
Deluxe shells n' cheese dinner
Write Rose
100/100
Elbows & cheddar deluxe macaroni & cheese
Weis Quality
100/100
Fresh finds, deluxe macaroni & cheese dinner
Fresh Finds
100/100
Gyro puff
Unknown
95/100
Harris teeter, deluxe macaroni & cheese dinner
Harris Teeter
100/100
Harris teeter, shells & cheese
Harris Teeter
100/100
Jalapeno bites with cheddar cheese
Unknown
95/100
Key food, deluxe macaroni & cheese dinner
Key Food
100/100
Key food, deluxe shells & cheddar dinner
Key Food
100/100
Mac & Cheese Bites
The Moran Group Incorporated
95/100
Mac & cheese dinner
Unknown
100/100
Mac and Cheese Original Macaroni & Cheese
Kroger
100/100
Macaroni & cheese
365 Everyday Value
100/100
Macaroni & Cheese
365 Everyday Value, Whole Foods Market Inc.
100/100
Macaroni & Cheese
Gourmet Culinary Solutions
75/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cheddar Cheese Sauce safe to eat?

Cheddar Cheese Sauce has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Cheddar Cheese Sauce?

Cheddar Cheese Sauce is found in 92 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Cheddar Cheese Sauce do in food?

Cheddar Cheese Sauce serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.