Safe

Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas

by El Monterey

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

Barcode 0071007189326 · Serving size 1 CHIMICHANGA (142 g)

The verdict

Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas by El Monterey scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 47 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 47 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.

What the Data Says About Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas

Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas by El Monterey 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, Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas 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 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 Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas
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 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. Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas 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
Wheat Flour
2
Enriched With Niacin
3
Reduced Iron
4
Thiamin Mononitrate
5
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
7
Water Cooked Chicken Meat
8
White Chicken Meat
9
Dark Chicken Meat
10
Water
11
Modified Food Starch
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Sodium Phosphate
14
Monterey Jack Cheese
15
Cultured Pasteurized Milk
16
Enzymes
17
Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese
18
Pasteurized Milk
19
Cheese Cultures
20
Tomatoes
21
With Juice
22
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
23
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
24
Vegetable Oil
25
Soybean
26
Canola
27
Palm
28
Corn Oil
29
Cooked Beans
30
With Salt
31
Granulated Garlic
32
Green Chilies
33
Or Less Modified Corn Starch
34
Onion
35
Tomato Paste
36
Ground Chili Pepper
37
Natural Flavor
38
Spices
39
Dough Conditioners
40
Yeast
41
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
42
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
43
Guar Gum
44
Modified Food Starch
45
Sodium Metabisulfite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT
GRAS
46
Jalapeno Puree
47
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water cooked chicken meat (white chicken meat, dark chicken meat, water, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate), monterey jack cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes), low moisture mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), tomatoes (with juice, citric acid, calcium chloride), vegetable oil (soybean, canola, palm and/or corn oil), cooked beans (with salt, granulated garlic), green chilies (with salt, citric acid, calcium chloride), contains 2% or less modified corn starch, dehydrated onion, tomato paste (tomatoes), salt, ground chili pepper, flavor, spices, dough conditioners (yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, guar gum, food starch, sodium metabisulfite), jalapeno puree (with salt, acetic acid).

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.