Cheez-it, cheddar cheese crunch'd puffy

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheez-it, cheddar cheese crunch'd puffy receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0024100104581
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 POUCH (28 g)

What the Data Says About

Cheez-it, cheddar cheese crunch'd puffy carries a composite safety score of 100/100, 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 did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Cheez-it, cheddar cheese crunch'd puffy 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 Cheez-it, cheddar cheese crunch'd puffy
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 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
Wheat Flour
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Palm And Soybean Oil With Tbhq For Freshness
4
Degerminated Yellow Corn Meal
5
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
6
Cheddar Cheese
7
Milk
8
Cheese Cultures
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Enzymes
11
Or Less Of Salt
12
Oat fiber
Other
Safe
13
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
14
Msg
15
Sodium Phosphate
16
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
17
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
18
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
19
Corn Maltodextrin
20
Lactic Acid Powder
21
Corn Starch
22
Disodium Phosphate
23
Annato Color
24
Soy Lecithin
25
Paprika Oleoresin For Color
26
Natural Flavor
27
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
28
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
29
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
30
Paprika Extract For Color
31
Iron
32
Zinc Oxide
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
33
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
34
Vitamin B1
35
Thiamin Mononitrate
36
Vitamin B2
37
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
38
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved

Full Ingredient List

Wheat flour, vegetable oil (palm and soybean oil with tbhq for freshness), degerminated yellow corn meal, whey, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), contains 2% or less of salt, oat fiber, lactic acid, monosodium glutamate, sodium phosphate, whey protein concentrate, lactose, sugar, corn maltodextrin, lactic acid powder (modified corn starch, lactic acid), disodium phosphate, annato color, soy lecithin, paprika oleoresin for color, natural flavor, citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, paprika extract for color, iron, zinc oxide, niacinamide, vitamin b1(thiamin mononitrate), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), folic acid.

Categories

Snacks

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