Concern

Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno

by Kraft

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0021000045372 · Kraft · Meals. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0021000045372 · Serving size 2.5 ONZ (70 g)

The verdict

Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno by Kraft scores 50/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 50 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 2 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 50-component record, beginning with Enriched Macaroni Product, Wheat Flour, Niacin. 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.

50/100
Concern safety score
2
Few flagged · of 50 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
D
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

38/100

Grade F

Ingredient Safety

50/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

D

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.

00045372 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno label screening desk

SCORE-CONC 50/100 FLAG-FEW 2 flagged LEN-DENSE 50 ing. REG-PART 34% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-D Nutri-D RANK-SHORT Len top 16% LEAD-FLAG Yellow 6 PHOTO-FINISH Nonfat Dressing · ±0 BOOK-OFF …045372 · July 2026

17 of 50 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Yellow 6). Source sheet 00045372 · 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: Nonfat Dressing · Nearest score peer is Nonfat Dressing at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

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

This label lands in the third of four positions on the published scale. What separates that position from its neighbours is arithmetic rather than judgement: identical inputs run through the documented weighting always arrive at the same place. Anyone who works the calculation through by hand, using the methodology write-up together with the itemised ratings further down, will reproduce this number exactly — which is the reason for publishing a computed figure instead of an opinion.

This label falls in the fourth Nutri-Score band. The model arrives there when its penalty terms — energy density, sugars, saturated fat, sodium — carry more weight in the calculation than the fibre, protein and produce content it credits. The band covers a wide span of the points scale, so position within it is not visible from the letter alone. The grade reflects the declared nutrition panel and is unrelated to the additive ratings listed below, which come from different bodies applying different criteria.

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. Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno: 50/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Three Cheese Jalapeno Mac…50/1002. Nonfat Dressing: 50/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Nonfat Dressing50/1003. Pudding vanilla: 50/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Pudding vanilla50/1004. Banquet, Sausage Snack Size Sandwiches: 50/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Banquet, Sausage Snack Si…50/1005. Velveeta, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes: 50/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Velveeta, Cheesy Mashed P…50/100
Nearest cross-brand screening scores for Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno (50/100 on 50 parsed ingredients).
Chart values as text

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

Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno
50/100
Nonfat Dressing
50/100
Pudding vanilla
50/100
Banquet, Sausage Snack Size Sandwiches
50/100
Velveeta, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
50/100

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. Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno scores 43.6 points below that category average (50/100 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

Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno lists 50 ingredients on its label

50 84th percentile a longer ingredient list than 84% 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: 50 (84th 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 50/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (2 flagged of 50 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Wheat Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
5
Iron
6
Thiamin Mononitrate
7
Vitamin B1
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Vitamin B2
10
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
11
Cheese Sauce Mix
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
Milk
14
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
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Skim Milk
17
Milkfat
18
Part-skim Milk
19
Milk Protein Concentrate
20
Modified Food Starch
21
Spice
22
Jalapeno Peppers
23
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
24
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
25
Buttermilk
26
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
27
Sodium Phosphate
28
Cellulose Gel
29
Cellulose Gum
30
Organic Onions
31
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
32
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
33
Calcium Phosphate
34
Cheese Culture
35
Ancho Peppers
36
Tomatoes
37
Natural Flavor
38
Natural Smoke Flavor
39
Paprika
40
Gum Arabic
41
Yeast Extract
42
Dehydrated Parsley
43
Corn Syrup Solids
44
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
45
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
46
Dried Vinegar
47
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
48
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
49
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
50
Enzymes

Full Ingredient List

Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid); Cheese Sauce Mix (Whey, Milk, Maltodextrin, Salt, Skim Milk, Milkfat, Part-Skim Milk, Milk Protein Concentrate, Modified Food Starch, Contains Less Than 2% Of Spice, Jalapeno Peppers, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Garlic*, Buttermilk*, Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Onions*, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid, Calcium Phosphate, Cheese Culture, Ancho Peppers, Tomatoes*, Natural Flavor [Contains Natural Smoke Flavor], Paprika, Gum Arabic, Yeast Extract, Parsley*, Corn Syrup Solids, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Vinegar*, Sugar, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Enzymes).

Categories

Meals Pasta dishes

Mid-score cross-brand comparables for Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno

Neighbours outside Kraft near Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno's mid-band score (50/100). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Kraft; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Yellow 6 is the first flagged ingredient selected from Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 50-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Yellow 6. Open Yellow 6
  • Compare Three Cheese Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Three Cheese Jalapeno's 2 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 0021000045372: 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.