Pepper Jack Cheese

Pepper Jack Cheese carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 183 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 — Pepper Jack Cheese highlighted.

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

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Pepper Jack Cheese183
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Pepper Jack Cheese 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

Pepper Jack Cheese currently appears in 183 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.

Pepper Jack Cheese 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 Pepper Jack Cheese 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 Pepper Jack Cheese
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 183 products OpenFoodFacts

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

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 183 products

3 alarm chili portabella mushrooms
Unknown
100/100
Alarm Chili Portabella Mushrooms
Giant Eagle
100/100
Artisan style chipotle brioche bread, spicy chicken
Unknown
100/100
Asiago & Pepper Jack Cheese Crisps
Whisps
100/100
Assorted cheese tray, pepper jack, colby jack, swiss & cheddar cheeses
Unknown
100/100
Austin Crackers Pepper Jack 1.38Oz
Unknown
25/100
Baby bella mushrooms stuffed with fiesta cheese blend
Unknown
100/100
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Pepperjack Cheese
Member's Mark
85/100
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breast
Family Farms Market
85/100
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breast
Family Farms Market
85/100
Bacon-wrapped shrimp poppers
Unknown
85/100
Banquet, Santa Fe Style Rice And Beans
Banquet
95/100
Beef & three cheese rolled tacos, beef & three cheese
Unknown
95/100
Beef snack bites with cheddar & pepper jack cheese tray
Unknown
85/100
Beer & cheese dip
Unknown
80/100
Big n' cheesy summer sausage with pepper jack cheese, big n' cheesy
Wimmer'S
85/100
Black bean enchilito meal
Unknown
100/100
Black bean enchilito meal, black bean
Unknown
100/100
Black bean enchilitos
Unknown
100/100
Breakfast Burrito Carne Asada Beef with Poblano Peppers
Reds
100/100
Breakfast Burrito Chicken Sausage & Egg Scramble
Red's
100/100
Breakfast Burritos
Gabriel Investment Holdings Llc
100/100
Buffalo club
Unknown
80/100
Buffalo club sub
Unknown
80/100
Buffalo-style chicken and pepper jack harvester, buffalo-style
Unknown
95/100
BURRITOS CHICKEN & THREE CHEESE
Realgood Foods Co.
100/100
Carne Asada Beef with Poblano Peppers Burrito
RED'S
100/100
Cauliflower dip
Unknown
100/100
charcuterie
Unknown
100/100
Cheese Crisps
Unknown
100/100
Cheese cube tray, cheddar cheese, colby & monterey jack cheese & monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers
Unknown
100/100
Cheese Dip
Mandip
100/100
Cheese Louise!, Wafers, Pepperjack
Cheese Louise!
100/100
Cheese tray
Unknown
100/100
Cheese tray
Unknown
100/100
Cheesy Canadian Bacon Burrito
RED'S
100/100
Chicken & Cheese Mini Taquitos
Meijer
100/100
Chicken bacon & jalapeno pepper jack cheese
Unknown
80/100
Chicken chili with beans
Unknown
100/100
Chicken Chorizo Burrito
Red's
100/100
Chicken Fajita Fajita Rice And Grilled Fajita Seasoned Chicken In A Flour Tortilla Burrito, Chicken Fajita
Unknown
100/100
Chicken frozen taquitos
Unknown
100/100
Chicken sandwich wrap
Unknown
95/100
CHICKEN SAUSAGE & EGG SCRAMBLE BREAKFAST BURRITO
RED'S
100/100
Chicken with ancient grains and roasted poblano
Unknown
100/100
Chorizo breakfast sandwich
Unknown
100/100
Cracker cuts cheese
Unknown
100/100
Double Play Cheese
Cheesewich
100/100
Dried beef & pepper jack cheese
Unknown
85/100
Enchiladas
My Fit Foods
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pepper Jack Cheese safe to eat?

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

What products contain Pepper Jack Cheese?

Pepper Jack Cheese is found in 183 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Pepper Jack Cheese do in food?

Pepper Jack Cheese 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.