Macaroni & Cheese Bites
by Winco Foods
Contains 2 flagged ingredients
Macaroni & Cheese Bites by Winco Foods receives a safety score of 50/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.
What the Data Says About
Macaroni & Cheese Bites by Winco Foods carries a composite safety score of 50/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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 identified 2 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.
On the NOVA processing scale, Macaroni & Cheese Bites 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 D 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 50/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 2 | CSPI/FDA review |
| NOVA processing group | Group 4 | OpenFoodFacts |
| Nutri-Score | D | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Macaroni (water, enriched semolina [durum wheat semolina, ferrous sulfate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), wheat flour, pasteurized process cheddar cheese (cheddar cheese milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, milkfat, sodium phosphate sodium hexametaphosphate, salt, artificial color), vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), dehydrated potatoes (potatoes, mono & diglycerides, sodium acid pyrophosphate and citric acid [to preserve natural color]), enriched bleached wheat flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, cheddar cheese sauce (water, aged cheddar cheese [cultured milk, salt, enzymes, annatto color], soybean oil, food starch - modified, sodium phosphate, salt, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, spice, yeast extract, annatto color), monterey jack cheese sauce (water, monterey jack cheese [cultured milk, salt, enzymes], soybean oil, modified corn starch, nonfat dry milk, salt, sodium phosphate, cheddar cheese [cultured milk, salt, enzymes], yeast extract, sodium citrate, acetic acid, monoglycerides, natural flavors, butter oil, lactic acid, maltodextrin, xanthan gum, annatto color), enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), contains 2% or less of buttermilk powder, cellulose gum, cheese powder (whey, buttermilk solids, granular cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], whey protein concentrate, salt, enzyme modified cheese [cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), water, sodium phosphate, milkfat, sorbic acid (as a preservative), enzymes], sodium phosphate, citric acid, yellow 5, yellow 6, lactic acid), cheese sauce mix (dehydrated blend of cheese [semisoft and cheddar cheeses (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)], food starch-modified, whey, salt, cellulose gum, butter, sodium phosphate, silicon dioxide, lactic acid, citric acid, yellow 5, yellow 6), citric acid, dextrose, dried onion, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), extractives of paprika, annatto, and turmeric (color), food starch-modified, lactic acid, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), natural and artificial cheddar cheese flavor (cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, maltodextrin, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, natural and artificial flavor], buttermilk, whey, autolyzed yeast extract, enzyme modified cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], cultured whey, salt, cream), natural flavor, salt, spice, sugar, turmeric oleoresin (color), whey protein concentrate, yeast, yellow 5, yellow corn flour, yellow 6.
Categories
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.
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