Avoid

Cheetos

by Fritolay

Open Food Facts label for barcode 06161170 · Fritolay. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 06161170

The verdict

Cheetos by Fritolay scores 0/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 49 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 4 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 49-component record, beginning with Enriched Corn Meal, Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate. 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.

0/100
Avoid safety score
4
Many flagged · of 49 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
06161170
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

3/100

Grade F

Ingredient Safety

0/100

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.

06161170 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Cheetos label screening desk

SCORE-AVOID 0/100 FLAG-MANY 4 flagged LEN-DENSE 49 ing. REG-PART 39% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 3% LEAD-FLAG Yellow 6 PHOTO-FINISH Reese's OUTRAGEOUS! · ±0 BOOK-OFF …161170 · July 2026

19 of 49 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Yellow 6). Source sheet 06161170 · 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: Reese's OUTRAGEOUS! · Nearest score peer is Reese's OUTRAGEOUS! at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

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

The composite for this product falls in the lowest of the four bands. That is where labels land when registry-rated components drive the greater part of the deduction from the index. The band name is drawn from the framework's own scale and is distinct from the ratings the registries themselves assign to individual substances, which are shown per component below. A single heavily rated component and several lightly rated ones can produce the same band, so the component table is the more precise reading of the two.

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. Cheetos: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #11. Cheetos0/1002. Reese's OUTRAGEOUS!: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #22. Reese's OUTRAGEOUS!0/1003. Lucky Charms Treats: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #33. Lucky Charms Treats0/1004. sour patch kids: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #44. sour patch kids0/1005. Rainbow sprinkles: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #55. Rainbow sprinkles0/100
Nearest cross-brand screening scores for Cheetos (0/100 on 49 parsed ingredients).
Chart values as text

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

Cheetos
0/100
Reese's OUTRAGEOUS!
0/100
Lucky Charms Treats
0/100
sour patch kids
0/100
Rainbow sprinkles
0/100

Ingredient-list length vs every product we publish

Cheetos lists 49 ingredients on its label

49 97th percentile a longer ingredient list than 97% 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: 49 (97th 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 0/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (4 flagged of 49 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Enriched Corn Meal
2
Corn Meal
3
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Thiamin Mononitrate
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
8
Vegetable Oil
9
Corn
10
Canola
11
Sunflower Oil
12
Cheddar Jalapeño Seasoning
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
14
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
15
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
16
Made From Corn
17
Canola Oil
18
Buttermilk
19
Romano Cheese
20
Cow's Milk
21
Cheese Cultures
22
Enzymes
23
Msg
24
Cheddar Cheese
25
Milk
26
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
27
Onion Powder
28
Corn Starch
29
Natural And Artificial Flavors
30
Spices
31
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
32
Dried Jalapeño Pepper
33
Garlic Powder
34
Sodium Caseinate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
35
Artificial Color
36
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
37
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
38
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
39
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
40
Skim Milk
41
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
42
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
43
Malic Acid
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SYNERGIST
Safe GRAS
44
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
45
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
46
Milk Ingredients
47
Frito-lay
48
Plano
49
Tx 75024-4099 © 2006 Frítolay Fritolay

Full Ingredient List

NGREDIENTS: ENRICHED CORN MEAL (CORN MEAL, FERROUS SULFATE, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), CHEDDAR JALAPEÑO SEASONING (SALT, WHEY, MALTODEXTRIN [MADE FROM CORN], CANOLA OIL, BUTTERMILK, ROMANO CHEESE [COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CHEDDAR CHEESE [MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, ONION POWDER, CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SPICES, LACTOSE, JALAPEÑO PEPPER, GARLIC POWDER, SODIUM CASEINATE, ARTIFICIAL COLOR [YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, BLUE 1, RED 40], SKIM MILK, LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, MALIC ACID, SUNFLOWER OIL, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE), CONTAINS MILK INGREDIENTS, FRITO-LAY, INC, PLANO, TX 75024-4099 © 2006 FRÍTOLAY FritoLay

Other products containing Cheddar Jalapeño Seasoning

Cheddar Jalapeño Seasoning is the least common ingredient on this label, appearing in 3 products across the catalog. See its safety profile.

Lower-score cross-brand comparables for Cheetos

Neighbours outside Fritolay in the same lower screening band as Cheetos (0/100). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Fritolay; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Yellow 6 is the first flagged ingredient selected from Cheetos's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 49-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Yellow 6. Open Yellow 6
  • Compare Cheetos's 4 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 06161170: 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.