Tapatio Doritos

0
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Tapatio Doritos receives a safety score of 0/100 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
40010397
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Tapatio Doritos carries a composite safety score of 0/100, 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, Tapatio Doritos 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 Tapatio Doritos
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 0/100 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
Corn
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Canola
4
Sunflower Oil
5
Tapatio Seasoning
6
Spices
7
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
8
Made From Corn
9
Cheddar Cheese
10
Milk
11
Cheese Cultures
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Enzymes
14
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
15
Msg
16
Natural Flavor
17
Buttermilk
18
Romano Cheese
19
Part Skim Cow's Milk
20
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
21
Onion Powder
22
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
23
Corn Oil
24
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
25
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
26
Atficial Color
27
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
28
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
29
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
30
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
31
Bue 2 Lake
32
Garlic Powder
33
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
34
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
35
Skim Milk
36
Dsodium Inosinate
37
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
38
And Organic Sunflower Oil

Full Ingredient List

corn, vegetable oil (corn, canola, and/or sunflower oil), tapatio seasoning (spices, maltodextrin [made from corn], cheddar cheese [milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], salt, whey, monosodium glutamate, natural flavor, buttermilk, romano cheese [part skim cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], whey protein concentrate, onion powder, sodium diacetate, corn oil, citric acid, dextrose, atficial color [red 40 lake, yellow 6, yellow 6 lake, yellow 5, bue 2 lake], garlic powder, sugar, lactic acid, skim milk, dsodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and sunflower oil),

Categories

Snacks Salty snacks Appetizers Chips and fries Crisps Corn chips

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