Mac & cheese
Contains 1 flagged ingredient
Mac & cheese 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.
What the Data Says About
Mac & cheese 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, Mac & cheese 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
| 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
Full Ingredient List
Cooked macaroni pasta (water, macaroni [semolina {wheat}, durum wheat flour, vitamin b3 {niacin}, iron {ferrous sulfate}, vitamin b1 {thiamine mononitrate}, vitamin b2 {riboflavin}, folic acid], canola oil and extra virgin olive oil), five cheese sauce (water, milk [milk, vitamin d3], heavy cream [pasteurized heavy cream, carrageenan], american white cheese [american cheeses {milk, culture, salt, enzyme}, water, milkfat, sodium citrate, salt, sodium phosphates], cream cheese [pasteurized milk and cream, salt, less than 1 percent of: cheese cultures, carob bean gum, xanthan gum, guar gum], provolone cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], monterey jack cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt & enzymes, powdered corn starch and potato starch], canola oil, butter [pasteurized cream, natural flavors {lactic acid, starter distillate}], sugar, modified corn starch, wheat flour [bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], parmesan cheese [pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], romano cheese [pasteurized part-skim cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes], salt, white pepper, xanthan gum, guar gum, annatto extract [for color]), sharp cheddar cheese (cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto {vegetable color}], potato starch and powdered cellulose [to prevent caking], natamycin [a mold inhibitor]).
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
