Safe

Mac & Cheese

by Panera Bread

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0077958690492 · Panera Bread. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0077958690492 · Serving size 1 cup (246 g)

The verdict

Mac & Cheese by Panera Bread scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 40 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 40-component record, beginning with Cooked Enriched Rigate Pasta, Water, Semolina. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

95/100
Safe safety score
1
One flagged · of 40 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0077958690492
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

67/100

Grade B-

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

N/A

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

58690492 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Mac & Cheese label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 40 ing. REG-PART 33% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 7% LEAD-FLAG Carrageenan PHOTO-FINISH Mac & Cheese · ±0 BOOK-OFF …690492 · July 2026

13 of 40 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Carrageenan). Source sheet 58690492 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Mac & Cheese · Nearest score peer is Mac & Cheese at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

No Nutri-Score grade is present for this record in the OpenFoodFacts snapshot this page is built from. The nutritional dimension is absent rather than assessed and withheld: the grade depends on a complete declared nutrition panel, and community-contributed records vary in how much of that panel they carry. Nothing about the missing grade implies anything either way about the panel itself. The screen below covers additive ratings only and does not depend on the nutrition figures.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Mac & Cheese: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Mac & Cheese95/1002. Mac & Cheese: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Mac & Cheese95/1003. Vegetable Lo Mein Family Pack: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Vegetable Lo Mein Family …95/1004. Vinegar: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Vinegar95/1005. Toyomansi: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Toyomansi95/100
High-band neighbours for Mac & Cheese (95/100) outside Panera Bread.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Mac & Cheese
95/100
Mac & Cheese
95/100
Vegetable Lo Mein Family Pack
95/100
Vinegar
95/100
Toyomansi
95/100

Ingredient-list length vs every product we publish

Mac & Cheese lists 40 ingredients on its label

40 93rd percentile a longer ingredient list than 93% of the 359,392 products we track

0–2: 6,050 products (2%). Below this entry. 2–4: 24,522 products (7%). Below this entry. 4–6: 31,054 products (9%). Below this entry. 6–8: 30,981 products (9%). Below this entry. 8–10: 31,618 products (9%). Below this entry. 10–12: 29,943 products (8%). Below this entry. 12–14: 28,403 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 27,417 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 24,508 products (7%). Below this entry. 18–20: 19,062 products (5%). Below this entry. 20–22: 14,679 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 12,238 products (3%). Below this entry. 24–26: 10,830 products (3%). Below this entry. 26–28: 9,344 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 7,955 products (2%). Below this entry. 30–32: 6,753 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 5,918 products (2%). Below this entry. 34–36: 5,282 products (1%). Below this entry. 36–38: 4,531 products (1%). Below this entry. 38–40: 4,063 products (1%). Below this entry. 40–42: 24,241 products (7%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

359,392 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 40 (93rd percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
6,050 products (2%)
2–4
24,522 products (7%)
4–6
31,054 products (9%)
6–8
30,981 products (9%)
8–10
31,618 products (9%)
10–12
29,943 products (8%)
12–14
28,403 products (8%)
14–16
27,417 products (8%)
16–18
24,508 products (7%)
18–20
19,062 products (5%)
20–22
14,679 products (4%)
22–24
12,238 products (3%)
24–26
10,830 products (3%)
26–28
9,344 products (3%)
28–30
7,955 products (2%)
30–32
6,753 products (2%)
32–34
5,918 products (2%)
34–36
5,282 products (1%)
36–38
4,531 products (1%)
38–40
4,063 products (1%)
40 and above
24,241 products (7%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. No category with enough published products was available for this record, so the comparison runs against the whole published catalogue.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 95/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 40 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Cooked Enriched Rigate Pasta
2
Water
3
Semolina
4
Egg Whites
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
7
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
American Cheese Spread
11
Cheddar And Colby Cheese
12
Pasteurized Milk
13
Cheese Culture
14
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
15
Enzymes
16
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
17
Sodium Phosphate
18
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
19
Skim Milk
20
Milkfat
21
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
22
Cellulose Gum
23
Light Cream
24
Cheese Sauce
25
Cheddar Cheese
26
Enzyme Modified Cheese
27
Modified Food Starch
28
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
29
Sodium Alginate
30
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
31
Preservative
32
White Cheddar Cheese
33
Cheese Cultures
34
Butter
35
Cream
36
Wheat Flour
37
Seasoning
38
Yeast Extract
39
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
40
Nisin Preparation
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Cooked enriched rigate pasta (water, semolina, egg whites, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), american cheese spread (cheddar and colby cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, whey, sodium phosphate, whey protein concentrate, skim milk, milkfat, salt, carrageenan, cellulose gum), light cream, cheese sauce (cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, milkfat, whey, enzyme modified cheese [pasteurized milk, water, sodium phosphate, milkfat, salt, cheese culture, enzymes], sodium phosphate, modified food starch, salt, lactic acid, sodium alginate, sorbic acid [preservative]), white cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), contains 2% or less of: butter (cream, salt), water, modified food starch, wheat flour, salt, seasoning (yeast extract, maltodextrin, salt) and nisin preparation.

High-score cross-brand comparables for Mac & Cheese

Neighbours outside Panera Bread with screening scores in the same high band as Mac & Cheese (95/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Panera Bread; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Carrageenan is the first flagged ingredient selected from Mac & Cheese's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 40-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Carrageenan. Open Carrageenan
  • Compare Mac & Cheese's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0077958690492: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.