Cheez-it

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheez-it 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
0024100121977
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Cheez-it 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 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 Cheez-it
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Flour
2
Wheat Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Reduced Iron
5
Vitamin B₁
6
Thiamin Mononitrate
7
Vitamin B2
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Vegetable Oil
11
Soybean And Palm Oil With Tbhq For Freshness
12
White Cheddar Cheese
13
Milk
14
Cheese Cultures
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Enzymes
17
Or Less Of Salt
18
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
19
Cheddar Cheese
20
Msg
21
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
22
Butter
23
Cream
24
Baking Soda
25
Yeast
26
Natural And Artificial Flavor
27
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
28
Calcium Lactate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
29
Disodium Phosphate
30
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
31
Turmeric Extract Color
32
Annatto Extract Color
33
Soy Lecithin
34
Wheat
35
Soybean
36
High Oleic Soybean
37
Canola
38
Corn Oil With Tbhq For Freshness
39
Cultured Milk
40
Com Syrup Solids
41
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
42
Oat fiber
Other
Safe
43
Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
44
Nonfat Milk
45
Cultures
46
Yeast Extract
47
Paprika Extract Color
48
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
49
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
50
Natural Flavor
51
Milk Ingredients. May Contain Wheat
52
Yeast Extract Onion Powder
53
Garlic Powder
54
Eggs And Soy. Cheez-it® Original Ingredients: Enriched Flour
55
Vitamin B1
56
Palm
57
Canola Oil With Tbhq For Freshness
58
Cheese Made With Skim Milk
59
Skim Milk
60
Whey Protein
61
Cheese Cultures Enzymes
62
Paprika
63
Milk And Soy Ingredients

Full Ingredient List

enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin b₁ [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin b2 (riboflavin), folic acid), vegetable oil (soybean and palm oil with tbhq for freshness), white cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes). contains 2% or less of salt, whey, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), monosodium glutamate, whey protein concentrate, butter (cream, salt), baking soda, yeast, natural and artificial flavor, lactic acid, calcium lactate, disodium phosphate, citric acid, turmeric extract color, annatto extract color, soy lecithin. contains wheat, milk and soy ingredients. cheez-it® puff'd double cheese ingredients: degerminated yellow com meal, vegetable oil (soybean, high oleic soybean, canola and/or corn oil with tbhq for freshness), whey, cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), contains 2% or less of salt, monosodium glutamate, com syrup solids, sugar, citric acid, oat fiber, low fat cheddar cheese (nonfat milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), lactic acid, yeast extract, paprika extract color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, natural flavor. contains milk ingredients. may contain wheat, eggs and soy. cheez-it puff'd white cheddar ingredients: degerminated yellow com meal, vegetable oil (soybean, high oleic soybean, canola and/or corn oil with tbhq for freshness), whey, cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes). contains 2% or less of salt, lactic acid, monosodium glutamate, yeast extract onion powder, oat fiber, low fat cheddar cheese (nonfat milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, garlic powder, natural flavor contains milk ingredients. may contain wheat, eggs and soy. cheez-it® original ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin b1 [thiamin mononitrate), vitamin b2 (riboflavin], folic acid), vegetable oil (high oleic soybean, soybean, palm, and/or canola oil with tbhq for freshness), cheese made with skim milk (skim milk, whey protein, salt, cheese cultures enzymes, annatto extract color). contains 2% or less of salt, paprika, yeast, paprika extract color, soy lecithin contains wheat, milk and soy ingredients.

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