Caution

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

by Kraft

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0021000039432 · Kraft · Meals. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0021000039432 · Serving size 3.6 ONZ (104 g)

The verdict

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner by Kraft scores 85/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 54 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 54-component record, beginning with Enriched Macaroni Product, Wheat Flour, Glyceryl Monostearate. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

85/100
Caution safety score
1
One flagged · of 54 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.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

50/100

Grade C-

Ingredient Safety

85/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

E

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

00039432 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 85/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 54 ing. REG-PART 31% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-E Nutri-E RANK-SHORT Len top 12% LEAD-FLAG Sodium Nitrite PHOTO-FINISH Chunky old fashioned · ±0 BOOK-OFF …039432 · July 2026

17 of 54 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Sodium Nitrite). Source sheet 00039432 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Chunky old fashioned potato ham chowder soup · Nearest score peer is Chunky old fashioned potato ham chowder soup at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

The composite for this product falls in the second band of the four-tier framework. That band collects labels whose registry-rated components pull the derived score down measurably without dominating it. Position inside a band is not visible from the band name, and two labels sharing it can differ in how many components were rated and how severely. This is a threshold on an index computed here from public data, not a regulatory classification of any kind; the exact cut-offs are published on the methodology page.

Nutri-Score assigned its lowest band to this label. The algorithm reserves that grade for nutrition panels where the values it penalises sit well above the components it credits. The two systems on this page measure genuinely different things: a product can hold this grade while carrying no additive flagged by the registries screened below, and a product graded well can carry several. Neither reading substitutes for the other, and the per-component table is where the additive picture is set out.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Macaroni & Cheese Dinner: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Macaroni & Cheese Dinner85/1002. Chunky old fashioned potato ham chowder soup: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Chunky old fashioned pota…85/1003. CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER85/1004. CHICKEN BACON RANCH: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. CHICKEN BACON RANCH85/1005. Original vanilla light ice cream bars with chocolatey coating: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Original vanilla light ic…85/100
High-band neighbours for Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (85/100) outside Kraft.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
85/100
Chunky old fashioned potato ham chowder soup
85/100
CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER
85/100
CHICKEN BACON RANCH
85/100
Original vanilla light ice cream bars with chocolatey coating
85/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 15,626 products we've scored in the Meals category, the average safety score is 93.6/100. Macaroni & Cheese Dinner scores 8.6 points below that category average (85/100 vs. 93.6/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Meals products

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner lists 54 ingredients on its label

54 88th percentile a longer ingredient list than 88% of the 11,283 products we track

0–2: 12 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 83 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 127 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 209 products (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 312 products (3%). Below this entry. 10–12: 315 products (3%). Below this entry. 12–14: 412 products (4%). Below this entry. 14–16: 477 products (4%). Below this entry. 16–18: 542 products (5%). Below this entry. 18–20: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 20–22: 545 products (5%). Below this entry. 22–24: 550 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 26–28: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 28–30: 574 products (5%). Below this entry. 30–32: 517 products (5%). Below this entry. 32–34: 466 products (4%). Below this entry. 34–36: 451 products (4%). Below this entry. 36–38: 443 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 388 products (3%). Below this entry. 40–42: 3,204 products (28%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Meals product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

11,283 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 54 (88th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
12 products (0%)
2–4
83 products (1%)
4–6
127 products (1%)
6–8
209 products (2%)
8–10
312 products (3%)
10–12
315 products (3%)
12–14
412 products (4%)
14–16
477 products (4%)
16–18
542 products (5%)
18–20
552 products (5%)
20–22
545 products (5%)
22–24
550 products (5%)
24–26
552 products (5%)
26–28
552 products (5%)
28–30
574 products (5%)
30–32
517 products (5%)
32–34
466 products (4%)
34–36
451 products (4%)
36–38
443 products (4%)
38–40
388 products (3%)
40 and above
3,204 products (28%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 11,283 Meals products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 85/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 54 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Wheat Flour
3
Glyceryl Monostearate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
6
Iron
7
Thiamin Mononitrate
8
Vitamin B1
9
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
10
Vitamin B2
11
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
12
Cheese Soy
13
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
14
From Milk
15
Cheddar Cheese
16
Milk Cheese Culture
17
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
18
Enzymes
19
Canola Oil
20
Milk Protein Concentrate
21
Sodium Phosphate
22
Sodium Alginate
23
Annatto Extract
24
Color
25
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
26
Sorbic Acid As A Preservative
27
Milkfat
28
Oleoresin Paprika
29
Seasoning Blend
30
Modified Food Starch
31
Bleached Wheat Flour
32
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
33
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
34
Palm Oil
35
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
36
Acetylated Monoglycerides
37
Milk
38
Medium Chain Triglyerides
39
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
40
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
41
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
42
Spice
43
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
44
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
45
Tomatoes
46
Organic Onions
47
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
48
Cheese Culture
49
Natural Flavor
50
Paprika Extract
51
Yellow 5 Bacon Bits With Added Hickory Smoke Flavor
52
Bacon Sodium Ascorbate
53
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
54
Natural Smoke Flavor

Full Ingredient List

Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Glyceryl Monostearate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid); Cheese Soy (Whey [From Milk], Cheddar Cheese [Milk Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Sodium Alginate, Annatto Extract [Color], Lactic Acid, Sorbic Acid As A Preservative, Milkfat, Oleoresin Paprika [Color]); Seasoning Blend (Modified Food Starch, Bleached Wheat Flour, Corn Syrup*, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Whey*, Acetylated Monoglycerides, Milk*, Contains Less Than 2% Of Medium Chain Triglyerides , Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Whey Protein Concentrate, Lactose, Spice, Garlic*, Sodium Phosphate, Sugar, Tomatoes*, *Onions, Citric Acid, Cheese Culture, Natural Flavor, Paprika Extract [Color], Lactic Acid, Yellow 5 Bacon Bits With Added Hickory Smoke Flavor (Bacon Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite], Smoke Flavor).

Categories

Meals

High-score cross-brand comparables for Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

Neighbours outside Kraft with screening scores in the same high band as Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (85/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Kraft; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Sodium Nitrite is the first flagged ingredient selected from Macaroni & Cheese Dinner's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 54-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Sodium Nitrite. Open Sodium Nitrite
  • Compare Macaroni & Cheese Dinner's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0021000039432: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.