Mini Tacos

by Chi-Chi's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Mini Tacos by Chi-Chi's 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
0037600145909
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
79g

What the Data Says About

Mini Tacos by Chi-Chi's 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, Mini Tacos 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 Mini Tacos
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 C OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Filling: Chicken Leg Meat
2
Tomatoes
3
Tomato Juice
4
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
5
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
6
Pasteurized Blended Cheddar Cheese
7
Milk
8
Culture
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Sodium Citrate
11
Enzymes
12
Apocarotenal
13
Color
14
Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread
15
American Cheese
16
Water
17
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
18
Sodium Phosphate
19
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
20
Skim Milk
21
Milk Fat
22
Dried Cream Cheese
23
Pasteurized Cultured Milk & Cream
24
Stabilizers
25
Xanthan
26
Carob Bean
27
Guar Gum
28
Bell Peppers
29
Corn Starch
30
Textured Wheat Protein
31
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
32
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
33
Phosphate
34
Mixed Tocopherols
35
Organic Onions
36
Or Less Of: Bleached Wheat Flour Enriched
37
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
38
Reduced Iron
39
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
40
Riboflavin & Folic Acid
41
Natural Cheddar Cheese Flavor
42
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
43
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
44
Cheese Culture
45
Jalapenos
46
Jalapeno Peppers
47
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
48
Gelatin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
49
Vinegar
50
Chili Powder
51
Chili Pepper
52
Spices
53
Garlic Powder
54
Flavorings. Tortilla: Corn Flour
55
Ground Corn
56
Trace Of Lime
57
Modified Food Starch. Fried In Soybean Oil

Full Ingredient List

FILLING: CHICKEN LEG MEAT, TOMATOES (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), PASTEURIZED BLENDED CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CULTURE, SALT, SODIUM CITRATE, ENZYMES, APOCAROTENAL [COLOR]), PASTEURIZED PROCESS CHEESE SPREAD (AMERICAN CHEESE [MILK, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], WATER, WHEY, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SKIM MILK, MILK FAT, SALT, APOCAROTENAL [COLOR]), CREAM CHEESE (PASTEURIZED CULTURED MILK & CREAM, SALT, STABILIZERS [XANTHAN AND/OR CAROB BEAN AND/OR GUAR GUM]), BELL PEPPERS, CORN STARCH, WATER, TEXTURED WHEAT PROTEIN (WHEAT GLUTEN, WHEAT STARCH, PHOSPHATE, MIXED TOCOPHEROLS), ONIONS, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR ENRICHED (NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN & FOLIC ACID), CHEDDAR CHEESE FLAVOR (MILK, WHEY, CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, SALT, CHEESE CULTURE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES), JALAPENOS (JALAPENO PEPPERS, SALT, ACETIC ACID, WATER, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), GELATIN, VINEGAR, SALT, CHILI POWDER (CHILI PEPPER, SALT, SPICES, GARLIC POWDER), FLAVORINGS. TORTILLA: CORN FLOUR (GROUND CORN, TRACE OF LIME), WATER, SALT, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH. FRIED IN SOYBEAN OIL.

Categories

Undefined

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