Chester's
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Chester's, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Chester's averages 53.2/100 across the 37 of 45 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 70.3% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 53.2/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 37 scored products
- 45
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 70.3%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 100%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 45 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Jalepeño cheese flavored whirlz; Puffcorn, Flamin' Hot; CHESTER'S FRIES; 70.3% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 53.2/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
| Signal | Chester's | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avg safety score | 53.2/100 | Below-average |
| Products tracked | 45 | OpenFoodFacts US index |
| Flagged ingredients | 70.3% | FDA SAFFA + CSPI flag overlap |
What the Data Says About Chester's
Chester's: 45 products tracked, 37 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 53.2/100, 70.3% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
70.3% of the scored Chester's products contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. That distribution is the primary finding; the average does not make those affected formulations "mostly safe." Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Across the 894,137 products we index overall, the average safety score is 92.8/100, and Chester's sits 39.6 points below that fleet-wide average.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Chester's processing intensity
Chester's's NOVA-classified set is 34 products: 100% ultra-processed (Group 4, 34 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 34. That ultra-processed share sits 21.7 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
- G1
- 0
- G2
- 0
- G3
- 0
- G4 ultra
- 34 (100%)
Shelf mix
Where Chester's shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Chester's concentrates in Snacks (13, 87% of this top-five); 160 (1); Plant-based foods and beverages (1).
- Snacks 13
- 160 1
- Plant-based foods and beverages 1
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (53.2/100) summarizes 37 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Chester's product score distribution
Brand average 53.2/100 across 37 scored products
53 54th percentile sits above 54% of the 37 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0–10
- 4 scored products (11%)
- 20–30
- 14 scored products (38%)
- 50–60
- 4 scored products (11%)
- 70–80
- 3 scored products (8%)
- 90–100
- 1 scored products (3%)
- 100 and above
- 11 scored products (30%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Chester's relies most on Yellow 6, an industry staple
Across the 37 Chester's products scored here, Yellow 6 appears in 21. It is used by 1,766 other brands in this database (5.0% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Chester's products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow 6 | 21 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 40 | 20 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 8 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 7 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Caramel Coloring | 1 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 37 concern-sorted Chester's records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (34 ingredients and 50/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 37
- Median label
- 34 ingredients
- Median score
- 50/100
The outlined point is Jalepeño cheese flavored whirlz, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (6). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Jalepeño cheese flavored whirlz: 45 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Puffcorn, Flamin' Hot: 36 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- CHESTER'S FRIES: 43 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Puffcorn: 36 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Popcorn, Flamin' Hot: 33 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- FRIES: 39 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Chester's Fries Flamin Hot 5.75 Ounce Bag: 35 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Fries: 36 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Flamin' Hot Flavored Fries Corn & Potato Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 36 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Chester's fries Flamin'hot: 36 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Fries Corn & Potato Snacks, Flamin' Hot: 35 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Corn & Potato Snacks, Bacon Cheddar: 36 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- FRIES Flamin' Hot: 40 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Chester's Ranch Fries: 32 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- ranch fries: 31 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- CHEDDAR JALAPENO POPCORN: 37 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Chester’s Fries Ranch: 33 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- FRIES Flamin' Hot Flavor: 40 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- FRIES Flamin' Hot: 38 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Waffle Rounds, Cheese Pizza: 37 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Fries: 38 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Chesters ranch fries: 30 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Puffcorn Snacks, Cheese: 28 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Spiral Snacks: 19 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Popcorn: 23 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Chester Fries Carolina Style BBQ: 34 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Flamin’ Hot Fries: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Puffcorn cheese: 28 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Puffcorn: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Poppers, Crunch Fries: 18 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Puffcorn Cheese Flavored: 20 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Puffcorn: 18 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Puffcorn Cheese Flavored: 28 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- PUFFCORN Butter: 18 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Honey BBQ Potato Crisps: 31 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Potato Crisps: 16 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Fries: 34 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Chester's
Showing 44 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 1 tracked record with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Chester's: closest on tracked product count (45 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (53.2/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chester's food safe? ▼
Chester's has an average safety score of 53/100 across the 37 of 45 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 70.3% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Chester's products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 45 Chester's products. 37 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 8 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Chester's catalog? ▼
Chester's has 34 NOVA-classified products; 100% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 34 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Chester's catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Chester's concentrates in Snacks (13, 87% of this top-five); 160 (1); Plant-based foods and beverages (1).
Does Chester's use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Chester's items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Chester's profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Jalepeño cheese flavored whirlz, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (6) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Yellow 6 appears in 21 scored Chester's products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Chester's's 53.2/100 average and 70.3% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
