Cheese Lover's Lasagna Hamburger Helper

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Cheese Lover's Lasagna Hamburger Helper receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0016000430662
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1/2 cup as pkgd (31 g) (31 g)

What the Data Says About

Cheese Lover's Lasagna Hamburger Helper carries a composite safety score of 95/100, 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 identified 1 flagged ingredient in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Cheese Lover's Lasagna Hamburger Helper 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Cheese Lover's Lasagna Hamburger Helper
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Pasta
2
Wheat Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
5
Thiamin Mononitrate
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
8
Corn Starch
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Ricotta Cheese*
11
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
12
Milkfat
13
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
14
Enriched Flour
15
Iron
16
Msg
17
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
18
Parmesan Cheese*
19
Milk
20
Cheese Cultures
21
Enzymes
22
Natural Flavor
23
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
24
Tomato*
25
Vegetable Oil
26
Canola
27
Soybean
28
Sunflower Oil
29
Monoglycerides
30
Paprika
31
Spice
32
Organic Basil
33
Color
34
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
35
Yellows Lakes 5 & 6
36
Yellows 5 & 6
37
Oregano
38
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
39
Malic Acid
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SYNERGIST
Safe GRAS
40
Romano Cheese*
41
Made From Cow
42
Goat Or Sheep's Milk
43
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
44
Anticaking Agent
45
Sodium Phosphate
46
Yeast Extract
47
Soy Lecithin.*dried

Full Ingredient List

Enriched pasta (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), corn starch, salt, ricotta cheese* (whey, milkfat, lactic acid, salt), enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), monosodium glutamate, sugar, parmesan cheese* (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), natural flavor, citric acid, tomato*, vegetable oil (canola, soybean and/or sunflower oil), monoglycerides, paprika, spice, basil, color (caramel color, yellows lakes 5 & 6, yellows 5 & 6), oregano, whey protein concentrate, malic acid, romano cheese* (made from cow, goat or sheep's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), sodium phosphate, yeast extract, soy lecithin.*dried

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