Cheese grits casserole
Contains 2 flagged ingredients
Cheese grits casserole receives a safety score of 80/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 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
Cheese grits casserole carries a composite safety score of 80/100, 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 2 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, Cheese grits casserole 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 80/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 2 | 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
Full Ingredient List
Water, cheddar cheese [cheddar cheese and low moisture part skim mozzarella (cultured milk, part skim milk, salt, enzymes), water, cream, whey, skim milk, sodium phosphates, salt, color added], liquid eggs (citric acid), white corn grits [niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], liquid margarine [liquid soybean oil, water, vegetable mono and diglycerides, salt, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate and citric acid added as a preservative, artificial flavor, beta carotene, vitamin a palmitate added], green chile peppers (citric acid), red bell peppers, contains 2% or less: dry bacon base [maltodextrin, yeast extract, salt, bacon fat, sugar, ham stock, onion powder, garlic powder, caramel color, and natural flavor], bacon [cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, may also contain dextrose, honey, potassium chloride, smoke flavoring, sodium diacetate, and sodium phosphate].
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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