Chicken Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken Dry Dinner Mix

70
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Chicken Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken Dry Dinner Mix receives a safety score of 70/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0016000435834
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1/3 cup as pkgd (58 g) (58 g)

What the Data Says About

Chicken Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken Dry Dinner Mix carries a composite safety score of 70/100, which we classify as "Caution" on our four-tier shelf-label framework. The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Our scan identified 2 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Chicken Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken Dry Dinner Mix is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Chicken Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken Dry Dinner Mix
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 70/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched White Rice
2
Rice
3
Iron
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Thiamin Mononitrate
6
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
7
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
8
Corn Starch
9
Brown Sugar
10
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
11
Corn Starch
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Tomato*
14
Soy Sauce*
15
Soybeans
16
Wheat
17
Vegetable Oil
18
Canola
19
Soybean
20
Sunflower Oil
21
Malic Acid
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SYNERGIST
Safe GRAS
22
Vinegar*
23
Spice
24
Yeast Extract
25
Color
26
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
27
Yellow Lakes 5 & 6
28
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
29
Chicken Fat
30
Natural Flavor
31
Chicken Powder
32
Chicken Broth
33
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
34
Anticaking Agent
35
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
36
Calcium Lactate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
37
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
38
Onion*
39
Garlic*.*dried

Full Ingredient List

Enriched white rice (rice, iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid), sugar, corn starch, brown sugar, maltodextrin, modified corn starch, salt, tomato*, soy sauce* (soybeans, wheat, salt), vegetable oil (canola, soybean and/or sunflower oil), malic acid, vinegar*, spice, yeast extract, color (caramel color, yellow lakes 5 & 6, red 40 lake), chicken fat, natural flavor, chicken powder, chicken broth, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), lactic acid, calcium lactate, citric acid, onion*, garlic*.*dried

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial