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Kraft Original Flavor Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original

Kraft Heinz Foods Company · Pasta Dinners · barcode 00021000025879

What stands out

Bars show one serving: 1 package, 58 g, from the label.

  • Likely this product

    A lab test of a product with this brand and name found cadmium: 38.6 ppb in 1 sample (matched by name; the lab recorded no barcode). Details

    15% of a toddler's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label15% of a toddler's daily limit
    3% of an adult's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label3% of an adult's daily limit
  • Likely this product

    A lab test of a product with this brand and name found lead: 2 ppb in 1 sample (matched by name; the lab recorded no barcode). Details

    5% of a toddler's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label5% of a toddler's daily limit
    1% of an adult's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label1% of an adult's daily limit
  • Likely this product

    A lab test of a product with this brand and name found arsenic (total): 8.1 ppb in 1 sample (matched by name; the lab recorded no barcode). Details

  • Lab testsA lab tested a product with this brand and name. See results
  • RecallsNo FDA recall lists this barcode.
  • Additives1 ingredient has a label or school-food rule in some states. Which
  • TypicalFDA's tests of pasta dinners show what's typical. See levels

Lab results for a matching product

Likely this product: the lab recorded its brand and name but not its barcode, so we matched it by brand and name. Package size and recipe may differ.

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original Flavor

Measured in this product Healthy Babies Bright Futures (2019), via detectlead.com (2019)

  • Lead: 2 ppb (found in 1 of 1 sample, highest 2). A toddler reaches FDA's daily limit at about 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) a day of this; an adult at about 4.4 kg (9.7 lb).
    One serving (1 package, 58 g, from the label):
    5% of a toddler's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label5% of a toddler's daily limit
    1% of an adult's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label1% of an adult's daily limit

    FDA action level for lead in baby food: 10 ppb for packaged baby foods for children under 2: fruits, vegetables (except carrots or sweet potatoes on their own), mixtures, yogurts, custards and single-ingredient meats. Source
    Among tested products of this kind (ppb, log scale): this one others
    0.11101001,00010,00034 products below the lab's limitbelowlimit3 products from 0.1 to 0.147 ppb: cerebelly Apple Kale Smart Bars 5 Pack; cerebelly Strawberry Beet Smart Bars 5 Pack; cerebelly Sweet Potato Blueberry Banana Smart Bars2 products from 0.147 to 0.215 ppb: cerebelly Carrot Date Smart Bars 5 Pack; Kroger Simple Truth Simple Truth Organic Pear, Carrot & Blueberry Baby Food Puree10 products from 0.215 to 0.316 ppb16 products from 0.316 to 0.464 ppb10 products from 0.464 to 0.681 ppb81 products from 0.681 to 1 ppb56 products from 1 to 1.47 ppb135 products from 1.47 to 2.15 ppb, this product among them126 products from 2.15 to 3.16 ppb116 products from 3.16 to 4.64 ppb103 products from 4.64 to 6.81 ppb45 products from 6.81 to 10 ppb22 products from 10 to 14.7 ppb12 products from 14.7 to 21.5 ppb7 products from 21.5 to 31.6 ppb3 products from 31.6 to 46.4 ppb: Sprout Organic Quinoa Puffs Baby Cereal Snack - Apple Kale; Yumi Berry & Sweet Pea Rice Free Puffs- Canister; NurturMe Organic Quinoa Cereals - Quinoa + Sweet Potato + Raisin5 products from 46.4 to 68.1 ppb: SOBISK Breakfast Biscuits - Golden Oats; Infant Formula (brand not recorded); Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal - 4+ months; Yumi Strawberry & Basil Rice Free Puffs; Yumi Apple Broccoli Rice Free Puffs- Canister1 product from 68.1 to 100 ppb: Babylife Organics Raspberry & Fig Oat Bar1 product from 1,468 to 2,154 ppb: Tomato Puree (brand not recorded)1 product from 3,162 to 4,642 ppb: Apple and Cinnamon Fruit Puree (brand not recorded)FDA level 10 ppbthis one

    Each dot stands for up to 14 products. Hover over or tap a column for its count.

  • Arsenic (total): 8.1 ppb (found in 1 of 1 sample, highest 8.1). No US agency limit we can cite.
    Among tested products of this kind (ppb, log scale): this one others
    0.11101001,0008 products below the lab's limitbelowlimit6 products from 0.1 to 0.136 ppb4 products from 0.136 to 0.185 ppb: piko Okinawan Sweet Potato; piko Okinawan Sweet Potato, Banana & Taro; piko Poi; piko Kabocha, Pineapple & Breadfruit2 products from 0.251 to 0.341 ppb: cerebelly Butternut Squash White Bean; cerebelly White Bean Pumpkin Apple7 products from 0.341 to 0.464 ppb8 products from 0.464 to 0.631 ppb7 products from 0.631 to 0.858 ppb22 products from 0.858 to 1.17 ppb17 products from 1.17 to 1.58 ppb75 products from 1.58 to 2.15 ppb137 products from 2.15 to 2.93 ppb151 products from 2.93 to 3.98 ppb140 products from 3.98 to 5.41 ppb99 products from 5.41 to 7.36 ppb66 products from 7.36 to 10 ppb, this product among them39 products from 10 to 13.6 ppb17 products from 13.6 to 18.5 ppb12 products from 18.5 to 25.1 ppb7 products from 25.1 to 34.1 ppb7 products from 34.1 to 46.4 ppb5 products from 46.4 to 63.1 ppb: Parent’s Choice (Walmart) Little Hearts Strawberry Yogurt Cereal Snack - Stage 3, 9+ months; Meijer Apple Rice Rusks Baked Rice Snack; Plum Organics Little Teethers Organic Multigrain Teething Wafers - Banana with Pumpkin - Baby Crawler; Gerber Teether Wheels - Apple Harvest - Crawlers; GERBER ® Teether Wheels Apple Harvest12 products from 63.1 to 85.8 ppb6 products from 85.8 to 117 ppb4 products from 117 to 158 ppb: Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal; Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal - 4+ months; Beech-Nut Rice Single Grain Baby Cereal - Stage 1, from about 4 months; Happy Baby Teethers Pea & Spinach Teethers1 product from 215 to 293 ppb: HappyBABY Superfood Puffs - Apple & Broccoli Organic Grain Snack - for crawling baby4 products from 293 to 398 ppb: O Organics (Albertson/Safeway) Organic Puffs - Apple Strawberry; BioKinetics Brown Rice Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Baby Cereal; Simple Truth Organic (Kroger) Whole Grain Puffs Broccoli & Spinach; HappyBABY Superfood Puffs Organic Grain Snack - Sweet Potato & Carrot1 product from 398 to 541 ppb: HappyBABY Organic Rice Cakes Puffed Rice Snack - Applethis one

    Each dot stands for up to 16 products. Hover over or tap a column for its count.

  • Cadmium: 38.6 ppb (found in 1 of 1 sample, highest 38.6). A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 390 g (14 oz) a day of this; an adult at about 1.8 kg (4 lb).
    One serving (1 package, 58 g, from the label):
    15% of a toddler's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label15% of a toddler's daily limit
    3% of an adult's daily limit in 1 package, 58 g, from the label3% of an adult's daily limit
    Among tested products of this kind (ppb, log scale): this one others
    0.010.111010046 products below the lab's limitbelowlimit8 products from 0.018 to 0.025 ppb2 products from 0.025 to 0.034 ppb: piko Okinawan Sweet Potato; piko Poi1 product from 0.086 to 0.117 ppb: Kroger Simple Truth Simple Truth Organic Pear, Carrot & Blueberry Baby Food Puree5 products from 0.215 to 0.293 ppb: Earth's Best Banana Orange; cerebelly Sweet Potato Mango; Earth's Best Banana Apple Blueberry; cerebelly Spinach Strawberry Banana Smoothie; amara Banana4 products from 0.293 to 0.398 ppb: Earth's Best Apple Peach Oatmeal; cerebelly Black Bean Sweet Potato; cerebelly Sweet Potato Peach Smoothie; cerebelly Sweet Potato Chicken Broth12 products from 0.398 to 0.541 ppb14 products from 0.541 to 0.736 ppb33 products from 0.736 to 1 ppb23 products from 1 to 1.36 ppb32 products from 1.36 to 1.85 ppb87 products from 1.85 to 2.51 ppb101 products from 2.51 to 3.41 ppb92 products from 3.41 to 4.64 ppb97 products from 4.64 to 6.31 ppb71 products from 6.31 to 8.58 ppb59 products from 8.58 to 11.7 ppb40 products from 11.7 to 15.8 ppb26 products from 15.8 to 21.5 ppb21 products from 21.5 to 29.3 ppb11 products from 29.3 to 39.8 ppb, this product among them4 products from 39.8 to 54.1 ppb: Sprout Organic Quinoa Puffs Baby Cereal Snack - Apple Kale; Ready Set Food Stage 3 - 15 Day; Gerber Whole Wheat Whole Grain Cereal - Sitter 2nd Foods; Gerber Carrot - Supported Sitter 1st Foods1 product from 54.1 to 73.6 ppb: Sprout Organics Smash Bar Made with Banana, Plant-Based Protein, and Sunflower ButterFDA typicalthis one

    Each dot stands for up to 11 products. Hover over or tap a column for its count.

Additives with restrictions somewhere

From the ingredient list on file (label data dated 2021-03-19). Recipes change, so check the package you have.

Acetylated mono- and diglycerides (E472a)

  • US (FDA): Allowed FDA allows them. Source
  • EU: Allowed On the EU's list of approved additives as E472a. (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008) Source
  • Texas: Warning label required from 2027-01-01 Labels developed on or after January 1, 2027 must warn that the product contains an ingredient not recommended for consumption in Australia, Canada, the EU or the UK. (SB 25 (2025)) Source
  • Louisiana: Warning label required from 2028-01-01 Products containing it must carry a QR code disclosure from January 1, 2028. (SB 14, Act 463 (2025)) Source

Typical for pasta dinners

FDA's averages for this kind of food (this product has its own lab results above)

What FDA found when it bought and tested this kind of food across the US. These are not tests of this product.

  • Cadmium: typically 22 ppb (FDA, 9 samples, 2018-2020). A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 740 g (26 oz) a day; an adult at about 3.4 kg (7.5 lb).
  • Lead, Mercury, Arsenic (total), Perchlorate: usually below 4 ppb, the lab's limit, in FDA's samples.
FDA samples behind these numbers
  • Lead in Macaroni and cheese, prepared from boxed mix: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 4 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Lead in Noodles, egg, enriched, boiled: found in 2 of 3 samples, average 3.63, highest 6.6 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Lead in Spaghetti, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 4 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Cadmium in Macaroni and cheese, prepared from boxed mix: found in 3 of 3 samples, average 11.1, highest 13 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Cadmium in Noodles, egg, enriched, boiled: found in 3 of 3 samples, average 22.3, highest 26 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Cadmium in Spaghetti, enriched, boiled: found in 3 of 3 samples, average 27.7, highest 32 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Mercury in Macaroni and cheese, prepared from boxed mix: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 1 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Mercury in Noodles, egg, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 1 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Mercury in Spaghetti, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 1 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Arsenic (total) in Macaroni and cheese, prepared from boxed mix: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 3 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Arsenic (total) in Noodles, egg, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 3 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Arsenic (total) in Spaghetti, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 3 samples, all below 3 ppb (2018-2020)
  • Perchlorate in Macaroni and cheese, prepared from box mix: found in 19 of 20 samples, average 3.5, highest 5 ppb (2008-2012)
  • Perchlorate in Noodles, egg, enriched, boiled: found in 3 of 20 samples, average 0.45, highest 7 ppb (2008-2012)
  • Perchlorate in Spaghetti, enriched, boiled: found in 0 of 20 samples, all below 1 ppb (2008-2012)

"Typically" is FDA's middle sample. Daily amounts use the long-run average and each chemical's daily limit (EPA reference dose, or FDA's level for lead) for a 33-lb toddler and a 154-lb adult. ppb = micrograms per kilogram of food. Source: FDA Total Diet Study.

Not tested

No published results for this product cover: Perchlorate, Phthalates (plastic softeners), Phthalate substitutes, Bisphenols. That means nobody has published a test, not that these are absent.

Ingredients (from the label)

ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (WHEAT FLOUR, GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE (IRON), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID); CHEESE SAUCE MIX (WHEY, MILK, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MILKFAT, PALM OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF CALCIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM TRIPHOSPHATE, MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES, DRIED BUTTERMILK, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CITRIC ACID, CREAM, LACTIC ACID, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CHEESE CULTURE, NONFAT DRY MILK, GUAR GUM, WITH PAPRIKA, TURMERIC, AND ANNATTO ADDED FOR COLOR, ENZYMES, NATURAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM); MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, ACETYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES, SALT, MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES.

From USDA FoodData Central, label dated 2021-03-19. Labels change; check the package.

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