Safe

Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water

by Starkist

Scores 100/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis , with no flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0080000516947 · Serving size 4.28 ONZ (121 g)

The verdict

Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water by Starkist scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 48 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination; check official notices and the product label for current decisions.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
flagged ingredients of 48 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
B
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

What the Data Says About Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water

Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water by Starkist 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. This score is a transparent derived index we compute from that public data, not an official FDA rating or endorsement; see the Methodology page for the exact weighting.

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, Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna 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 White Albacore Tuna In Water
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 B OpenFoodFacts

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

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 94,909 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 87.4/100. Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water scores 12.6 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 87.4/100), so it is a comparatively strong pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Tuna: White Tuna
2
Water
3
Vegetable Broth
4
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Pyrophosphate
6
Crackers: Enriched Wheat Flour
7
Iron
8
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Thiamine
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
10
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
11
Palm Oil
12
Wheat Bran
13
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
14
Leavening Agents
15
Ammonium Bicarbonate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
16
Monocalcium Phosphate
17
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
18
Invert Sugar
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Cut Back GRAS
19
Malt Extract
20
Soy Lecithin
21
Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise: Water
22
Soybean Oil
23
Corn Starch
24
Eggs
25
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
26
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
27
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
28
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
29
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
30
Onion Powder
31
Vitamin E
32
Garlic Powder
33
EDTA
Other
Safe
34
Mustard Oleoresin
35
Beta Carotene
36
Color
37
Sweet Relish: Pickles
38
Cucumbers
39
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
40
Distilled Vinegar
41
E300
42
Artificial Flavors
43
Less Than 1/10 Of 1% Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate
44
Oleoresin Turmeric
45
Fd
46
C Yellow #5
47
Blue #1
48
And Polysorbate 80

Full Ingredient List

tuna: white tuna, water, vegetable broth, salt, pyrophosphate, crackers: enriched wheat flour (iron, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin), palm oil, wheat bran, sugar, leavening agents (ammonium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate), water, invert sugar, malt extract, salt, soy lecithin, reduced calorie mayonnaise: water, soybean oil, modified corn starch, eggs, sugar, salt, citric acid, xanthan gum, acetic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, onion powder, vitamin e, garlic powder, edta, mustard oleoresin, beta carotene (color), sweet relish: pickles (cucumbers, salt) high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, xanthan gum, natural , artificial flavors, less than 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, oleoresin turmeric, fd,c yellow #5, blue #1, and polysorbate 80,

Categories

Snacks

Data Sources

Data as of May 2026. 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.

Product data from Open Food Facts; additive safety from the FDA SAFFA inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details. Compiled by PlainFoodSafe

Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Product figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.