Natural Cheddar Flavor

Natural Cheddar Flavor carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 52 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 — Natural Cheddar Flavor highlighted.

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

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Natural Cheddar Flavor52
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Natural Cheddar Flavor 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

Natural Cheddar Flavor currently appears in 52 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.

Natural Cheddar Flavor 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 Natural Cheddar Flavor 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 Natural Cheddar Flavor
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 52 products OpenFoodFacts

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

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 52 products

Baked Snack Crackers
Shurfine, Topco Associates Inc.
100/100
Baked Snack Crackers
Food Club
100/100
Baked snack crackers
Unknown
100/100
Baked snack crackers penguins
Unknown
100/100
Bean & Rice Burrito
Trader Jose's
100/100
Beef & cheese taquitos flour tortillas
Unknown
100/100
Breakfast wrap
El Monterey
95/100
Burritos
Unknown
85/100
Burritos
El Monterey
85/100
Cheddar cheese baked crackers, cheddar cheese
Milton's
100/100
Cheddar penguins baked snack crackers, cheddar
Hyvee
100/100
Cheddar Penguins Made With Whole Grains Baked Snack Crackers
Ahold
100/100
Cheddar snack crackers
Unknown
100/100
Egg, Cheese & Applewood Smoked Bacon Burritos
El Monterey Signature
85/100
Egg, Potato, Cheese Sauce & Ham Breakfast Wraps, Egg, Potato, Cheese Sauce & Ham
El monterey
85/100
Giant, cheddar penguins
Ahold
100/100
Good planet foods dairy free cheddar
Unknown
100/100
Good planet foods dairy free cheddar slices
Unknown
100/100
Great value, baked snack crackers penguins, cheddar
Unknown
100/100
Great value, baked snack crackers penguins, extra cheddar
Great Value, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
100/100
Great value, penguins shaped baked snack crackers, cheddar cheese
Unknown
100/100
Hannaford, penguin crackers, baked snack crackers, cheddar
Hannaford, Hannaford Bros. Co.
100/100
Hatch chile queso dip
Unknown
100/100
just like CHEDDAR SLICES
Violife
100/100
Lightly Sauced Pasta & Broccoli With Onions & Bacon In A Cheese Sauce
Birds Eye
70/100
Lightly Sauced Roasted Potatoes With Onions & Bacon In A Cheese Sauce
Birds Eye
70/100
Macaroni & Cheese
Santa Sophia
100/100
Macaroni and cheese
Unknown
95/100
Mexican Style Shreds
Violife
100/100
Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
Garden Of Eatin'
100/100
Penguin Crackers
Food Lion, Food Town Stores Inc.
100/100
Penguins baked snack crackers
I.Higgs
100/100
Penguins Baked Snack Crackers
Great Value
100/100
Pepper jack fat free pasteurized process cheese product
Unknown
100/100
Plant Based Buffalo chicken quesadilla
Unknown
100/100
Plant Based Cheese Enchiladas
Unknown
100/100
Plant basee chorizo and egg breakfast burrito
Unknown
100/100
Plant-based bacon breakfast bowl
Unknown
95/100
Plant-Based Cheeseburger
Unknown
95/100
Roasted chile relleno
Cedarlane Natural Foods Inc.
100/100
Roasted chile relleno
Unknown
100/100
Sea buddies snack crackers, cheddar
Food-Club
100/100
Sea buddies, extra cheddar baked snack crackers, extra cheddar
Food Club
100/100
Soft spreadable cheese, wasabi cheddar bold
Alouette
100/100
STEAK & CHEESE TAQUITOS
EL MONTEREY
100/100
Steamfresh chef's favorites
Unknown
85/100
Taco beef burritos
Unknown
95/100
Taquitos
Unknown
85/100
Taquitos
El Monterey
100/100
Taquitos flour tortillas
Unknown
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Natural Cheddar Flavor safe to eat?

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

What products contain Natural Cheddar Flavor?

Natural Cheddar Flavor is found in 52 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Natural Cheddar Flavor do in food?

Natural Cheddar Flavor 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.