Avoid

El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese

by El Monterey

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0071007714276 Β· El Monterey Β· Frozen foods. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0071007714276 Β· Serving size 3 TAQUITOS (85 g)

The verdict

El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese by El Monterey scores 25/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 48 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 3 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 48-component record, beginning with Water, Stoneground Corn Masa Flour, Cellulose Gum. 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.

25/100
Avoid safety score
3
Few flagged Β· of 48 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

30/100

Grade F

Ingredient Safety

25/100

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.

07714276 Β· Open Food Facts Β· July 2026

El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese label screening desk

SCORE-AVOID 25/100 FLAG-FEW 3 flagged LEN-DENSE 48 ing. REG-SPARSE 25% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-MID Len top 25% LEAD-FLAG Yellow 6 PHOTO-FINISH Fat Free Thousand Β· Β±0 BOOK-OFF …714276 Β· July 2026

12 of 48 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Yellow 6). Source sheet 07714276 Β· Open Food Facts Β· 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 Β· Read with nearest score peer: Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing Β· Nearest score peer is Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

The composite for this product falls in the lowest of the four bands. That is where labels land when registry-rated components drive the greater part of the deduction from the index. The band name is drawn from the framework's own scale and is distinct from the ratings the registries themselves assign to individual substances, which are shown per component below. A single heavily rated component and several lightly rated ones can produce the same band, so the component table is the more precise reading of the two.

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.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese: 25/100 Β· 100% of the leader Β· rank #11. El monterey, chicken taqu…25/1002. Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing: 25/100 Β· 100% of the leader Β· rank #22. Fat Free Thousand Island …25/1003. Holiday Merriment, Mini Gold & Chocolate Cupcakes: 25/100 Β· 100% of the leader Β· rank #33. Holiday Merriment, Mini G…25/1004. Winter Wonderland, Cup Cakes, Buttercreme Icing: 25/100 Β· 100% of the leader Β· rank #44. Winter Wonderland, Cup Ca…25/1005. Gold Mini Cupcakes, Gold: 25/100 Β· 100% of the leader Β· rank #55. Gold Mini Cupcakes, Gold25/100
Nearest cross-brand screening scores for El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese (25/100 on 48 parsed ingredients).
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese
25/100
Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing
25/100
Holiday Merriment, Mini Gold & Chocolate Cupcakes
25/100
Winter Wonderland, Cup Cakes, Buttercreme Icing
25/100
Gold Mini Cupcakes, Gold
25/100

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. El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese scores 67.9 points below that category average (25/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Frozen foods products

El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese lists 48 ingredients on its label

48 75th percentile a longer ingredient list than 75% 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: 48 (75th 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 Β· 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 25/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (3 flagged of 48 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Water
2
Stoneground Corn Masa Flour
3
Cellulose Gum
4
Trace Of Lime
5
Cooked Chicken
6
Chicken
7
Modified Food Starch
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
Sodium Phosphate
10
Vegetable Oil
11
Soybean
12
Organic Sunflower
13
Canola
14
Corn Oil
15
Corn Starch
16
Or Less Nacho Cheese Seasoning
17
Cheddar And Romano Cheese
18
Cow's Milk
19
Cheese Cultures
20
Enzymes
21
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
22
Buttermilk
23
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
24
Msg
25
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
26
Natural Flavor
27
Spice
28
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
29
Sour Cream
30
Cream
31
Cultures
32
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
33
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
34
Jalapeno Pepper
35
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
36
Cultured Nonfat Milk
37
Extractives Of Paprika
38
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
39
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
40
Onion
41
Chicken Broth
42
Natural Flavor
43
Textured Soy Flour
44
Jalapeno Puree
45
Jalapeno Peppers
46
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
47
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
48
Paprika

Full Ingredient List

Water, stoneground corn masa flour (with cellulose gum, and a trace of lime), cooked chicken (chicken, water, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate), vegetable oil (soybean, sunflower, canola and/or corn oil), modified corn starch, contains 2% or less nacho cheese seasoning (salt, cheddar and romano cheese (cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin, buttermilk, whey, monosodium glutamate, dextrose, flavor, spice, sugar, sour cream (cream, cultures, lactic acid), yellow 6 lake, jalapeno pepper, citric acid, cultured nonfat milk, extractives of paprika, yellow 5 lake, lactic acid, red 40 lake), onion, chicken broth (with flavor, salt), textured soy flour, jalapeno puree (jalapeno peppers, salt, acetic acid, calcium chloride), salt, paprika.

Categories

Frozen foods

Lower-score cross-brand comparables for El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese

Neighbours outside El Monterey in the same lower screening band as El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese (25/100). The 5 same-brand links above stay within El Monterey; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Yellow 6 is the first flagged ingredient selected from El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 48-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Yellow 6. Open Yellow 6
  • Compare El monterey, chicken taquitos with seasoned corn tortillas, nacho cheese's 3 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 0071007714276: 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.