Dark Chicken Meat

Dark Chicken Meat carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 37 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Dark Chicken Meat highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Dark Chicken Meat37
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Dark Chicken Meat has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Dark Chicken Meat currently appears in 37 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Dark Chicken Meat serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Dark Chicken Meat in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Dark Chicken Meat
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 37 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 37 of 37 products

Artisan chicken sausage
Unknown
100/100
Artisan chicken sausage smoky garlic & tuscan herb
Unknown
100/100
Burritos
Unknown
100/100
Chef-crafted soup, chicken noodle
Unknown
100/100
Chef-crafted soup, chicken wild rice
Unknown
100/100
Chef-crafted soup, chicken wild rice
Unknown
100/100
Chicken & Balsamic Crafted Plate, Chicken & Balsamic
Hormel
100/100
Chicken & monterey jack cheese burrito
Unknown
100/100
Chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichanga
Unknown
100/100
Chicken and Monterey Jack Cheese Chimichangas
El Monterey
100/100
Chicken Chile Verde Burrito With Dark And White Meat Chicken
Trader Joe's
100/100
Chicken coconut soup
Unknown
100/100
Chicken Diced in Mild Chipotle Sauce
HERDEZ
100/100
Chicken noodle chef-crafted soup, homestyle recipe
Unknown
100/100
Chicken Tinga Seasoned Chicken, Cheese, Pinto Beans, Rice And Corn Burrito, Chicken Tinga
Taco street
100/100
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Member's Mark
100/100
Chicken won ton condensed soup
Campbells
100/100
Chili With Beans, Ranch House Chicken
Stagg Foods Llc
100/100
Chipotle chicken - smoky soup with chipotle peppers, tomatoes and dark chicken meat
Unknown
100/100
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Fresh Foods Market
100/100
dr kellyann creamy chicken soup
Dr. Kellyann
100/100
Graduates pasta pickups chicken and carrot ravioli
Gerber
95/100
GREEN CHILE CHICKEN BOWL
Trader Joe's
100/100
Jamaican Style Oven-Baked Crust Chicken Turnover
Global Delights
20/100
Jerk Chicken Soup, Jerk Chicken
Whole foods market
100/100
Made with dark chicken meat, chicken
Unknown
95/100
Mini chimis chimichangas
El Monterey
100/100
Shredded & Seasoned Chicken Taco Meats
Hormel
95/100
Shredded Chicken & Riced Cauliflower Bowl Green Chili
Don Lee Farms
100/100
Shredded Cooked Chicken With Chipotle Sauce
Hormel Foods Corporation
100/100
Signature chicken & monterey jack cheese chimichangas
El Monterey
100/100
Signature chimichangas
El Monterey
100/100
Signature chimichangas chicken & monterey jack cheese
El Monterey
100/100
Sweet potato chicken soup
Unknown
100/100
Taco meats
Unknown
95/100
Tortilla chef-crafted soup
Unknown
100/100
White Bean Chicken Chili With Dark Light Chicken Meat
Fresh Foods Market
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dark Chicken Meat safe to eat?

Dark Chicken Meat has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Dark Chicken Meat?

Dark Chicken Meat is found in 37 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Dark Chicken Meat do in food?

Dark Chicken Meat serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.