Broccoli with cheese sauce

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Broccoli with cheese sauce 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.

Barcode
0075450016338
Nutri-Score
b
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (106 g)

What the Data Says About

Broccoli with cheese sauce 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, Broccoli with cheese sauce 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 B 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 Broccoli with cheese sauce
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 B OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Broccoli
2
Water
3
Seasonings
4
Nonfat Milk
5
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
6
Corn Starch
7
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
8
Disodium Phosphate
9
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
10
Soy Lecithin
11
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
12
Turmeric And Paprika Extracts
13
Natural Flavor
14
Cheese Flavor
15
Cheddar Club Cheese
16
Cheddar Cheese
17
Milk
18
Cheese Culture
19
Salt Enzymes
20
Neufchatel Cheese
21
Pasteurized Milk And Cream
22
Xanthan
23
Carob Bean And Guar Gum
24
Margarine
25
Soybean Oil And Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
26
Mono And Dyglycerides
27
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
28
Natural And Artificial Flavor
29
Beta Carotene
30
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
31
Cheese Flavor
32
Cheddar
33
Granular
34
Semi Soft And Blue Cheese
35
Enzymes
36
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
37
Butter
38
Milk Protein
39
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
40
Sodium Phosphate
41
Color

Full Ingredient List

Broccoli, water, seasonings (nonfat milk, whey protein concentrate, modified corn starch, salt, disodium phosphate, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, annatto, turmeric and paprika extracts, natural flavor), natural cheese flavor, cheddar club cheese (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt enzymes], water, salt), neufchatel cheese (pasteurized milk and cream, cheese culture, salt, xanthan, carob bean and guar gum), margarine (soybean oil and hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, mono and dyglycerides, soy lecithin, citric acid, natural and artificial flavor, beta carotene, vitamin a palmitate), cheese flavor (cheddar, granular, semi soft and blue cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, whey, salt, butter, milk protein, lactic acid, sodium phosphate, citric acid, natural flavor), annatto, beta carotene (color).

Categories

Plant-based foods and beverages Plant-based foods Fruits and vegetables based foods Vegetables based foods Frozen foods Frozen plant-based foods Frozen vegetables

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