Safe

Macaroni & cheese gourmet

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0041268158218 · Frozen foods. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0041268158218 · Serving size 1 cup (227 g)

The verdict

Macaroni & cheese gourmet scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 72 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 72-component record, beginning with Water, Cooked Pasta, Durum Wheat Semolina Enriched With Niacin. 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.

95/100
Safe safety score
1
One flagged · of 72 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
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.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

65/100

Grade B-

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

C

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.

68158218 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Macaroni & cheese gourmet label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 72 ing. REG-PART 33% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 4% LEAD-FLAG Carrageenan PHOTO-SOLO No peers BOOK-OFF …158218 · July 2026

24 of 72 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Carrageenan). Source sheet 68158218 · 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

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.

Nutri-Score settled on its middle grade here, the band the algorithm produces when the penalty and credit sides of its nutrient ledger come out close to balanced. A mid-scale grade is a statement about the panel as a whole rather than about any single nutrient, and products arrive at it by very different routes: a moderate profile across every term, or high marks on some offset by heavy penalties on others. The grade is computed separately from the ingredient screen below and the two are not comparable measures.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 24,982 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 92.9/100. Macaroni & cheese gourmet scores 2.1 points above that category average (95/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is roughly typical for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Frozen foods products

Macaroni & cheese gourmet lists 72 ingredients on its label

72 96th percentile a longer ingredient list than 96% of the 7,008 products we track

0–2: 11 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 8–10: 102 products (1%). Below this entry. 10–12: 112 products (2%). Below this entry. 12–14: 184 products (3%). Below this entry. 14–16: 205 products (3%). Below this entry. 16–18: 245 products (3%). Below this entry. 18–20: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 264 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 298 products (4%). Below this entry. 24–26: 247 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 271 products (4%). Below this entry. 28–30: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 30–32: 294 products (4%). Below this entry. 32–34: 325 products (5%). Below this entry. 34–36: 319 products (5%). Below this entry. 36–38: 314 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 283 products (4%). Below this entry. 40–42: 2,792 products (40%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Frozen foods 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

7,008 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 72 (96th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
11 products (0%)
2–4
54 products (1%)
4–6
54 products (1%)
6–8
66 products (1%)
8–10
102 products (1%)
10–12
112 products (2%)
12–14
184 products (3%)
14–16
205 products (3%)
16–18
245 products (3%)
18–20
284 products (4%)
20–22
264 products (4%)
22–24
298 products (4%)
24–26
247 products (4%)
26–28
271 products (4%)
28–30
284 products (4%)
30–32
294 products (4%)
32–34
325 products (5%)
34–36
319 products (5%)
36–38
314 products (4%)
38–40
283 products (4%)
40 and above
2,792 products (40%)

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 7,008 Frozen foods 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

How the 95/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 72 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Water
2
Cooked Pasta
3
Durum Wheat Semolina Enriched With Niacin
4
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
5
Thiamin Mononitrate
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
8
Cheddar
9
Parmesan And Romano Cheeses
10
Pasteurized Milk
11
Milk Protein Concentrate
12
Cheese Cultures
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
14
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
15
Microbial Enzymes
16
Lipase
ENZYME, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID
Listed
17
Color
18
Cellulose
Emulsifier
Safe
19
As Anti-caking Agent
20
Natamycin
FUMIGANT
Safe Approved
21
As Mold Inhibitor
22
Cream
23
Milk
24
Sodium Citrate
25
Sodium Phosphate
26
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
27
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
28
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
29
Butter
30
Breadcrumbs
31
Wheat Flour Enriched With Niacin
32
Reduced Iron
33
Soybean Oil Shortening
34
Distilled Vinegar
35
Leavening
36
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
37
Yeast
38
Yeast Nutrients
39
Ammonium Chloride
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
40
Calcium Sulfate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
41
Spice Extractive
42
Corn Starch
43
Wheat Flour
44
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
45
Benzoyl Peroxide
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT
GRAS
46
Amylase
Flavoring
Safe
47
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
48
Canola Oil
49
Organic Onions
50
Natural Flavor
51
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
52
Whey Powder
53
Cheddar Cheese
54
Cultures
55
Enzymes
56
Milkfat
57
Calcium Caseinate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Approved
58
Disodium Phosphate
59
Cheese Flavoring
60
Romano Cheese
61
Cellulose Powder
62
Prepared Mustard
63
Dried Vinegar
64
Mustard Seed
65
White Wine
66
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
67
Tartaric acid
Preservative
Safe
68
Spices
69
Food Color
70
Apocarotenal
71
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
72
Potassium Hydroxide
FORMULATION AID, FUMIGANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, WASHING OR SURFACE REMOVAL AGENT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Water, cooked pasta (durum wheat semolina enriched with niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheddar, parmesan and romano cheeses (pasteurized milk, milk protein concentrate, cheese cultures, salt, calcium chloride, microbial enzymes, lipase, color, cellulose [as anti-caking agent], natamycin [as mold inhibitor]), cream (milk, cream, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, dextrose), whey, butter (cream, salt), breadcrumbs (wheat flour enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, soybean oil shortening, salt, distilled vinegar, leavening [sodium bicarbonate], yeast, yeast nutrients [ammonium chloride, calcium sulfate], spice extractive), modified corn starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, ascorbic acid, benzoyl peroxide, amylase, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), canola oil, onions, salt, natural flavor (maltodextrin, whey powder, cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes], milkfat, natural flavor, calcium caseinate, disodium phosphate, salt, sodium citrate), cheese flavoring (whey, romano cheese [pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes], cellulose powder [as anti-caking agent], enzymes, disodium phosphate), prepared mustard (vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, white wine, citric acid, tartaric acid, spices), spices, food color (apocarotenal, annatto, water, potassium hydroxide).

Categories

Frozen foods

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Carrageenan is the first flagged ingredient selected from Macaroni & cheese gourmet's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 72-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Carrageenan. Open Carrageenan
  • Compare Macaroni & cheese gourmet's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

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

Barcode 0041268158218: 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.