Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water

by Starkist

90
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water by Starkist receives a safety score of 90/100 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
0080000484482
Nutri-Score
b
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
130 g (4.5 oz)

What the Data Says About

Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water by Starkist carries a composite safety score of 90/100, 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 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, Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water 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 B 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 Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 90/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score B OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Tuna: Light Tuna
2
Water
3
Vegetable Broth
4
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Crackers: Enriched Flour
6
Wheat Flour
7
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Reduced Iron
9
Thiamine Mononirate
10
Vitamin B1
11
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
12
Vitamin B2
13
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
14
Whole Wheat Flour
15
Canola An/or Soybean Oil With Tbhq For Freshness
16
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
17
Or Less Of Salt
18
Onion
19
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
20
Malt Extract
21
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
22
Leavening
23
Baking Soda
24
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
25
Monocalcium Phosphate
26
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
27
Soy Lecithin
28
Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise: Water. Soybean Oil
29
Distilled White Vinegar
30
Modified Food Starch
31
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
32
Egg Whites
33
Microcrystalline Cellulose
34
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
35
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
36
Sodium Benzoate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
37
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
38
Mustard Flour
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
39
Natural Flavor
40
Onion Powder
41
Garlic Powder
42
Calcium Disodium Edta
43
Oleoresin Turmeric
44
Oleoresin Paprika
45
Sweet Relish: Pickles
46
Cucumbers
47
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
48
Natural And Artificial Flavorings
49
Fd&c Yellow #5 And Blue #1
50
Polysorbate 80
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved

Full Ingredient List

Tuna: light tuna, water, vegetable broth, salt., crackers: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononirate [vitamin b1], riboflavin [vitamin b2], folic acid), whole wheat flour, canola an/or soybean oil with tbhq for freshness, sugar, contains 2% or less of salt, onion, whey, malt extract, corn syrup, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), caramel color, soy lecithin., reduced calorie mayonnaise: water. soybean oil, distilled white vinegar, modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, egg whites, microcrystalline cellulose, salt, whey protein concentrate, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, mustard flour, natural flavor, onion powder, garlic powder, calcium disodium edta, oleoresin turmeric, oleoresin paprika., sweet relish: pickles (cucumbers, salt, calcium chloride), high fructose corn syrup, distilled white vinegar, natural and artificial flavorings, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, oleoresin turmeric, fd&c yellow #5 and blue #1, polysorbate 80.

Categories

Meals Prepared salads Meals with fish Salads with fish Tuna salads Salads

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