General tsos chicken

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

General tsos chicken receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0030223017981
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (140 g)

What the Data Says About

General tsos chicken carries a composite safety score of 100/100, 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 did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, General tsos chicken 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 General tsos chicken
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 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
Lo Mein Noodles
2
Enriched Wheat Flour
3
Wheat Flour
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Reduced Iron
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Water
10
100% Fully Refined Soybean Oil
11
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
12
Potassium Carbonate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
13
Sodium Carbonate
ANTIOXIDANT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
14
Yellow Color
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
Annatto Extract {Color}
17
Turmeric {Color}
18
Rice Concentrate
19
General Tso Sauce
20
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
21
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
22
Wheat
23
Soybeans
24
Tomato Paste
25
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
26
Corn Starch
27
Organic Ginger
28
White Distilled Vinegar
29
Onion
30
Chili Pepper
31
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
32
Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat
33
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast With Rib Meat
34
Or Less Of Potato Starch
35
Sodium Phosphate
36
Natural Flavors
37
Yeast Extract
38
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
39
Paprika. Breaded With
40
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour {Enriched With Niacin
41
Folic Acid}
42
Leavening {Sodium Bicarbonate
43
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate}
44
Or Less Of Dextrose
45
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten Protein
46
Yellow Corn Flour
47
Green Bell Pepper Powder
48
Paprika
49
Hydrolyzed Corn Gluten
50
Extractives Of Paprika
51
Red Bell Pepper
52
Carrot
53
Scallion

Full Ingredient List

Lo mein noodles (enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, 100% fully refined soybean oil, salt, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, natural yellow color [organic maltodextrin, annatto extract {color}, turmeric {color}, organic rice concentrate]), general tso sauce (water, sugar, soy sauce [water, wheat, soybeans, salt], tomato paste, garlic [water, garlic], corn starch, ginger, white distilled vinegar, dehydrated onion, dried chili pepper, dehydrated garlic), chicken breast meat with rib meat (boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat, water, contains 2% or less of modified potato starch, salt, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, yeast extract, maltodextrin, paprika. breaded with [enriched bleached wheat flour {enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, water, natural flavors, salt, leavening {sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate}, contains 2% or less of dextrose, hydrolyzed wheat gluten protein, yellow corn flour, maltodextrin, yeast extract, green bell pepper powder, paprika, hydrolyzed corn gluten, extractives of paprika]), red bell pepper, carrot, scallion.

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