Original Mac and Cheese Dinner

Name: Original Mac and Cheese Dinner
Brand: Kraft

0Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 1 contaminant flagged · 3 ingredients to avoid

100

Lab-measured contaminants

Measured against published safety limits

−25

cadmium−25

Ingredients

−69

folic acid−12

sodium triphosphate−11

sodium phosphate−11

niacin−4

ferrous sulfate−4

8 more deductions−27

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Packaging

−1

Packaging−1

Adjustments

What it takes to land on the final number

Minimum score+5

Final score0

Contaminants · 4

1 at/over limit

Measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Cadmium7.32 ppbof 5 ppb

Over the limit — 1.5×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

ArsenicNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

LeadNDof 5 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

MercuryNDof 2 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.002 mg/L

Ingredients · 24

GoodCautionAvoid

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Healthier swaps

Same shelf, cleaner ingredients

Nutrition facts

Nutrient	Per 100g	Per serving
Calories	357.14 kcal	250 kcal
Fat	2.86 g	2 g
Saturated fat	1.43 g	1 g
Carbohydrates	70 g	49 g
Sugars	10 g	7 g
Fiber	1.43 g	1 g
Protein	12.86 g	9 g
Sodium	0.79 g	0.55 g

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Common questions

Is Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner healthy?

Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner scores 0/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in. Per serving it carries 1g fiber, 9g protein and 7g sugar. It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner?

Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner lists 24 ingredients, starting with Macaroni, Wheat Flour, Durum Flour, Niacin and Ferrous Sulfate. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

How many calories are in Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner?

250 kcal per serving, or 357 kcal per 100g. Calories are only part of the picture — Tallow scores Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner on what the ingredients are, not how many calories they carry.

Does Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner?

Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner compare to other pasta & noodles?

At 0/100 Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner scores worse than most pasta & noodles we have scored. A higher-scoring option in pasta & noodles is Rao's Homemade Spaghetti at 100/100.

Is Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner organic?

Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner is not certified organic in our data.

Has Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner been lab tested?

Yes. 4 substances in Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner have a laboratory result on file — see the Contaminants section above for each reading and the limit it was measured against.

Does Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner contain heavy metals?

Yes. A lab detected cadmium at 7.32 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Kraft Original Mac and Cheese Dinner. It also tested for lead, arsenic and mercury and found none above its detection limit. Each reading is in the Contaminants section above.

Full methodology: how we score products.