Marie callender's, family size comfort bakes scalloped potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce with ham

85
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Marie callender's, family size comfort bakes scalloped potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce with ham 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
0021131590086
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (179 g)

What the Data Says About

Marie callender's, family size comfort bakes scalloped potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce with ham 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, Marie callender's, family size comfort bakes scalloped potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce with ham 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 C 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 Marie callender's, family size comfort bakes scalloped potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce with ham
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 C OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Scalloped Potatoes
2
Potatoes
3
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
4
Water
5
Diced Ham Water Added
6
Cured With Water
7
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
10
Sodium Phosphate
11
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
12
Natural Flavors
13
Smoke Flavoring
14
Sodium Erythorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe GRAS
15
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
16
Pasteurized Processed Swiss And American Cheese
17
Swiss Cheese
18
Milk
19
Cheese Culture
20
Enzymes
21
American Cheese
22
Enzyme
23
Cream
24
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
25
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
26
Natamycin
FUMIGANT
Safe Approved
27
Heavy Whipping Cream
28
Organic Onions
29
Butter
30
Or Less Of: Soybean Oil
31
Spice
32
Corn Starch
33
Nonfat Dry Milk
34
Chicken Base
35
Chicken Meat With Natural Chicken Juices
36
Chicken Fat
37
Hydrolyzed
38
Corn And Wheat Gluten
39
Soy
40
Protein
41
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
42
Yeast Extract
43
Flavoring
44
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
45
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
46
Extractives Of Turmeric And Annatto
47
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
48
Guar Gum

Full Ingredient List

Scalloped potatoes (potatoes, sodium acid pyrophosphate), water, diced ham water added (cured with water, sugar, salt, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, maltodextrin, natural flavors, smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite), pasteurized processed swiss and american cheese (swiss cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], american cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzyme] water, cream, sodium phosphate, salt, sorbic acid, potato starch, natamycin), heavy whipping cream, onions, butter (cream, salt), contains 2% or less of: soybean oil, spice, modified corn starch, nonfat dry milk, chicken base (chicken meat with chicken juices, salt, chicken fat, sugar, hydrolyzed [corn and wheat gluten, soy] protein, whey, maltodextrin, yeast extract, flavoring, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, extractives of turmeric and annatto), salt, xanthan gum, guar gum.

Categories

Plant-based foods and beverages Plant-based foods Fruits and vegetables based foods Vegetables based foods Frozen foods

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