Safe

Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks

by Chili's

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0717854470896 · Chili's · Dairies. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0717854470896 · Serving size 3 STICKS (87 g)

The verdict

Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks by Chili's scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 45 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 45-component record, beginning with Mozzarella Cheese With Peppers, Pasteurized Part-skim Milk, Natural Flavors. 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 45 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
D
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

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

60/100

Grade C+

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

D

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.

54470896 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 45 ing. REG-SPARSE 29% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-D Nutri-D RANK-SHORT Len top 0% LEAD-FLAG Caramel Coloring PHOTO-FINISH Orange Chicken · ±0 BOOK-OFF …470896 · July 2026

13 of 45 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Caramel Coloring). Source sheet 54470896 · 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: Orange Chicken · Nearest score peer is Orange Chicken 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.

This label falls in the fourth Nutri-Score band. The model arrives there when its penalty terms — energy density, sugars, saturated fat, sodium — carry more weight in the calculation than the fibre, protein and produce content it credits. The band covers a wide span of the points scale, so position within it is not visible from the letter alone. The grade reflects the declared nutrition panel and is unrelated to the additive ratings listed below, which come from different bodies applying different criteria.

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. Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Chili's, mozzarella chees…95/1002. Orange Chicken: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Orange Chicken95/1003. Teriyaki meatballs with mashed potatoes, meatballs & teriyaki sauce with mashed potatoes: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Teriyaki meatballs with m…95/1004. POP'N CHICKEN & POTATO WHEELS: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. POP'N CHICKEN & POTATO WH…95/1005. Chicken Littles: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Chicken Littles95/100
High-band neighbours for Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks (95/100) outside Chili's.
Chart values as text

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

Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks
95/100
Orange Chicken
95/100
Teriyaki meatballs with mashed potatoes, meatballs & teriyaki sauce with mashed potatoes
95/100
POP'N CHICKEN & POTATO WHEELS
95/100
Chicken Littles
95/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 24,982 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 92.9/100. Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks scores 2.1 points above that category average (95/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is roughly typical for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Dairies products

Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks lists 45 ingredients on its label

45 100th percentile a longer ingredient list than every other product we track

0–2: 120 products (1%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,805 products (13%). Below this entry. 4–6: 4,714 products (22%). Below this entry. 6–8: 2,694 products (13%). Below this entry. 8–10: 1,996 products (9%). Below this entry. 10–12: 1,884 products (9%). Below this entry. 12–14: 1,734 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 1,639 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 1,261 products (6%). Below this entry. 18–20: 841 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 481 products (2%). Below this entry. 22–24: 303 products (1%). Below this entry. 24–26: 228 products (1%). Below this entry. 26–28: 151 products (1%). Below this entry. 28–30: 122 products (1%). Below this entry. 30–32: 115 products (1%). Below this entry. 32–34: 81 products (0%). Below this entry. 34–36: 57 products (0%). Below this entry. 36–38: 45 products (0%). Below this entry. 38–40: 33 products (0%). Below this entry. 40–42: 134 products (1%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Dairies 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

21,438 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 45 (100th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
120 products (1%)
2–4
2,805 products (13%)
4–6
4,714 products (22%)
6–8
2,694 products (13%)
8–10
1,996 products (9%)
10–12
1,884 products (9%)
12–14
1,734 products (8%)
14–16
1,639 products (8%)
16–18
1,261 products (6%)
18–20
841 products (4%)
20–22
481 products (2%)
22–24
303 products (1%)
24–26
228 products (1%)
26–28
151 products (1%)
28–30
122 products (1%)
30–32
115 products (1%)
32–34
81 products (0%)
34–36
57 products (0%)
36–38
45 products (0%)
38–40
33 products (0%)
40 and above
134 products (1%)

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. The comparison here runs against the 21,438 Dairies products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

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 45 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Mozzarella Cheese With Peppers
2
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
3
Natural Flavors
4
Peppers
5
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
6
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
7
Cheese Cultures
8
Enzymes
9
Breader
10
Bleached Wheat Flour
11
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
12
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
13
Yeast
14
Caramel Coloring
Coloring
Avoid Approved (color additive, GRAS)
15
Yellow Corn Flour
16
Paprika Extract
17
Color
18
Annatto Extract
19
Water Batter Mix
20
Enriched Flour
21
Wheat Flour
22
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
23
Reduced Iron
24
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
25
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
26
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
27
Modified Food Starch
28
Iodized Salt
29
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
30
Leavening
31
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
32
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
33
Sodium Alginate
34
Soy Flour
35
Nonfat Milk
36
Oleoresin Paprika
37
Natural Flavor
38
Egg
39
Canola Oil
40
Soybean Oil
41
Spices
42
Less Than 2% Of Chili Powder
43
Ground Chiles
44
Paprika
45
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Mozzarella cheese with peppers (pasteurized part-skim milk, natural flavors, peppers, salt, calcium chloride, cheese cultures, enzymes), breader (bleached wheat flour, dextrose, salt, sugar, dried yeast, caramel color, yellow corn flour, paprika extract [color], annatto extract [color], water batter mix (yellow corn flour, enriched flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], modified food starch, iodized salt, whey, leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate] sodium alginate, soy flour, nonfat milk, oleoresin paprika [color], natural flavor, egg), canola oil, breader (bleached wheat flour, whey, dextrose, soybean oil), spices, less than 2% of chili powder (ground chiles, paprika, salt, spices, garlic), paprika.

Categories

Dairies Fermented foods Fermented milk products Cheeses Frozen foods Meat alternatives Breaded products Breaded cheeses Fried foods Mozzarella sticks

High-score cross-brand comparables for Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks

Neighbours outside Chili's with screening scores in the same high band as Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks (95/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Chili's; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Caramel Coloring is the first flagged ingredient selected from Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 45-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Caramel Coloring. Open Caramel Coloring
  • Compare Chili's, mozzarella cheese sticks'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 0717854470896: 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.