Macaroni & Cheese Small Bites

by Whole Foods Market

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Macaroni & Cheese Small Bites by Whole Foods Market 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
0099482499709
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Macaroni & Cheese Small Bites by Whole Foods Market 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, Macaroni & Cheese Small Bites 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 Macaroni & Cheese Small Bites
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Filling
2
Cooked Macaroni
3
Water
4
Enriched Flour {Durum Wheat Semolina
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}
10
Cheddar Cheese
11
Milk
12
Bacterial Culture
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
14
Calcium Chloride
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, ENZYME, FIRMING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, FUMIGANT, HUMECTANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING
GRAS
15
Microbial Enzymes
16
Milk Powder
17
Rice Starch
STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Listed
18
Cornstarch*
19
Methylcellulose
20
Sunflower Lecithin
21
Emulsifier
22
Yeast Extract
23
Disodium Phosphate
24
Sodium Citrate
25
Onion Powder
26
Garlic Powder
27
Natural Flavor
28
Color
29
Vegetable Glycerine
30
Extractives Of Paprika
31
Mixed Tocopherols {Added To Maintain Freshness}
32
Quillaja Extract
33
Sunflower Seed Oil
34
Canola Oil
35
Breading
36
Batter
37
Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour {Wheat Flour
38
Rice Flour
39
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
40
Pea Protein Isolate
41
Baking Powder {Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
42
Sodium Bicarbonate}
43
Bread Crumbs
44
Thiamin Mononitrate
45
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
46
Yeast
47
Cracker Meal
48
Parsley Flakes
49
Expeller Pressed Canola Oil*

Full Ingredient List

Filling (Cooked Macaroni [Water, Enriched Flour {Durum Wheat Semolina, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid}], Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Bacterial Culture, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Microbial Enzymes], Milk Powder, Rice Starch, Cornstarch*, Methylcellulose, Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Yeast Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavor [Yeast Extract, Salt, Natural Flavor], Color [Vegetable Glycerine, Extractives of Paprika, Water, Mixed Tocopherols {Added To Maintain Freshness}, Quillaja Extract, Sunflower Seed Oil, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil]), Breading (Water, Batter [Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour {Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid}, Rice Flour, Wheat Starch, Pea Protein Isolate, Sunflower Seed Oil, Salt, Baking Powder {Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate}, Methylcellulose, Extractives of Paprika], Bread Crumbs [Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour {Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid}, Sugar, Yeast, Salt], Cracker Meal [Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour {Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid}], Salt, Parsley Flakes), Expeller Pressed Canola Oil*

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