Heat Hot Cheese Curls, Cheese

by Herr's

25
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 3 flagged ingredients

Heat Hot Cheese Curls, Cheese by Herr's receives a safety score of 25/100 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.

Barcode
0072600081864
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
28 g

What the Data Says About

Heat Hot Cheese Curls, Cheese by Herr's carries a composite safety score of 25/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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, Heat Hot Cheese Curls, 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 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

Composite safety metrics for Heat Hot Cheese Curls, Cheese
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 25/100 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

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
Avoid Approved (certified color)
24
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
25
Seasoning
26
Corn Maltodextrin
27
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
28
Yeast Extract
29
Onion Powder
30
Cultured Pasteurized Milk
31
Garlic Powder
32
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
33
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
34
Flavoring
35
Paprika Extract
36
Organic White Vinegar Powder
37
Disodium Phosphate

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 (Corn Maltodextrin, Salt, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Onion Powder, Cheddar Cheese [Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes], Garlic Powder, Red 40 Lake, Whey Protein Concentrate, Natural Flavoring, Paprika Extract, White Vinegar Powder, Disodium Phosphate), Salt

Categories

Snacks

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