Safe

Sweet & Sour Chicken

by Boston Market

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0738912022390 · Boston Market · Frozen foods. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0738912022390 · Serving size 1 PACKAGE (397 g)

The verdict

Sweet & Sour Chicken by Boston Market scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 62 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 62-component record, beginning with Cooked Long Grain Rice, Water, Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks With Rib Meat. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

95/100
Safe safety score
1
One flagged · of 62 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
C
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.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

65/100

Grade B-

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

C

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

12022390 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Sweet & Sour Chicken label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 62 ing. REG-SPARSE 23% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 10% LEAD-FLAG Carrageenan PHOTO-FINISH Cereal, crunchy honey · ±0 BOOK-OFF …022390 · July 2026

14 of 62 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Carrageenan). Source sheet 12022390 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Cereal, crunchy honey roasted · Nearest score peer is Cereal, crunchy honey roasted at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

Nutri-Score settled on its middle grade here, the band the algorithm produces when the penalty and credit sides of its nutrient ledger come out close to balanced. A mid-scale grade is a statement about the panel as a whole rather than about any single nutrient, and products arrive at it by very different routes: a moderate profile across every term, or high marks on some offset by heavy penalties on others. The grade is computed separately from the ingredient screen below and the two are not comparable measures.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Sweet & Sour Chicken: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Sweet & Sour Chicken95/1002. Cereal, crunchy honey roasted: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Cereal, crunchy honey roa…95/1003. Taco Meat: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Taco Meat95/1004. Tallarico's, chili hot dog sauce: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Tallarico's, chili hot do…95/1005. Beef Flavor Soup Base, Beef: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Beef Flavor Soup Base, Be…95/100
High-band neighbours for Sweet & Sour Chicken (95/100) outside Boston Market.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Sweet & Sour Chicken
95/100
Cereal, crunchy honey roasted
95/100
Taco Meat
95/100
Tallarico's, chili hot dog sauce
95/100
Beef Flavor Soup Base, Beef
95/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 24,982 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 92.9/100. Sweet & Sour Chicken scores 2.1 points above that category average (95/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is roughly typical for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Frozen foods products

Sweet & Sour Chicken lists 62 ingredients on its label

62 90th percentile a longer ingredient list than 90% of the 7,008 products we track

0–2: 11 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 8–10: 102 products (1%). Below this entry. 10–12: 112 products (2%). Below this entry. 12–14: 184 products (3%). Below this entry. 14–16: 205 products (3%). Below this entry. 16–18: 245 products (3%). Below this entry. 18–20: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 264 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 298 products (4%). Below this entry. 24–26: 247 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 271 products (4%). Below this entry. 28–30: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 30–32: 294 products (4%). Below this entry. 32–34: 325 products (5%). Below this entry. 34–36: 319 products (5%). Below this entry. 36–38: 314 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 283 products (4%). Below this entry. 40–42: 2,792 products (40%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Frozen foods product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

7,008 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 62 (90th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
11 products (0%)
2–4
54 products (1%)
4–6
54 products (1%)
6–8
66 products (1%)
8–10
102 products (1%)
10–12
112 products (2%)
12–14
184 products (3%)
14–16
205 products (3%)
16–18
245 products (3%)
18–20
284 products (4%)
20–22
264 products (4%)
22–24
298 products (4%)
24–26
247 products (4%)
26–28
271 products (4%)
28–30
284 products (4%)
30–32
294 products (4%)
32–34
325 products (5%)
34–36
319 products (5%)
36–38
314 products (4%)
38–40
283 products (4%)
40 and above
2,792 products (40%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 7,008 Frozen foods products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 95/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 62 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Cooked Long Grain Rice
2
Water
3
Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks With Rib Meat
4
Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat
5
Enriched Wheat Flour
6
Wheat Flour
7
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Reduced Iron
9
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
10
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
11
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
12
Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
14
Yellow Corn Flour
15
Modified Food Starch
16
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
17
Soy Flour
18
Sodium Phosphates
19
Leavening
20
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
21
Monocalcium Phosphate
22
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
23
Nonfat Dry Milk
24
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
25
Garlic Powder
26
Onion Powder
27
Spices
28
Malted Barley Flour
29
Extractives Of Paprika
30
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
31
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
32
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
33
Wheat
34
Soybeans
35
Lactic Acid And Less Than 1/10% Sodium Benzoate As A Preservative
36
Peas. Carrots
37
Scrambled Eggs
38
Whole Eggs
39
Skim Milk
40
Soybean Oil
41
Corn Starch
42
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
43
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
44
Less Than 2% Of Red Bell Pepper
45
Canola Oil
46
White Distilled Vinegar
47
Tomato Paste
48
Pineapple Juice Concentrate
49
Corn Starch
50
Chicken Broth
51
Orange Juice Concentrate
52
Burgundy Wine
53
Wine
54
Sesame Oil
55
Granulated Garlic
56
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
57
Dried Vinegar
58
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
59
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
60
Granulated Onion
61
Rendered Chicken Fat
62
Paprika

Full Ingredient List

Cooked long grain rice, water, breaded chicken breast chunks with rib meat (chicken breast meat with rib meat, water, enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], bleached enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], salt, yellow corn flour, modified food starch, dextrose, soy flour, sodium phosphates, leavening [sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate], nonfat dry milk, wheat gluten, garlic powder, onion powder, spices, malted barley flour, extractives of paprika, carrageenan), sugar, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, lactic acid and less than 1/10% sodium benzoate as a preservative). peas. carrots, scrambled eggs (whole eggs, skim milk, soybean oil, corn starch, salt, xanthan gum, citric acid), less than 2% of red bell pepper, canola oil, white distilled vinegar, tomato paste, pineapple juice concentrate, modified corn starch, chicken broth, orange juice concentrate, burgundy wine (wine, salt), salt, sesame oil, granulated garlic, dehydrated soy sauce (soy sauce [soybeans, wheat, salt, vinegar, lactic acid], maltodextrin), granulated onion, spices, citric acid, rendered chicken fat, paprika, xanthan gum.

Categories

Frozen foods

High-score cross-brand comparables for Sweet & Sour Chicken

Neighbours outside Boston Market with screening scores in the same high band as Sweet & Sour Chicken (95/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Boston Market; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Carrageenan is the first flagged ingredient selected from Sweet & Sour Chicken's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 62-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Carrageenan. Open Carrageenan
  • Compare Sweet & Sour Chicken's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0738912022390: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.