Country Fried Chicken & Gravy

by Marie Callender's

85
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Country Fried Chicken & Gravy by Marie Callender's receives a safety score of 85/100 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
0021131905330
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 meal (371 g)

What the Data Says About

Country Fried Chicken & Gravy by Marie Callender's carries a composite safety score of 85/100, 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 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, Country Fried Chicken & Gravy 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. The Nutri-Score grade of C reflects nutritional balance — calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content — which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Country Fried Chicken & Gravy
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 85/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score C OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Mashed Potatoes
2
Rehydrated Potato Flakes And Granules
3
Water
4
Potatoes
5
Mono - And Diglycerides
6
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
7
Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate
8
BHT
Caution GRAS
9
Sodium Bisulfite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
10
Butter
11
Cream
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Flavoring
14
Buttered Corn
15
Corn
16
Corn Starch
17
Spice
18
Breaded White Meat Chicken Patty
19
Chicken Breast With Rib Meat
20
Breader
21
Bleached Wheat Flour
22
Yellow Corn Flour
23
Spices
24
Leavening {Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
25
Sodium Bicarbonate}
26
Spice Extractive
27
Batter
28
Corn Starch
29
Guar Gum
30
Leavening {Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
31
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
32
Monocalcium Phosphate}
33
Garlic Powder
34
Textured Soy Protein Concentrate
35
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
36
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
37
Sodium Phosphates
38
Fried In Vegetable Oil
39
Gravy
40
Or Less Of: Soybean Oil
41
Chicken Flavor
42
Chicken Broth
43
Chicken Fat
44
Chicken Glace
45
Cooked Chicken
46
Flavorings
47
Nonfat Dry Milk
48
Organic Onions
49
Chardonnay Wine
50
Canola Oil
51
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
52
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved

Full Ingredient List

Mashed potatoes (rehydrated potato flakes and granules [water, potatoes, mono - and diglycerides, citric acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, bht, sodium bisulfite], butter [cream, salt], cream, salt, flavoring), buttered corn (corn, water, butter [cream, salt], modified corn starch, salt, spice), breaded white meat chicken patty (chicken breast with rib meat, breader [bleached wheat flour, yellow corn flour, salt, spices, leavening {sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium bicarbonate}, spice extractive], water, batter [water, yellow corn flour, corn starch, salt, spices, guar gum, leavening {sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate}, garlic powder], textured soy protein concentrate, potassium chloride, autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphates, salt, flavoring, fried in vegetable oil), gravy (water, cream, modified corn starch, butter [cream, salt], contains 2% or less of: soybean oil, chicken flavor [chicken broth, salt, chicken fat], chicken glace [chicken broth, cooked chicken, chicken fat, salt, flavorings], nonfat dry milk, onions, salt, chardonnay wine, canola oil, garlic, spice, xanthan gum, guar gum).

Categories

Frozen foods

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