Safe

Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese

Scores 100/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis , with no flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0038794998036 · Serving size 1 TAMALE (142 g)

The verdict

Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 36 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination; check official notices and the product label for current decisions.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
flagged ingredients of 36 analyzed
Group 3
Processed foods
C
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.

What the Data Says About Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese

Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese 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. This score is a transparent derived index we compute from that public data, not an official FDA rating or endorsement; see the Methodology page for the exact weighting.

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, Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese is classified as Group 3 (Processed foods). 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 Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 3 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score C OpenFoodFacts

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

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 25,915 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 93.3/100. Tamales with sweet potato, roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese scores 6.7 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 93.3/100), so it is a comparatively strong pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Masa
2
Water
3
Corn Flour Masa {Corn Treated With Lime}
4
Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
5
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
6
Baking Powder {Monocalcium Phosphate
7
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
8
Corn Starch {Made From Identity Preserved Non-genetically Modified Corn}
9
Filling
10
Beef Chuck Roll
11
Sweet Potatoes
12
Ground Beef
13
Roasted Red Bell Peppers
14
Cheddar Cheese {Grade A Pasteurized Milk
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Annatto Color
17
Enzymes And Cultures}
18
Tomato Puree {Vine-ripened Fresh Tomatoes And Salt}
19
Tomatoes Diced In Juice {Fresh Vine-ripened California Tomatoes
20
Calcium Chloride
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, ENZYME, FIRMING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, FUMIGANT, HUMECTANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING
GRAS
21
Citric Acid}
22
Organic Onions
23
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
24
Cilantro
25
Serrano Chiles
26
Beef Base {Roasted Beef And Concentrate Beef Stock
27
Yeast Extract
28
Onion And Garlic}
29
Jalapeno Peppers
30
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
31
Chili Powder
32
New Mexico Chile
33
Pasilla Chile
34
Spice
35
Black Pepper
36
Garlic Powder

Full Ingredient List

Masa (water, corn flour masa {corn treated with lime}, expeller pressed canola oil, sea salt, baking powder {monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch {made from identity preserved non-genetically modified corn}), filling (beef chuck roll, sweet potatoes, ground beef, water, roasted red bell peppers, cheddar cheese {grade a pasteurized milk, salt, annatto color, enzymes and cultures}, tomato puree {vine-ripened fresh tomatoes and salt}, tomatoes diced in juice {fresh vine-ripened california tomatoes, calcium chloride, citric acid}, onions, cornstarch, cilantro, expeller pressed canola oil, serrano chiles, beef base {roasted beef and concentrate beef stock, yeast extract, salt, dried onion and garlic}, jalapeno peppers, garlic, sea salt, chili powder, new mexico chile, pasilla chile, spice, black pepper, garlic powder).

Categories

Frozen foods

Data Sources

Data as of May 2026. 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.

Product data from Open Food Facts; additive safety from the FDA SAFFA inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details. Compiled by PlainFoodSafe

Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Product figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.