What Makes Goodles A 'Clean' Mac And Cheese?

Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. What can be more delicious and simple as good pasta noodles with a decadent cheese sauce? Mac and cheese is also one of the most accessible and inexpensive meals out there. From frozen meals to cups or boxes from renowned brands such as Kraft (and its iconic character shapes that actually hold a ton of sauce), Annie's, or Velveeta, it's pretty easy to get your hands on the dish in multiple forms. However, mac and cheese can also have a lot of harmful ingredients that aren't discussed or seen on labels. For boxed mac and cheese, Goodles is a brand that has prided itself in receiving the Clean Label Project's certification, the first boxed brand to do so. The Clean Label Project is a non-profit organization that is determined to provide transparency in what foods we are buying and eating. This is done through multiple tests and evaluations that test for any harmful chemicals.

Goodles is often known as a 'healthier' brand because of its focus on packing lots of nutrition into its products while still aiming for that comforting and rich taste that we all know and love. Given that the brand got the certification and passed the test, it seems like the company's hard work has paid off. But what are 'clean' products, and what is specifically tested?

According to Goodles' website, "After rigorous, independent testing of our products for over 400 different contaminants including chemicals, plastics, pesticides and other toxins, Clean Label Project has determined that Goodles mac & cheese meets their highest standard."

The majority of these harmful chemicals that can be found in food products include heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, and other pesticide residues and plasticizers. Clean Label Project focuses on spreading awareness about how certain ingredients can be linked to cancer, reproductive issues, etc. The non-profit claims that you can be assured these products are clear of these ingredients once they receive the certification after the tests.

If you were looking to dive into Goodles products and wanted to know which were the best, we recently ranked every one of its mac and cheese variations. But, no matter which box you choose, you can rest assured that they all meet the same safety standard.