Pantry · Product label guide
Mac & cheese: compare ingredients, then choose.
Compare pasta and cheese sauces, including dairy-free recipes.
Research · Mac & cheese
What our research found about mac & cheese
Boxed mac and cheese is a pasta plus a cheese-sauce mix, so there are two labels in one. The pasta can be wheat, whole wheat, rice, or chickpea; the sauce is cheese powder or a liquid pouch, often with whey, milk proteins, starch and salt. Color usually comes from spices such as paprika, annatto or turmeric, though some products have used synthetic dyes; the ingredient list says which.
Sodium and saturated fat are the main nutrients to compare, and prepared quantities matter because the box instructions add butter and milk. Dairy-free versions replace cheese with nuts, starches and oils and are better compared with each other.
- Products
- 141 brand
- Full labels recorded
- 857% of the shelf
- Maker says organic
- 0maker’s claim
- List an added sweetener
- 0of 8 labels
- List a seed oil
- 0of 8 labels
- Typical label length
- 2ingredients (median)
Counts use complete, current ingredient labels only. Records without a published label stay unknown and are never counted as clean.
What to compare
- Color source. Check for paprika, annatto or turmeric versus Yellow 5 or 6.
- Sodium per serving. Compare as prepared, not just the dry mix.
- Pasta type. Whole-wheat, rice and chickpea pastas change texture and protein.
- Dairy-free options. Plant-based sauces use different bases; compare them separately.
References
- Color additives: questions and answers for consumers U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Food dyes Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Sodium in your diet U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Dairy Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Compare the recorded labels
Find the ingredients that matter to you.
“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.
| Buy | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients 2 boxes Banza shells, or any shape that grabs sauce Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Chickpea Pasta (Chickpeas, Pea Starch, Tapioca, Xanthan Gum), Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Cultures, Enzymes), Buttermilk, Tapioca Starch, Cornstarch, 2% or less of Butter (Cream, Salt, Annatto Extract), Natural Flavor, Salt, Nonfat Milk, Potassium Chloride, Sunflower Lecithin, Monoglycerides, Sodium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Paprika Extract (Color). Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients 2 boxes Banza shells, or any shape that grabs sauce Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients 2 boxes Banza shells, or any shape that grabs sauce Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| 71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients 2 boxes Banza shells, or any shape that grabs sauce Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
| Not scored | Search on Amazon ↗Product details → | 0 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients Unknown Label needs review — · US Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||
Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” The clean score is strict and needs no setup: nine additive groups on the current label plus verified organic and sourcing claims; without them a product cannot reach 100. It is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.
“Buy on Amazon” opens a reviewed product listing; “Search on Amazon” opens an Amazon search for the product, so pick the exact match yourself. Confirm the package, seller, availability, and current price before checkout. Buying links do not influence ingredient results.
01 · A closer look
Your preferences, explained.
The clean score is strict and needs no setup: nine additive groups not found in a current ingredient statement, plus a verified organic claim (and a grass-fed or pasture-raised claim for animal foods), are needed for 100; a possible match earns half and a missing claim earns nothing. Missing or expired evidence stays unknown. It does not assess nutrition, allergies, contaminants, or safety.