Creamy macaroni & cheese, creamy

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Creamy macaroni & cheese, creamy 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
0888670013588
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.5 cup (113 g)

What the Data Says About

Creamy macaroni & cheese, creamy 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, Creamy macaroni & cheese, creamy 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 Creamy macaroni & cheese, creamy
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cheese Sauce
2
Water
3
Milk
4
American Cheese
5
Cultured Pasteurized Milk And Skim Milk
6
Buttermilk
7
Milkfat
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
Or Less Of: Sodium Phosphate
10
Milk Protein Concentrate
11
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
12
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
13
Enzymes
14
Whey Protein
15
Concentrated Whey Protein {Milk}
16
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
17
Butter
18
Cream
19
Flavorings
20
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
21
Cheese Flavor
22
Lemon Juice
23
Annatto Oil
24
Color
25
Organic Pasta
26
Durum Wheat Flour
27
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
28
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
29
Thiamin Mononitrate
30
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
31
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
32
Cheddar Cheese
33
Pasteurized Milk
34
Cheese Cultures
35
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid

Full Ingredient List

Cheese sauce (water, milk, american cheese [cultured pasteurized milk and skim milk, buttermilk, milkfat, salt, contains 2% or less of: sodium phosphate, milk protein concentrate, acetic acid, lactic acid, enzymes], concentrated whey protein [concentrated whey protein {milk}, calcium chloride], butter [cream, natural flavorings], cornstarch, salt, natural cheese flavor, lemon juice, annatto oil [color]), pasta (durum wheat flour [niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto [color]).

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