Cheesy Potatoes

by Velveeta

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheesy Potatoes by Velveeta 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
0021000042371
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.2 BOX (MAKES ABOUT 0.5 CUP) (55 g)

What the Data Says About

Cheesy Potatoes by Velveeta 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, Cheesy Potatoes 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 Cheesy Potatoes
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.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cheese Sauce
2
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
3
Milk
4
Cheddar Cheese
5
Cheese Culture
6
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
7
Enzymes
8
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
9
Canola Oil
10
Milk Protein Concentrate
11
Sodium Phosphate
12
Enzyme Modified Cheese
13
Water
14
Milkfat
15
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
16
Sodium Alginate
17
Sorbic Acid As A Preservative
18
Oleoresin Paprika
19
Color
20
Annatto Extract
21
Natural Flavor
22
: Potatoes And Vegetables*
23
Potatoes
24
Organic Onions
25
Green Bell Peppers
26
Dried Red Bell Peppers
27
Spice Blend
28
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
29
Spice
30
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
31
Celery Seed And Natural Smoke Flavor
32
Onion*
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
Torula Yeast*
35
Tomato*
36
Gum Arabic
37
Garlic*
38
Sunflower Oil
39
Modified Food Starch
40
Corn Syrup Solids
41
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
42
Silicon Dioxide As An Anticaking Agent
43
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
44
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
45
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
46
Artificial Flavor

Full Ingredient List

Cheese Sauce (Whey, Milk, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Whey Protein Concentrate, Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Enzyme Modified Cheese [Milk, Water, Sodium Phosphate, Milkfat, Salt, Cheese Culture, Enzymes], Lactic Acid, Milkfat, Sodium Alginate, Sorbic Acid As A Preservative, Oleoresin Paprika [Color], Annatto Extract [Color], Enzymes, Natural Flavor, Cheese Culture): Potatoes And Vegetables* (Potatoes, Onions, Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers); Spice Blend (Salt, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Spice, Dextrose, Natural Flavor (Contains Celery Seed And Natural Smoke Flavor), Onion*, Maltodextrin, Torula Yeast*, Tomato*, Gum Arabic, Garlic*, Sunflower Oil, Modified Food Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, Silicon Dioxide As An Anticaking Agent, Citric Acid, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Artificial Flavor).

Categories

Meals

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