Mac & cheese with bacon, macaroni and cheese dinner, creamy alfredo

85
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Mac & cheese with bacon, macaroni and cheese dinner, creamy alfredo 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.

Barcode
0021000070459
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 BOWL (116 g)

What the Data Says About

Mac & cheese with bacon, macaroni and cheese dinner, creamy alfredo 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, macaroni and cheese dinner, creamy alfredo 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 Mac & cheese with bacon, macaroni and cheese dinner, creamy alfredo
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

1
Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Wheat Flour
3
Glycerol Monostearate
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Iron
6
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
7
Thiamin Mononitrate
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Cheese Sauce
11
Cheddar Cheese
12
Milk
13
Cheese Culture
14
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
15
Enzymes
16
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
17
Sodium Phosphate
18
Canola Oil
19
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
20
Milk Protein Concentrate
21
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
22
Sorbic Acid As A Preservative
23
Sodium Alginate
24
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
25
Color
26
Seasoning Blend
27
Modified Food Starch
28
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
29
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
30
Garlic Powder
31
Onion Powder
32
Pasteurized Milk
33
Buttermilk Solids
34
Dehydrated Parsley
35
Acetylated Monoglycerides
36
White Pepper
37
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
38
Medium Chain Triglycerides
39
Nutmeg
40
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
41
Natural Flavor
42
Celery
43
Sulfites
Preservative
Certain People Should Avoid
44
Bacon Bits With Added Hickory Smoke Flavor
45
Bacon
46
Cured With Water
47
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
48
Sodium Phosphates
49
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
50
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
51
Natural Smoke Flavor
52
Breadcrumbs
53
Soybean Oil
54
Yeast

Full Ingredient List

Enriched macaroni product (wheat flour, glycerol monostearate, niacin, iron [ferrous sulfate], thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid); cheese sauce (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], whey, sodium phosphate, canola oil, contains less than 2% of salt, whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, sodium alginate, annatto [color]); seasoning blend (modified food starch, whey, pasteurized part-skim milk, maltodextrin, garlic powder, onion powder, pasteurized milk, salt, buttermilk solids, dried parsley, whey protein concentrate, acetylated monoglycerides, white pepper, sodium phosphate, lactose, medium chain triglycerides, nutmeg, citric acid, cheese culture, lactic acid, enzymes, natural flavor [contains celery], sulfites); bacon bits with added hickory smoke flavor (bacon [cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite], smoke flavor); breadcrumbs (wheat flour, sugar, soybean oil, dried parsley, yeast, garlic powder, salt).

Categories

Meals Pasta dishes Macaroni and cheese

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