Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips

by Clancy's

25
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 3 flagged ingredients

Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips by Clancy's receives a safety score of 25/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 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
4061459719987
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 portion (28 g)

What the Data Says About

Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips by Clancy's carries a composite safety score of 25/100, 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 3 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, Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips 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 Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 25/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 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
Whole Grain Corn
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Corn
4
Canola
5
Organic Sunflower
6
Tomato Seasoning
7
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
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
10
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
11
Cheddar Cheese
12
Cultured Milk
13
Enzymes
14
Buttermilk
15
Onion Powder
16
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
17
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
18
Tomato Powder
19
Corn Starch
20
Tomato Fiber
21
Natural And Artificial Flavor
22
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
23
Msg
24
Artificial Color
25
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
26
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
27
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
28
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
29
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
30
Sodium Inosinate
31
Sodium Guanylate
32
Disodium Phosphate
33
Turmeric Oleoresin

Full Ingredient List

whole grain corn, vegetable oil, corn, canola, sunflower, tomato seasoning, sugar, salt, maltodextrin, whey, cheddar cheese, cultured milk, salt, enzymes, buttermilk, onion powder, lactose, dextrose, tomato powder, corn starch, tomato fiber, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, monosodium glutamate, artificial color, yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40, lactic acid, sodium diacetate, sodium inosinate, sodium guanylate, disodium phosphate, turmeric oleoresin

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