Beyond Chicken® Nuggets

by Beyond Meat

85
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Beyond Chicken® Nuggets by Beyond Meat receives a safety score of 85/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0810057290619
Nutri-Score
b
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
4 pieces (80 g)

What the Data Says About

Beyond Chicken® Nuggets by Beyond Meat carries a composite safety score of 85/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Beyond Chicken® Nuggets 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 Beyond Chicken® Nuggets
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 85/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
Water Wheat Flour
2
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
3
Faba Bean Expeller-pressed Canola Oil
4
Organic Pea Starch
5
Methylcellulose
6
Protein
7
Corn Starch
8
Natural Flavors
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Coconut Oil
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Listed
11
Rice Flour
12
Corn Starch
13
Yeast Extract
14
Garlic Powder
15
Onion Powder
16
Pea Proteint
17
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
18
For Color
19
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
20
Yeast
21
Spices
22
Leavening
23
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
24
Baking Soda
25
Monocalcium Phosphate
26
Sunflower Oil
27
Canola Oil
28
Paprika
29
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
30
Ofwy 151 Watan Iowa-sincss-u.s Vegetarian Society Vegan Approved

Full Ingredient List

WATER WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, FABA BEAN EXPELLER-PRESSED CANOLA OIL, PEA STARCH, METHYLCELLULOSE, PROTEIN, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT, REFINED COCONUT OIL, RICE FLOUR, CORN STARCH, YEAST EXTRACT, GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, PEA PROTEINT, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (FOR COLOR), SUGAR, DRIED YEAST, SPICES, LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SUNFLOWER OIL, CANOLA OIL, PAPRIKA, DEXTROSE. CONTAINS: WHEAT MAY CONTAIN: SOY PEAS ARE LEGUMES. PEOPLE WITH SEVERE ALLERGIES TO LEGUMES LIKE PEANUTS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS WHEN INTRODUCING PEA PROTEIN INTO FUCT RECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF A PEA ALLERGY. CONTAINS OFWY 151 WATAN IOWA-SINCSS-U.S Vegetarian Society Vegan APPROVED

Categories

Meat alternatives Meat analogues

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