Steak 'n shake, frisco melts, swiss & american cheese with frisco sauce on sourdough
Contains 3 flagged ingredients
Steak 'n shake, frisco melts, swiss & american cheese with frisco sauce on sourdough by Steak 'N Shake receives a safety score of 65/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 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
Steak 'n shake, frisco melts, swiss & american cheese with frisco sauce on sourdough by Steak 'N Shake carries a composite safety score of 65/100, 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 3 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, Steak 'n shake, frisco melts, swiss & american cheese with frisco sauce on sourdough 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 E 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 | 65/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 3 | CSPI/FDA review |
| NOVA processing group | Group 4 | OpenFoodFacts |
| Nutri-Score | E | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Fully cooked chopped beef steaks: beef, encapsulated salt, sodium phosphates, beef flavor (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, beef fat, natural flavor), seasoning (spices, garlic powder, dehydrated onion, sugar, paprika, turmeric, extractive of paprika, natural flavor). sour dough bread: enriched unbleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, contains less than 2 % of the following: salt, soybean oil, monocalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, vinegar, dough conditioners (monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, enzymes), calcium propionate (preservative). buttered with butter flavored oil: soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, tbhq and citric acid added as preservatives, artificial color, dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. frisco sauce: french dressing (soybean oil, water, high fructose corn syrup, vinegar, salt, contains less than 2% of: tomato paste, paprika, spice, xanthan gum, egg yolk, propylene glycol alginate, natural flavor, caramel color, dried onion, yellow 6, calcium disodium edta [to protect flavor]), water, salad dressing (water, soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified food starch, egg yolk, corn syrup, salt, paprika), sugar, tomato paste, tomato ketchup (tomato concentrate made from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, onion powder, natural flavoring), whey, sweet pickle relish (cucumbers, high fructose corn syrup, water, vinegar, salt, cane sugar, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate [preservative], xanthan gum, natural flavoring, alum, polysorbate 80), mayonnaise spread mix (whey, modified food starch, maltodextrin, salt, citric acid, sugar, dehydrated onion, vinegar, dextrose, dehydrated garlic, natural flavor, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, spice, and no more than 2% silicon dioxide added to prevent caking), gelatin, modified food starch, vinegar, salt, spice. process american yellow cheese product: cultured milk and skim milk, whey, salt, sodium citrate, modified food starch, artificial color, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (preservative), lactic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (non sticking agent). process american swiss cheese product: cultured milk and skim milk, whey, salt, sodium citrate, modified food starch, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (preservative), lactic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (non sticking agent).
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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