Cheddar mac & cheese zucchini lentil cavatappi

by Birds Eye

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheddar mac & cheese zucchini lentil cavatappi by Birds Eye 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
0014500019240
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (217 g)

What the Data Says About

Cheddar mac & cheese zucchini lentil cavatappi by Birds Eye 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, Cheddar mac & cheese zucchini lentil cavatappi 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 C 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 Cheddar mac & cheese zucchini lentil cavatappi
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 C OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Sauce
2
Water
3
Cheddar Club Cheese
4
Pasteurized Cultured Milk
5
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
6
Enzymes
7
Annatto {Color}
8
Cream
9
Soybean Oil
10
Nonfat Milk
11
Corn Starch
12
Butter
13
Cheese Flavor
14
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
15
Cheese {Granular And Blue
16
Pasteurized Milk
17
Cheese Culture
18
Enzyme
19
Sunflower Oil
20
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
21
Sodium Phosphate
22
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
23
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
24
Distilled White Vinegar
25
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
26
Sodium Phosphates
27
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
28
Guar Gum
29
Beta Carotene
30
Color
31
Cooked Lentil Zucchini Cavatappi
32
Organic Lentil Flour
33
Zucchini
34
Bread Crumbs
35
Wheat Flour
36
Or Less Of: Sugar
37
Yeast

Full Ingredient List

Sauce (water, cheddar club cheese [pasteurized cultured milk, salt, enzymes, annatto {color}], cream, soybean oil, nonfat milk, modified corn starch, butter [cream, salt], cheese flavor [whey, cheese {granular and blue (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzyme)}, sunflower oil, maltodextrin, salt, sodium phosphate, citric acid, lactic acid], salt, distilled white vinegar, sugar, sodium phosphates, xanthan gum, guar gum, beta carotene [color]), cooked lentil zucchini cavatappi (water, lentil flour, zucchini), bread crumbs (wheat flour, contains 2% or less of: sugar, yeast, soybean oil, salt).

Categories

Frozen foods

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