Chicken & cheese taquitos, chicken & cheese

by El Monterey

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Chicken & cheese taquitos, chicken & cheese by El Monterey receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0071007407109
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
3 TAQUITOS (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Chicken & cheese taquitos, chicken & cheese 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.

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, Chicken & cheese taquitos, chicken & cheese 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 Chicken & cheese taquitos, chicken & cheese
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.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Wheat Flour: Enriched 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
8
Cooked Chicken: Cooked Chicken
9
Chicken
10
Modified Food Starch
11
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
12
Sodium Phosphate
13
Vegetable Oil
14
Soybean
15
Canola
16
Corn Oil
17
Monterey Jack Cheese
18
Cultured Pasteurized Milk
19
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
20
Enzymes
21
Tomato
22
With Tomato Juice
23
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
24
Or Less: Beans
25
Soy Protein Concentrate
26
Textured Soy Flour
27
Green Chili
28
With Citric Acid
29
Corn Starch
30
Onion
31
Jalapeno Puree
32
Jalapeno Peppers
33
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
34
Natural Flavor
35
Spices
36
Tomato Paste
37
Tomatoes
38
Chili Pepper
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

Full Ingredient List

Enriched wheat flour: enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, cooked chicken: cooked chicken (chicken, water, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate), vegetable oil (soybean, canola and/or corn oil), monterey jack cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, calcium chloride, salt, enzymes), tomato (with tomato juice, calcium chloride, citric acid), contains 2% or less: beans, soy protein concentrate and/or textured soy flour, green chili (with citric acid), modified corn starch, salt, dehydrated onion, jalapeno puree (jalapeno peppers, salt, acetic acid, calcium chloride), flavor, spices, tomato paste (tomatoes), chili pepper, dough conditioners (yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, guar gum, modified food starch).

Categories

Frozen foods

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.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial