Cheesy potatoes

by Aldi

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheesy potatoes by Aldi 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
4099100112580
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Cheesy potatoes by Aldi 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, Cheesy potatoes 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 Cheesy potatoes
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
Cheddar Cheese
4
Pasteurized Milk
5
Cheese Culture
6
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
7
Enzymes
8
Soy
9
Canola Oil
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
From Milk
12
Nonfat Dry Milk
13
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
14
From Cornj
15
Sodium Phosphate
16
Natural Flavors
17
Beta Carotene
18
Color
19
Paprika Extract
20
Lactic Acid Sodium Diglycerides
21
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
22
Potatoes And Vegetables*
23
Potatoes
24
Dehydrated Red And Green Bell Pepper
25
Onion
26
Seasoning Blend
27
Vegetables*
28
Tomato
29
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
30
Spices
31
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
32
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
33
Torula yeast
Flavoring
Safe
34
Yeast Extract
35
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
36
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
37
Natural Smoke Flavor
38
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
39
E300
40
Milk
41
Alginate
Thickener
Safe
42
Mono - And Inosinate And Disodium

Full Ingredient List

cheese sauce (water, cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], soy and/or canola oil, whey [from milk], nonfat dry milk, maltodextrin [from cornj, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, salt, beta carotene [color], paprika extract [color], lactic acid sodium diglycerides, xanthan gum), potatoes and vegetables* (potatoes, red and green bell pepper, onion), seasoning blend (vegetables* [tomato, onion, garlic], spices, dextrose, cornstarch, salt, torula yeast, yeast extract, sugar, citric acid, smoke flavor, disodium guanylate, paprika extract [color]), *dried contains: milk, alginate, mono - and inosinate and disodium

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