Pepperidge farm, goldfish, puffs mega cheese

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Pepperidge farm, goldfish, puffs mega cheese receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0014100046073
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1.1 ONZ (30 g)

What the Data Says About

Pepperidge farm, goldfish, puffs mega cheese 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.

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, Pepperidge farm, goldfish, puffs mega cheese 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 D 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 Pepperidge farm, goldfish, puffs mega cheese
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 D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Made With Smiles And Whole Grain Yellow Corn Meal
2
Enriched Yellow Corn Meal
3
Yellow Corn Meal
4
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Vitamin B1
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Vitamin B2
8
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Iron
10
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
11
Canola Oil
12
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
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
14
Percent Or Less Of: Sugar
15
Cheddar Cheese
16
Milk
17
Cultures
18
Enzymes
19
Calcium Carbonate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
20
Asiago Cheese
21
Part-skim Milk
22
Paprika Extract For Color
23
Enzyme Modified Romano Cheese
24
Cow's Milk
25
Corn Maltodextrin
26
Mono And Diglycerides
27
Sunflower Lecithin
28
Annatto Extract For Color
29
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
30
Buttermilk
31
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
32
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
33
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
34
Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese
35
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
36
Natural Flavors
37
Potato Flour
38
Spices And Yeast Extract

Full Ingredient List

Made with smiles and whole grain yellow corn meal, enriched yellow corn meal (yellow corn meal, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin b1], riboflavin [vitamin b2], niacin, iron, folic acid), canola oil, whey, salt, contains 2 percent or less of: sugar, cheddar cheese (milk, salt, cultures, enzymes), calcium carbonate, asiago cheese (part-skim milk, salt, cultures, enzymes), paprika extract for color, enzyme modified romano cheese (cow's milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), corn maltodextrin, mono and diglycerides, sunflower lecithin, annatto extract for color, ascorbic acid, buttermilk, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, enzyme modified cheddar cheese (milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), lactic acid, natural flavors, potato flour, spices and yeast extract.

Categories

Snacks

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. 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.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial