American chop suey

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

American chop suey receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0018894904861
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
8 ONZ (227 g)

What the Data Says About

American chop suey carries a composite safety score of 95/100, which we classify as "Safe" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, American chop suey 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 American chop suey
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
2
Water
3
Elbow Macaroni Durum Flour
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
6
Thiamin Mononitrate
7
Riboflavin And Folic Acid
8
Cheddar Cheese
9
Pasteurized Milk
10
Cheese Culture
11
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
12
Enzymes
13
And Annatto
14
Vegetable Color
15
Onion
16
Red Peppers
17
Diced Tomatoes
18
Tomatoes
19
Tomato Juice
20
Calcium Chloride
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, ENZYME, FIRMING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, FUMIGANT, HUMECTANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING
GRAS
21
Firming Agent
22
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
23
Crushed Tomatoes
24
Gravy Mix
25
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
26
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
27
Wheat Flour
28
Soybean Oil
29
Beef Fat
30
Tbhq And Citric Acid Added To Improve Stability
31
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
32
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
33
Less Than 2% Of Whey
34
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
35
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
36
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
37
Disodium Inosinate/disodium Guanylate
38
Hydrolyzed Wheat And Corn Gluten
39
Hydrolyzed Soy And Wheat Proteins
40
Spices
41
Natural And Artificial Flavors
42
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
43
Beef Powder
44
Corn Syrup Solids
45
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
46
Onion Powder
47
Ammonium Chloride
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
48
Dried Beef Stock
49
Garlic Powder
50
Tricalcium Phosphate
51
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
52
Rum
Listed
53
Organic Coconut
54
Palm Kernel Oil
55
Soy Lecithin
56
Tomato Paste
57
Blended Oil
58
Canola Oil
59
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
60
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
61
Food Starch - Modified
62
Corn
63
Kosher Salt
64
Organic Basil
65
Dehydrated Parsley
66
Oregano
67
Chili Pepper
68
Black Pepper

Full Ingredient List

Beef, water, elbow macaroni durum flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid., cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, and annatto [vegetable color]), onion, red peppers, diced tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, calcium chloride [firming agent], citric acid), crushed tomatoes (tomatoes, salt, citric acid), gravy mix (modified cornstarch, maltodextrin, wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, beef fat (tbhq and citric acid added to improve stability), caramel color, sugar, less than 2% of whey, autolyzed yeast extract, silicon dioxide, potassium chloride, disodium inosinate/disodium guanylate, hydrolyzed wheat and corn gluten, hydrolyzed soy and wheat proteins, spices, natural and artificial flavors, lactic acid, beef powder, corn syrup solids, calcium lactate, onion powder, ammonium chloride, beef stock, garlic powder, tricalcium phosphate, modified tapioca starch, rum, citric acid, modified coconut and/or palm kernel oil, soy lecithin), tomato paste (tomatoes), blended oil (canola oil, extra virgin olive oil), garlic, food starch - modified (corn), kosher salt, basil, parsley, oregano, chili pepper, black pepper.

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