Cheese Enchilada Dinner
by El Charrito
Contains 3 flagged ingredients
Cheese Enchilada Dinner by El Charrito receives a safety score of 45/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 ingredients 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.
What the Data Says About
Cheese Enchilada Dinner by El Charrito carries a composite safety score of 45/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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 3 flagged ingredients 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, Cheese Enchilada Dinner 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 45/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 3 | 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
Full Ingredient List
Enchiladas: tortilla: corn flour (ground corn, trace of lime), water. filling: water, dehydrated cheese powder (corn syrup, american cheese [milk, culture, salt, enzymes], food starch modified, whey, partially hydrogenated oil coconut and/or soybean), butter (milk fat), nonfat milk, buttermilk, di-sodium phosphates, sodium caseinate, mono & di-glycerides, citric acid, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate, di-potassium phosphate, salt, natural flavor, natural and artificial colors [annatto, paprika, fd&c yellow #5, fd&c yellow #6, beta carotene] and carrageenan), cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes and annatto), modified food starch, contains 2% or less of: vinegar, dehydrated onion. red chile sauce: water, shortening (refined, bleached beef tallow, soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil. bht added as antioxidant and dimethyl-polysiloxane added as antifoaming agent), bleached wheat flour enriched (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), flavorings including paprika, contains 2% or less of modified food starch, chili powder (chili pepper, salt, spices, garlic powder), dehydrated soy sauce (flavor [hydrolyzed soy protein, salt, corn syrup solids], yeast extract, salt, soybean oil), vinegar, beef flavor base (salt, soy sauce [naturally fermented wheat & soybeans, salt, maltodextrin and caramel color], maltodextrin, yeast extract, dextrose, modified corn starch, caramel color [contains 51 ppm sulfites], dried onion, silicon dioxide, corn oil, natural flavor), salt. beans: water, beans, contains 2% or less of: shortening (refined, bleached beef tallow, soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil. bht added as antioxidant and dimethylpolysiloxane added as antifoaming agent), flavorings, vinegar, salt, yeast extract, modified food starch, chili powder (chili pepper, salt, spices, garlic powder). spanish rice: cooked rice (water, rice), tomato paste, bell peppers, contains 2% or less of: flavorings including paprika, vinegar, soybean oil, dehydrated onion, chicken flavor base (salt, maltodextrin, dextrose, modified food starch, sugar, dehydrated onion, yeast extract, corn oil, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid), salt, modified food starch, topping: imitation cheddar cheese (water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, casein, modified food starch, salt, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium citrate, lactic acid, cellulose powder, guar gum, sorbic acid, artificial flavor, artificial color).
Categories
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.
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