Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese

Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 56 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 — Reduced Fat Monterey 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 613560Sucralose10490Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese56
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Reduced Fat Monterey 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

Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese currently appears in 56 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.

Reduced Fat Monterey 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 Reduced Fat Monterey 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 Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 56 products OpenFoodFacts

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

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 56 products

4 Cheese Mexican Shredded Reduced Fat Cheese
Sargento
100/100
4 Cheese Mexican Style Blend
Giant
100/100
Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers
Trader Joe's
100/100
Cheddar jack shredded reduced fat cheddar & monterey
Sargento
100/100
Colby & Monterey Jack Shredded Reduced Fat Natural Cheese, Colby & Monterey Jack
Kraft
100/100
Colby Jack Cheese
Lucerne
100/100
Colby Jack Cheese
Meijer
100/100
Colby Jack Classic Reduced Fat
Good & Gather
100/100
Crunchy Cheese
Frollicks
100/100
Dairy farms reduced fat colby jack cheese
Lucerne, Safeway Inc.
100/100
Fancy Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
Food Lion, Food Town Stores Inc.
100/100
Fancy Reduced Fat Mexican Style Cheese Blend
Western Family
100/100
Fancy Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend
Hannaford, Hannaford Bros. Co.
100/100
Fancy Shredded Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican Style Blend
Food Lion
100/100
Finely Shredded Mexican Cheese
Kraft
100/100
Finely Shredded Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend Reduced Fat
giant eagle
100/100
Finely Shredded Mexican Style Cheese Blend
Topco Associates Inc.
100/100
Finely Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend
Unknown
100/100
Finely Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend
Unknown
100/100
Finely Shredded Reduced Fat Colby Jack Cheese
Unknown
100/100
Finely shredded reduced fat mexican style perfect
Unknown
100/100
Four cheese
Unknown
100/100
Four cheese Mexican style blend
Unknown
100/100
Good & gather mexican style classic shredded
Unknown
100/100
Market pantry, mexican-style shredded cheese blend
Market Pantry
100/100
Market pantry, shredded colby jack cheese
Market Pantry
100/100
Meijer, colby jack cheese
Meijer
100/100
Mexican 4 cheese blend
Unknown
100/100
Mexican 4 cheese blend shredded monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla and asadero reduced fat cheeses
Shredded
100/100
Mexican Four Cheese
Kraft
100/100
Mexican Four Cheese Blend
Weis
100/100
Mexican Style Blend Cheess
Unknown
100/100
Mexican Style Cheese Blend
Trader Joe's
100/100
Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend
Kraft
100/100
Mexican style four cheese blend shredded cheese with 2% milk by kraft
Kraft
100/100
Mexican Style Reduced Fat Cheese
Hy-Vee
100/100
Perfect combination of monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla & asadero mexican-style natural four cheeses, mexican-style
Schnucks
100/100
Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican
Sargento, Sargento Foods Inc.
100/100
Reduced fat cheddar and monterey jack finely shredded cheese blend
Unknown
100/100
Reduced Fat Cheddar Jack Cheese
Sargento, Sargento Foods Inc.
100/100
Reduced Fat Cheeses
Meijer, Meijer Inc.
100/100
Reduced fat colby jack cheese finely shredded
Schnucks
100/100
Reduced Fat Colby Jack Shredded Cheese
Meijer, Meijer Inc.
100/100
Reduced Fat Colby-Jack Cheese
Sargento
100/100
Reduced Fat Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend
Lucerne
100/100
Reduced fat Mexican style blend cheese
Hannafords
100/100
Reduced Fat Mexican Style Cheese
Lidl
100/100
Reduced Fat Mexican Style Cheese
Happy Farms by ALDI
100/100
Reduced Fat Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend
Essential Everyday
100/100
Reduced fat mexican style monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla & asadero finely shredded four cheese blend, mexican style four cheese
Unknown
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese safe to eat?

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

What products contain Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese?

Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese is found in 56 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese do in food?

Reduced Fat Monterey 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.