Mexican style traditional pork tamales meal with spanish rice and refried pinto beans

20
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Mexican style traditional pork tamales meal with spanish rice and refried pinto beans receives a safety score of 20/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 4 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.

Barcode
0818511013286
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
227 g (227 g)

What the Data Says About

Mexican style traditional pork tamales meal with spanish rice and refried pinto beans carries a composite safety score of 20/100, 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 4 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, Mexican style traditional pork tamales meal with spanish rice and refried pinto beans 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Mexican style traditional pork tamales meal with spanish rice and refried pinto beans
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 20/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Pork Tamales: Masa
2
Corn
3
Water
4
Lime
5
Pork
6
Lard
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Bht And Bha Added To Protect Flavor
8
Pork Broth
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Dried Guajillo Pepper
11
Dried Ancho Pepper
12
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
13
Natural Beef Flavor
14
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Beef Type
15
Hydrolyzed Corn
16
Soy
17
Wheat
18
Sunflower Oil
19
Garlic Powder
20
Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
21
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
22
Onion Powder
23
Spices
24
Corn Flour
25
White Corn Cooked With Lime-water
26
Sodium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
27
Cellulose Gum
28
And Fumaric Acid Added To Preserve Freshness
29
Corn Starch
30
Spices. Spanish Rice: Water
31
Rice
32
Carrots
33
Red Bell Pepper
34
Green Bell Pepper
35
Seasoning
36
Msg
37
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
38
Beef Fat
39
Natural Flavors
40
Chicken Fat
41
Tomato Powder
42
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
43
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
44
Citic Acid
45
Chicken Meat
46
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
47
Prevents Caking
48
Turmeric
49
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
50
Dehydrated Parsley
51
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
52
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
53
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
54
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
55
Color
56
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
57
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
58
Soybean Oil
59
Vinegar
60
Garlic Powder. Refried Pinto Beans: Water
61
Pinto Beans
62
Salt. Chipotle Salsa: Tomato Puree
63
Chipotle Peppers
64
Onion
65
Canola Oil
66
Paprika

Full Ingredient List

Pork tamales: masa (corn, water, lime), pork, lard (bht and bha added to protect flavor), pork broth, salt, guajillo pepper, ancho pepper, garlic, beef flavor (salt, hydrolyzed vegetable protein beef type [hydrolyzed corn, soy, wheat, sunflower oil], garlic powder, hydrolyzed corn protein, dextrose, onion powder, spices), corn flour (white corn cooked with lime-water), sodium propionate, cellulose gum, and fumaric acid added to preserve freshness), corn starch, spices. spanish rice: water, rice, carrots, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, seasoning (salt, monosodium glutamate, corn starch, sugar, beef fat, hydrolyzed corn protein, natural flavors, chicken fat, tomato powder, maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract, citic acid, dehydrated chicken meat, silicon dioxide (prevents caking), turmeric, yellow 6 lake, dehydrated parsley, caramel color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, annatto (color), yellow 6, red 40), soybean oil, vinegar, garlic powder. refried pinto beans: water, pinto beans, lard, salt. chipotle salsa: tomato puree, chipotle peppers, sugar, onion, vinegar, salt, canola oil, paprika, spices, garlic.

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