Safe

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese

by Lay's

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0028400439664 · Lay's · Snacks. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0028400439664 · Serving size 1 ONZ (28 g)

The verdict

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese by Lay's scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 34 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 34-component record, beginning with Potatoes, Vegetable Oil, Organic Sunflower. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
None flagged · of 34 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
D
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

63/100

Grade C+

Ingredient Safety

100/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

D

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

00439664 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 100/100 FLAG-CLEAN 0 flagged LEN-DENSE 34 ing. REG-SPARSE 26% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-D Nutri-D RANK-SHORT Len top 15% LEAD-RARE Lactose PHOTO-FINISH Qauker, Chocolate Chip · ±0 BOOK-OFF …439664 · July 2026

9 of 34 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Lactose). Source sheet 00439664 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Qauker, Chocolate Chip Crispy Cookies · Nearest score peer is Qauker, Chocolate Chip Crispy Cookies at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

This label falls in the fourth Nutri-Score band. The model arrives there when its penalty terms — energy density, sugars, saturated fat, sodium — carry more weight in the calculation than the fibre, protein and produce content it credits. The band covers a wide span of the points scale, so position within it is not visible from the letter alone. The grade reflects the declared nutrition panel and is unrelated to the additive ratings listed below, which come from different bodies applying different criteria.

This label parsed into a long component list. Where many entries are screened at once, the composite tends to reflect the overall mix of registry ratings returned rather than the rating of any one entry. Longer declarations also carry more sub-listed and compound entries, where a parenthetical group is resolved into its parts, so the parsed count can exceed what a reader counts on the packaging.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Potato Chips, Cheddar Bac…100/1002. Qauker, Chocolate Chip Crispy Cookies: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Qauker, Chocolate Chip Cr…100/1003. Tostitos, Rolls!, Tortilla Chips: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Tostitos, Rolls!, Tortill…100/1004. Grandma's, Chocolate Brownie Cookie: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Grandma's, Chocolate Brow…100/1005. Grandma's, Peanut Butter Cookie: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Grandma's, Peanut Butter …100/100
High-band neighbours for Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese (100/100) outside Lay's.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese
100/100
Qauker, Chocolate Chip Crispy Cookies
100/100
Tostitos, Rolls!, Tortilla Chips
100/100
Grandma's, Chocolate Brownie Cookie
100/100
Grandma's, Peanut Butter Cookie
100/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 88,006 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 86.1/100. Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese scores 13.9 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 86.1/100), so it is a comparatively strong pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Snacks products

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese lists 34 ingredients on its label

34 85th percentile a longer ingredient list than 85% of the 81,477 products we track

0–2: 275 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,901 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 4,248 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 5,408 products (7%). Below this entry. 8–10: 5,486 products (7%). Below this entry. 10–12: 5,840 products (7%). Below this entry. 12–14: 6,252 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 6,724 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 6,221 products (8%). Below this entry. 18–20: 5,168 products (6%). Below this entry. 20–22: 4,508 products (6%). Below this entry. 22–24: 3,809 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 3,567 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 2,829 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 2,282 products (3%). Below this entry. 30–32: 1,905 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 1,715 products (2%). Below this entry. 34–36: 1,572 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. 36–38: 1,417 products (2%). Above this entry. 38–40: 1,284 products (2%). Above this entry. 40–42: 8,066 products (10%). Above this entry. This product 0 42 every published Snacks product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

81,477 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 34 (85th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
275 products (0%)
2–4
2,901 products (4%)
4–6
4,248 products (5%)
6–8
5,408 products (7%)
8–10
5,486 products (7%)
10–12
5,840 products (7%)
12–14
6,252 products (8%)
14–16
6,724 products (8%)
16–18
6,221 products (8%)
18–20
5,168 products (6%)
20–22
4,508 products (6%)
22–24
3,809 products (5%)
24–26
3,567 products (4%)
26–28
2,829 products (3%)
28–30
2,282 products (3%)
30–32
1,905 products (2%)
32–34
1,715 products (2%)
34–36
1,572 products (2%)
36–38
1,417 products (2%)
38–40
1,284 products (2%)
40 and above
8,066 products (10%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 81,477 Snacks products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Potatoes
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Organic Sunflower
4
Corn
5
Canola Oil
6
Cheddar Bacon Mac N Cheese Seasoning
7
Cheddar Cheese
8
Milk
9
Cheese Cultures
10
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
11
Enzymes
12
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
13
Skim Milk
14
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
15
Made From Corn
16
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
17
Spices
18
Yeast Extract
19
Natural Flavor
20
Including Natural Bacon Type Flavor And Natural Extractives Of Sesame
21
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
22
Onion Powder
23
Romano Cheese
24
Cow's Milk
25
Buttermilk
26
Sunflower Oil
27
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
28
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
29
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
30
Annatto Extracts
31
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
32
Paprika Extracts
33
Parmesan Cheese
34
Bacon Fat

Full Ingredient List

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, And/Or Canola Oil), Cheddar Bacon Mac N Cheese Seasoning (Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Whey, Salt, Skim Milk, Maltodextrin [Made From Corn], Whey Protein Concentrate, Spices, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor [Including Natural Bacon Type Flavor And Natural Extractives Of Sesame], Dextrose, Onion Powder, Romano Cheese [Cow'S Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Buttermilk, Sunflower Oil, Lactose, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Annatto Extracts, Sugar, Paprika Extracts, Parmesan Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], And Bacon Fat).

Categories

Snacks

High-score cross-brand comparables for Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese

Neighbours outside Lay's with screening scores in the same high band as Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese (100/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Lay's; these peers cross brands.

Read the longer label in layers

Read the longer label in layers

Potato Chips, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese has a longer ingredient list than 85% of its Snacks category comparison set. Use the ingredient table before relying on its single screening score.

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0028400439664: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.