Mac & cheese with bacon, sharp cheddar
Contains 1 flagged ingredient
Mac & cheese with bacon, sharp cheddar receives a safety score of 85/100 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.
What the Data Says About
Mac & cheese with bacon, sharp cheddar carries a composite safety score of 85/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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, Mac & cheese with bacon, sharp cheddar 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 85/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 1 | 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
Full Ingredient List
Enriched macaroni product (semolina [wheat], niacin, ferrous sulfate [iron], thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid); cheese sauce (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (color)], whey, canola oil, sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of salt, whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, sorbic acid as a preservative, lactic acid, sodium alginate, oleoresin paprika [color], annatto extract [color]); bacon bits with added hickory smoke flavor (bacon [cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite], smoke flavor); seasoning blend (modified food starch, maltodextrin, sugar, salt, acetylated monoglycerides, pasteurized part-skim milk, torula yeast, yeast extract, rendered bacon fat, brown sugar, whey, hydrolyzed soy protein, natural flavor, onion powder, fava bean, pea protein, garlic powder, medium chain triglycerides, buttermilk solids, spices [contains celery], citric acid, sodium phosphate, cheese culture, enzymes).
Categories
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.
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