Michelina's, lean gourmet, southwestern-style mac & cheese chicken bake

by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc.

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Michelina's, lean gourmet, southwestern-style mac & cheese chicken bake by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc. 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
0717854106719
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 PACKAGE (227 g)

What the Data Says About

Michelina's, lean gourmet, southwestern-style mac & cheese chicken bake by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc. 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, Michelina's, lean gourmet, southwestern-style mac & cheese chicken bake 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 C 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 Michelina's, lean gourmet, southwestern-style mac & cheese chicken bake
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 C OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cooked Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Water
3
Durum Semolina
4
Enriched With Niacin
5
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Cooked White Chicken
10
Chicken Breast With Rib Meat
11
Soy Protein Isolate
12
2% Or Less Of Salt
13
Sodium Phosphate
14
Modified Food Starch
15
Maltodextrin And Natural Flavor
16
Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
17
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
18
Cheese Culture
19
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
20
Enzymes
21
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
22
Color
23
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
24
Cooked Black Beans
25
Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread
26
American Cheese
27
Pasteurized Milk
28
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
29
Milkfat
30
Sodium-alginate
31
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
32
Apocarotenal
33
Less Than 2% Of Cheddar Club Cheese
34
Cheddar Cheese
35
Corn
36
Nonfat Dry Milk
37
Poblano Chili Peppers
38
Romano Cheese
39
Pasteurized Cow's Milk
40
Cheese Cultures
41
Dried Red Bell Peppers
42
Canola Oil
43
Cheese Flavor
44
Cultures
45
Yeast Extract
46
Natural Flavors
47
Disodium Phosphate
48
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
49
Enriched Wheat Flour
50
Wheat Flour
51
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
52
Ground Chipotle Chili Pepper
53
Spice
54
Chili Powder
55
Chili Pepper
56
Spices
57
Garlic Powder
58
Mustard Flour
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
59
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

Full Ingredient List

Cooked enriched macaroni product (water, durum semolina [enriched with niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), water, cooked white chicken (chicken breast with rib meat, water, soy protein isolate, 2% or less of salt, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, maltodextrin and natural flavor), reduced fat cheddar cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto [color], vitamin a palmitate), cooked black beans, pasteurized process cheese spread (american cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, whey, sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of milkfat, salt, sodium-alginate, lactic acid, apocarotenal [color]), less than 2% of cheddar club cheese (cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, salt, annatto [color]), corn, modified food starch, nonfat dry milk, poblano chili peppers, romano cheese (pasteurized cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), red bell peppers, canola oil, salt, cheese flavor (cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk , cultures, salt, enzymes], water, yeast extract, natural flavors, disodium phosphate, xanthan gum), enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, ferrous sulfate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), ground chipotle chili pepper, spice, chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, garlic powder), xanthan gum, annatto (color), mustard flour, citric acid.

Categories

Frozen foods

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