Seafood mac & cheese

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Seafood mac & cheese receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0859098005806
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (142 g)

What the Data Says About

Seafood mac & cheese carries a composite safety score of 95/100, 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 identified 1 flagged ingredient 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, Seafood mac & 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 D 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 Seafood mac & cheese
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Organic Shell Pasta
2
Water
3
Enriched Durum Semolina
4
Organic Refined Durum Semolina Wheat Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
7
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Alfredo Sauce
11
Cream Powder
12
Cheese Powder
13
Wheat Flour
14
Corn Starch
15
Butter Powder
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
18
Soy Lecithin
19
Natural Flavors
20
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
21
Garlic Powder
22
Spice
23
Guar Gum
24
Cream
25
Shrimp
26
Imitation Crab
27
Fish Protein
28
Pollock
29
Pacific Whiting
30
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
31
Egg White
32
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
33
Sorbitol
Sweetener
Cut Back
34
Or Less Of: Modified Potato Starch
35
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
36
Natural Crab Concentrate And Artificial Flavors
37
Isolated soy protein
Other
Safe
38
Rice Wine
39
Alcohol
40
Rice
41
Calcium Carbonate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
42
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
43
Hydrolyzed Corn
44
Soy
45
And Wheat Protein
46
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
47
Disodium Inosinate And Guanylate
48
Carmine
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
49
Color Added
50
Cheddar Cheese
51
Pasteurized Milk
52
Cheese Culture
53
Enzymes
54
Annatto Coloring
55
Bleached Wheat Flour
56
Parmesan Cheese
57
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
58
Calcium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT
Safe GRAS
59
Minced Lobster
60
Or Less Of The Following: Sugar
61
Yeast
62
Soybean Oil
63
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
64
Buttermilk
65
Disodium Phosphate
66
Annatto Extract
67
Onion Powder
68
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
69
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
70
Spices

Full Ingredient List

Shell pasta [water, enriched durum semolina (durum semolina wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)], alfredo sauce (water, cream powder, cheese powder, wheat flour, corn starch, butter powder, salt, lactose, soy lecithin, natural flavors, xanthan gum, garlic powder, spice, guar gum), cream, shrimp, imitation crab [fish protein (pollock and/or pacific whiting), water, wheat starch, egg white, sugar, sorbitol contains 2% or less of: potato starch, modified tapioca starch, salt, natural crab concentrate and artificial flavors, isolated soy protein, rice wine (water, sugar, alcohol, rice, salt), calcium carbonate, carrageenan, hydrolyzed corn, soy, and wheat protein, sodium tripolyphosphate, disodium inosinate and guanylate, carmine, color added], cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto coloring), bleached wheat flour, parmesan cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, calcium propionate), minced lobster. contains 2% or less of the following: sugar, yeast, soybean oil, calcium propionate, whey, buttermilk, disodium phosphate, annatto extract, onion powder, soy lecithin, sea salt, potassium chloride, garlic powder, spices.

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