Southwest style salad with chicken

50
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Southwest style salad with chicken receives a safety score of 50/100 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
0085239009840
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 SALAD (354 g)

What the Data Says About

Southwest style salad with chicken carries a composite safety score of 50/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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, Southwest style salad with chicken 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 Southwest style salad with chicken
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 50/100 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
Romaine Lettuce
2
Chicken Breast
3
Water
4
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Stabilizer
6
Rice Starch
STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Listed
7
Distilled Vinegar
8
White Distilled Vinegar {Diluted With Water To 4% Acidity}
9
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
10
Ranch Dressing
11
Soybean Oil
12
Buttermilk
13
Cultured Pasteurized Organic Skim Milk And Milk
14
Sodium Citrate And Salt
15
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Egg Yolks
18
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
19
Onion
20
Msg
21
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
22
Torula yeast
Flavoring
Safe
23
Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate
24
To Preserve Freshness
25
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
26
Sweet Cream
27
Cream
28
Soy Lecithin
29
Spice
30
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
31
Dehydrated Parsley
32
Phosphoric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
Cut Back GRAS
33
Disodium Inosinate & Disodium Guanylate
34
Calcium Disodium Edta Added To Protect Flavor
35
Roasted Corn
36
Cheddar Cheese
37
Pasteurized Milk
38
Cheese Cultures
39
Enzymes
40
Annatto Coloring And Cellulose
41
To Prevent Caking
42
Tortilla Strips
43
Corn Masa Flour
44
Organic Sunflower
45
Safflower
46
Canola Oil
47
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
48
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
49
Black Beans
50
Green Bell Pepper
51
Red Bell Pepper

Full Ingredient List

Romaine lettuce, chicken breast (chicken breast, water, sea salt, stabilizer [rice starch], distilled vinegar [white distilled vinegar {diluted with water to 4% acidity}], sodium tripolyphosphate), ranch dressing (soybean oil, buttermilk [cultured pasteurized skim milk and milk, sodium citrate and salt], water, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, contains less than 2% of egg yolks, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, monosodium glutamate, polysorbate 60, torula yeast, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate [to preserve freshness], xanthan gum, dehydrated sweet cream [cream, soy lecithin], spice, lactic acid, dehydrated parsley, phosphoric acid, disodium inosinate & disodium guanylate, calcium disodium edta added to protect flavor), roasted corn, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto coloring and cellulose [to prevent caking]), tortilla strips (corn masa flour, sunflower, safflower and/or canola oil, salt, red 40, blue 1), black beans (black beans [water, black beans], salt), green bell pepper, red bell pepper.

Categories

Meals Prepared 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