Bacon cheddar cheese curls

by Herr's

75
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Bacon cheddar cheese curls by Herr's receives a safety score of 75/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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.

Barcode
0072600071186
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Bacon cheddar cheese curls by Herr's carries a composite safety score of 75/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Bacon cheddar cheese curls 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Bacon cheddar cheese curls
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 75/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Corn Meal
2
Vegetable Oil
3
The Following: Corn
4
Cottonseed
5
Palm
6
Organic Sunflower
7
Cheese Blend
8
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
9
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
10
Sunflower Oil
11
Cheddar Cheese
12
Pasteurized Milk
13
Cheese Culture
14
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
15
Enzymes
16
Msg
17
Sodium Phosphate
18
Butter
19
Cream
20
Natural Flavor
21
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
22
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
23
Yellow 5. Yellow 6
24
Seasoning
25
Buttermilk
26
Cheddar Cheese Powder
27
Cultured Milk
28
Disodium Phosphate
29
Artificial Color
30
Including Yellow 5
31
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
32
Dehydrated Vegetables
33
Tomato
34
Onion
35
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
36
Sour Cream Solids Icultured Cream
37
Nonfat Milk
38
Natural Flavors
39
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
40
Spices
41
Milk

Full Ingredient List

corn meal, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: corn, cottonseed, palm, sunflower), cheese blend (maltodextrin, whey, sunflower oil, cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], salt, monosodium glutamate, sodium phosphate, butter [cream, salt, natural flavor, citric acid, lactic acid, yellow 5. yellow 6, enzymes), seasoning (buttermilk, cheddar cheese powder [cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), whey, buttermilk, maltodextrin, salt, disodium phosphate, lactic acid, artificial color (including yellow 5, yellow 6)], dehydrated vegetables (tomato, onion, garlic), sour cream solids icultured cream, nonfat milk], maltodextrin, natural flavors, salt, dextrose, spices, citric acid, lactic acid), salt. contains milk.

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