Zatarain's, jambalaya chicken & sausage

by Zatarain's

80
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Zatarain's, jambalaya chicken & sausage by Zatarain's receives a safety score of 80/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients 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
0071429011526
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.5 PACKAGE (340 g)

What the Data Says About

Zatarain's, jambalaya chicken & sausage by Zatarain's carries a composite safety score of 80/100, 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 2 flagged ingredients 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, Zatarain's, jambalaya chicken & sausage 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 Zatarain's, jambalaya chicken & sausage
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 80/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 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
Cooked Long Grain Rice
2
Water
3
Bell Peppers
4
Chicken Breast Strips With Rib Meat
5
Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat
6
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
8
Sodium Phosphate
9
Cooked Andouille Sausage
10
Pork
11
Dehydrated Garlic And Onion
12
Spices
13
Paprika
14
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
15
Smoke Flavoring
16
Sassafras
17
Sodium Erythorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe GRAS
18
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
19
Organic Onions
20
Less Than 2% Of Margarine
21
Liquid And Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
22
Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides
23
Soy Lecithin
24
Natural And Artificial Flavor
25
Beta Carotene
26
Color
27
Vitamin A Palmitate Added
28
Corn Starch
29
Pork Base
30
Roasted Pork Meat And Natural Juices
31
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
32
Yeast Extract
33
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
34
Milk
35
Chicken Fat
36
Corn Oil
37
Natural Flavor
38
Wine And Caramel Color
39
Granulated Garlic
40
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
41
Chili Powder
42
Chili Pepper
43
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
44
Garlic Powder
45
Stabilizer
46
Gum Arabic
47
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
48
Guar Gum

Full Ingredient List

Cooked long grain rice, water, bell peppers, chicken breast strips with rib meat (chicken breast meat with rib meat, water, modified potato starch, salt, sodium phosphate), cooked andouille sausage (pork, water, dehydrated garlic and onion, salt, spices, paprika, sugar, sodium phosphate, smoke flavoring, sassafras, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite), onions, less than 2% of margarine (liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, beta carotene [color], vitamin a palmitate added), modified corn starch, pork base (roasted pork meat and natural juices, salt, corn syrup, yeast extract, whey [milk], chicken fat, corn oil, sugar, natural flavor, wine and caramel color), paprika, granulated garlic, yeast extract, sea salt, spices, chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, caramel color, garlic powder), stabilizer (modified corn starch, gum arabic, 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