Chicago's chocolate
Contains 1 flagged ingredient
Chicago's chocolate 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.
What the Data Says About
Chicago's chocolate 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, Chicago's chocolate 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 E 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
| 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 | E | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk, soy lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla), dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor {processed with alkali}, cocoa butter, milk, butterfat, soy lecithin, vanilla), caramel sauce (corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, skim milk, palm oil, butter, cornstarch, salt, mono-and diglycerides, potassium sorbate {to preserve freshness}, soy lecithin, caramel color, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, artificial flavor, natural flavor), soft white center (sugar, coconut oil, soybean oil, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, distilled monoglycerides (emulsifier), salt, tocopherol (an antioxidant), white confection (sugar, fractionated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, whole milk, partially hydrogenated palm oil, glycerol-lacto esters of fatty acids {an emulsifier}, soy lecithin, vanilla, salt), soft dark confection (sugar, soybean oil, coconut oil, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), distilled monoglycerides, soy lecithin, salt, vanilla), peanut butter (peanuts, dextrose, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil), dark confection (sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa processed with alkali, lactose (from milk), soy lecithin, sorbitan tristearate, natural vanilla extract), confectionary chips (sugar, partially defatted peanut flour, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, nonfat dry milk, dextrose, soy lecithin and salt), palm oil, 70% dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla), toasted marshmallow flavor.
Categories
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
