Mac and cheese

by Park St Deli

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Mac and cheese by Park St Deli 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
4061459204278
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (225 g)

What the Data Says About

Mac and cheese by Park St Deli 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, Mac and 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Mac and 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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cooked Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Water
3
Enriched Macaroni
4
Durum Wheat Semolina
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
Milk With Vitamin D3
11
Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread
12
Cheddar Cheese
13
Milk
14
Cheese Culture
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Enzymes
17
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
18
Colby Cheese
19
Sodium Phosphate
20
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
21
Nonfat Milk
22
Milkfat
23
Or Less Of Salt
24
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
25
Cellulose Gum
26
Cheddar Cheese {Cultured Milk
27
Enzymes}
28
Color Added
29
Food Starch-modified
30
Reduced Lactose Whey
31
Margarine
32
Soybean Oil
33
Or Less Of Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil
34
Sunflower Lecithin
35
Mono - And Diglycerides
36
Artificial Flavor
37
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
38
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
39
Preservative
40
Annatto Extract
41
Color

Full Ingredient List

cooked enriched macaroni product (water, enriched macaroni [durum wheat semolina, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), milk with vitamin D3, water, pasteurized process cheese spread (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], water, whey, colby cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], sodium phosphate, whey protein concentrate, nonfat milk, milkfat, contains 2% or less of salt, carrageenan, cellulose gum, processed cheddar club cheese blend [cheddar cheese {cultured milk, salt, enzymes}, water, salt, color added], food starch-modified, reduced lactose whey, salt, margarine [soybean oil, water, salt, contains 2% or less of hydrogenated cottonseed oil, sunflower lecithin, mono - and diglycerides, artificial flavor, vitamin A palmitate], potassium sorbate [preservative], annatto extract [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