Shepherd's Pie

85
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Shepherd's Pie receives a safety score of 85/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0241217420759
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Shepherd's Pie carries a composite safety score of 85/100, 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Shepherd's Pie 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 Shepherd's Pie
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 85/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
Beef
2
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
3
Dried Beef Stock
4
Natural Flavors
5
Water
6
Yeast Extract
7
Brown Sugar
8
Corn Oil
9
Onion
10
Butter
11
Cream
12
Natural Flavor
13
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
14
Fermented Soybean
15
Wheat
16
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
17
Natural And Artificial Flavors
18
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
19
Corn Starch
20
Beef Powder
21
Color
22
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
23
Tomato Powder
24
Worcestershire Sauce
25
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
26
Spices
27
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
28
Soybean Oil
29
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
30
Yukon Gold Potatoes
31
Milk
32
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
33
Preservative
34
Spice
35
Crust
36
Enriched Flour
37
Wheat Flour
38
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
39
Iron
40
Thiamin Mononitrate
41
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
42
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
43
Vegetable Shortening
44
Soybean
45
Canola
46
Palm And Or Palm Kernel
47
Mono And Diglycerides
48
TBHQ
Preservative
Avoid Approved (preservative, 21 CFR 172.185)
49
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
50
Egg Whites
51
Soy Flour
52
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
53
Nonfat Dry Milk
54
Beef Fat
55
Dehydrated Parsley

Full Ingredient List

beef, salt, beef stock, natural flavors, water, beef stock, salt, yeast extract, brown sugar, corn oil, onion, butter, cream, salt, natural flavor, soy sauce, fermented soybean, wheat, salt, maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors, maltodextrin, garlic, modified corn starch, beef powder, color, lactic acid, tomato powder, worcestershire sauce, fermented soybean, wheat, salt, citric acid, spices, sugar, soybean oil, citric acid, spices, yukon gold mashed potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, milk, butter, cream, salt, salt, potassium sorbate, preservative, spice, crust, enriched flour, wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, vegetable shortening, soybean, canola, palm and or palm kernel, mono and diglycerides, tbhq, citric acid, water, sugar, dextrose, salt, egg whites, soy flour, whey, nonfat dry milk, citric acid, beef fat, parsley

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