Wild Hot Snack Sticks

by Jack Link's

60
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Wild Hot Snack Sticks by Jack Link's receives a safety score of 60/100 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
0017082879745
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Wild Hot Snack Sticks by Jack Link's carries a composite safety score of 60/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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, Wild Hot Snack Sticks 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 Wild Hot Snack Sticks
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 60/100 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
Beef And Pork
2
Mechanically Separated Chicken
3
Water
4
Or Less Of Natural Flavors
5
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
6
Soy Protein Isolate
7
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
8
Rice Bran
9
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
10
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
11
Refiner's Syrup
12
Natural Smoke Flavor
13
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
14
Molasses
15
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
16
Paprika
17
Color
18
Paprika Extract
19
Lactic Acid Starter Culture
20
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
21
Msg
22
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
23
Safflower Oil
24
Casing
25
Caramel
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
26
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
27
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
28
Soy

Full Ingredient List

BEEF AND PORK, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF FLAVORS, SALT, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CORN SYRUP, RICE BRAN, DEXTROSE, FRUCTOSE, REFINER'S SYRUP, SMOKE FLAVOR, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, MOLASSES, MALTODEXTRIN, PAPRIKA (COLOR), PAPRIKA EXTRACT (COLOR), LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE, CITRIC ACID, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM NITRITE, SAFFLOWER OIL, CASING (CARAMEL, RED 3, ANNATTO). CONTAINS: SOY

Categories

Snacks Meats and their products Meats

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