Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad

by Trader Joe's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad by Trader Joe's receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
00974363
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 cup (100 g)

What the Data Says About

Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad by Trader Joe's 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.

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, Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Salad
2
Seasoned Couscous And Red Quinoa
3
Cooked Couscous {Water
4
Couscous
5
Wheat
6
Apple Cider Vinegar
7
Canola Oil
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
10
Turmeric
11
Smoked Paprika
12
Paprika
13
Rosemary Extract
14
To Maintain Color
15
Cooked Red Quinoa {Water
16
Organic Red Quinoa
17
Red Bell Pepper
18
Organic Currants
19
Red Onion
20
Dehydrated Parsley
21
Carrot
22
Mint
23
Cooked Seasoned White Chicken Meat
24
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast With Rib Meat
25
Seasoning {Water
26
Natural Flavor
27
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
28
Lemon Juice Concentrate
29
Lemon Zest
30
Lemon Peel
31
Water
32
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
33
Acidifier
34
Black Pepper
35
Organic Arugula
36
Roasted Red Pepper Dressing Oasted Red Peppers
37
Red Pepers
38
Citric Acid {Idifier}
39
Invert Sugar Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
40
Lemon Peel Lemon Peel
41
Citric Acid {Acidifier}
42
White Distilled Vinegar
43
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
44
Stabilizers
45
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
46
Cellulose Gel
47
Cellulose Gum Xanthan Gum
48
Garlic Powder
49
Cayenne Pepper
50
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

Full Ingredient List

SALAD (SEASONED COUSCOUS AND RED QUINOA [COOKED COUSCOUS {WATER, COUSCOUS (WHEAT), APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, CANOLA OIL, SALT, SUGAR, TURMERIC, SMOKED PAPRIKA (PAPRIKA, ROSEMARY EXTRACT [TO MAINTAIN COLOR])}, COOKED RED QUINOA {WATER, RED QUINOA), RED BELL PEPPER, CURRANTS, RED ONION, PARSLEY, CARROT, MINT], COOKED SEASONED WHITE CHICKEN MEAT [BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST WITH RIB MEAT, SEASONING {WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, GARLIC, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, LEMON ZEST (LEMON PEEL, WATER, CITRIC ACID [ACIDIFIER]), BLACK PEPPER), CANOLA OIL), ARUGULA), ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING OASTED RED PEPPERS (RED PEPERS, WATER, SALT, CITRIC ACID {IDIFIER}], WATER, INVERT SUGAR SYRUP, CANOLA OIL, LEMON PEEL LEMON PEEL, WATER, CITRIC ACID {ACIDIFIER}], WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, SEA SALT, SUGAR, STABILIZERS [MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CELLULOSE GEL, CELLULOSE GUM XANTHAN GUM), GARLIC POWDER, CAYENNE PEPPER, XANTHAN GUM). CONTAINS WHEAT

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