SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TAQUITOS
by EL MONTEREY
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TAQUITOS 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.
What the Data Says About
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TAQUITOS 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, SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TAQUITOS 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
| 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
Full Ingredient List
Water, enriched wheat flour - enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil - (soybean, canola and/or corn oil), batter seasoning - (yellow corn flour, enriched wheat flour [enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], spices, salt, jalapeno pepper, leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate], guar gum, oleoresin paprika and turmeric, flavors), pasteurized process monterey jack and american cheese blend with peppers - pasteurized process monterey jack and american cheese blend with peppers (jack and american cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, skim milk, palm oil, sodium phosphates, modified food starch, peppers [red, green and jalapeno peppers], salt, lactic acid), low moisture mozzarella cheese - low moisture mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), cooked chicken - cooked chicken (chicken, water, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate), cooked black beans - (water, black beans), pasteurized process cheddar cheese - pasteurized process cheddar cheese (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, contains 2% or less sodium phosphate, milkfat, sodium hexametaphosphate, salt, vegetable color [annatto and paprika oleoresin]), spinach, red bell pepper, corn, contains 2% or less - modified corn starch, jalapeno pepper (with salt, acetic acid, calcium chloride), cilantro, salt, spices, garlic (with citric acid), chili pepper, smoke powder (maltodextrin, natural hickory smoke flavor), dough conditioners (yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, guar gum, modified food starch).
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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