Carolina Blend Gourmet Cheese Spread

by Tonya's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Carolina Blend Gourmet Cheese Spread by Tonya's 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
0865333000116
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
2 Tbsp (30 g)

What the Data Says About

Carolina Blend Gourmet Cheese Spread by Tonya's 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, Carolina Blend Gourmet Cheese Spread 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 Carolina Blend Gourmet Cheese Spread
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 D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cheddar Cheese
2
Pasteurized Milk
3
Cheese Culture
4
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Enzymes
6
Annatto Color
7
Potato Starch And Powdered Cellulose
8
To Prevent Caking
9
Mayonnaise
10
Soybean Oil
11
Water
12
Egg Yolks
13
Distilled Vinegar
14
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
15
Spice
16
Calcium Disodium Edta
17
Added To Protect Flavor
18
Salad Olives
19
Manzanilla Olives
20
Minced Pimiento
21
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
22
Sodium Alginate
23
Guar Gum
24
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
25
Pecans
26
Pimientos
27
Pimiento
28
Or Less Of: Maltodextrin
29
Cultured Dextrose
30
Egg White Lysozyme
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ENZYME
Listed
31
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
32
Nisin Preparation
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT
GRAS
33
Jalapeno Pepper
34
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
35
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
36
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
37
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
38
Preservative
39
Red Pepper

Full Ingredient List

Cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto color, potato starch and powdered cellulose [to prevent caking]), mayonnaise (soybean oil, water, egg yolks, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, contains less than 2% of salt, spice, calcium disodium edta [added to protect flavor]), salad olives (manzanilla olives, water, minced pimiento, salt, citric acid, sodium alginate, guar gum, calcium chloride), pecans, pimientos (pimiento, water, citric acid), contains 2% or less of: maltodextrin, cultured dextrose, salt, egg white lysozyme, sodium diacetate, nisin preparation, distilled vinegar, jalapeno pepper, water, cornstarch, xanthan gum, ascorbic acid, potassium sorbate (preservative), red pepper.

Categories

Dairies Fermented foods Fermented milk products Cheeses

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