Safe

Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento

by Knott's Wholesale Foods Inc.

Scores 100/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis , with no flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0011984011258 · Serving size 2 Tbsp (30 g)

The verdict

Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento by Knott's Wholesale Foods Inc. scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 37 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination; check official notices and the product label for current decisions.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
flagged ingredients of 37 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
E
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

What the Data Says About Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento

Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento by Knott's Wholesale Foods Inc. carries a composite safety score of 100/100, which we classify as "Safe" on our four-tier shelf-label framework.

The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This score is a transparent derived index we compute from that public data, not an official FDA rating or endorsement; see the Methodology page for the exact weighting.

Our scan did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone. The Nutri-Score grade of E reflects nutritional balance, calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content, which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score E OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 25,723 products we've scored in the Dairies category, the average safety score is 98.2/100. Knotts Wholesale Foods, Southern Style Spread, Jalapeno, Pimiento scores 1.8 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 98.2/100), so it is roughly typical for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Imitation Pasteurized Cheddar Cheese Product
2
Water
3
Interesterified Soybean Oil
4
Modified Food Starch
5
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
6
Gelatin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
7
Corn Syrup Solids
8
Sodium Citrate
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Calcium Phosphate
11
Artificial And Natural Flavors
12
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
13
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
14
Preservative
15
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
16
Locust Bean Gum
17
Guar Gum
18
Artificial Color
19
Salad Dressing
20
Soybean Oil
21
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
22
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
23
Distilled Vinegar
24
Egg Yolks
25
Cider Vinegar
26
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
27
Spice
28
Xanthan Gum And Natural Flavors
29
Pimientos
30
Water And Citric Acid
31
Jalapenos
32
Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
33
Phosphoric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
Cut Back GRAS
34
Calcium Chloride
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, ENZYME, FIRMING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, FUMIGANT, HUMECTANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING
GRAS
35
Sodium Benzoate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
36
As A Preservative
37
Sodium Metabisulfite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Imitation pasteurized cheddar cheese product (water, interesterified soybean oil, modified food starch, whey, gelatin, corn syrup solids, sodium citrate, salt, calcium phosphate, artificial and natural flavors, lactic acid, sorbic acid (preservative), xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum, artificial color), salad dressing (soybean oil, water, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, egg yolks, salt, cider vinegar, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice, xanthan gum and natural flavors), pimientos (pimientos, water and citric acid), jalapenos (fresh jalapeno peppers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, phosphoric acid, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate (as a preservative), sodium metabisulfite).

Categories

Dairies Fermented foods Fermented milk products Cheeses

Data Sources

Data as of May 2026. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Product data from Open Food Facts; additive safety from the FDA SAFFA inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details. Compiled by PlainFoodSafe

Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Product figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine 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 May 2026.