Gourmet Smoky Cheddar Gouda & Shells Macaroni and Cheese

by taste of Inspirations

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Gourmet Smoky Cheddar Gouda & Shells Macaroni and Cheese by taste of Inspirations 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
0725439802437
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Gourmet Smoky Cheddar Gouda & Shells Macaroni and Cheese by taste of Inspirations 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, Gourmet Smoky Cheddar Gouda & Shells Macaroni and Cheese 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 E 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 Gourmet Smoky Cheddar Gouda & Shells Macaroni and Cheese
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 E OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Semolina
3
Wheat
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Iron
6
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
7
Thiamin Mononitrate
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Smoky Cheddar Gouda Cheese Sauce
11
Skim Milk
12
Cheese Blend
13
Gouda Cheese
14
Cheddar Cheese
15
Pasteurized Milk
16
Cheese Culture
17
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
18
Enzymes}
19
Canola Oil
20
Water
21
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
22
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
23
Sodium Phosphate
24
Or Less Of: Salt
25
Natural Flavors
26
Sodium Alginate
27
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
28
Mono - And Diglycerides
29
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
30
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
31
To Preserve Freshness
32
Garlic Powder

Full Ingredient List

ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (SEMOLINA [WHEAT], NIACIN, IRON [FERROUS SULFATE], THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SMOKY CHEDDAR GOUDA CHEESE SAUCE (SKIM MILK, CHEESE BLEND [GOUDA CHEESE, CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES}], CANOLA OIL, WATER, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM ALGINATE, LACTIC ACID, MONO - AND DIGLYCERIDES, XANTHAN GUM, SORBIC ACID [TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS], GARLIC POWDER)

Categories

Meals Pasta dishes Macaroni and cheese

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