Beef Shepherd's Pie

by Signature Cafe

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Beef Shepherd's Pie by Signature Cafe receives a safety score of 95/100 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
0021130068265
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.25 CONTAINER (198 g)

What the Data Says About

Beef Shepherd's Pie by Signature Cafe carries a composite safety score of 95/100, 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 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, Beef Shepherd's Pie 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Beef Shepherd's Pie
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Mashed Potatoes
2
Potatoes
3
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
4
Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate
5
Maintains Color
6
Sodium Benzoate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
7
Maintains Freshness
8
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
9
Ground Beef
10
Water
11
Milk
12
Whole Milk
13
Vitamin D Added
14
Vegetables Blend
15
Peas
16
Corn
17
Carrots
18
Green Beans
19
Cheddar Cheese
20
Cheese Cultures
21
Cheese Color
22
Enzymes
23
Margarine
24
Liquid And Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
25
Monoglycerides
26
Soy Lecithin
27
Mushrooms
28
Tomatoes
29
Corn Starch
30
Beef Base
31
Roasted Beef
32
Dried Beef Stock
33
Yeast Extract
34
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
35
From Corn
36
Corn Oil
37
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
38
Onion
39
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
40
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
41
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
42
Spice Extractives
43
Cream
44
Onion
45
Mushroom Base
46
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
47
Mushroom Concentrate
48
Onion Powder
49
Butter
50
Natural Flavors
51
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
52
Spices

Full Ingredient List

Mashed potatoes (potatoes, salt, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate [maintains color], sodium benzoate [maintains freshness], dextrose), ground beef, water, milk (whole milk, vitamin d added), vegetables blend (peas, corn, carrots, green beans), cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, cheese color, enzymes), margarine (liquid and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, monoglycerides, soy lecithin), mushrooms, tomatoes, modified corn starch, beef base (roasted beef, concentrated beef stock, salt, yeast extract, maltodextrin [from corn], corn oil, sugar, dried onion, dried garlic, dried whey, caramel color, spice extractives), cream, onion, mushroom base (mushrooms, maltodextrin, corn oil, autolyzed yeast extract, salt, mushroom concentrate, sugar, onion powder, butter, natural flavors), modified corn starch, garlic, salt, sugar, spices.

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