Caution

Chef salad

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0826766163021 · Meals. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0826766163021 · Serving size 1 CONTAINER (396 g)

The verdict

Chef salad scores 85/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 59 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 59-component record, beginning with Romaine Lettuce, Ranch Dressing, Canola Oil. 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.

85/100
Caution safety score
1
One flagged · of 59 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

60/100

Grade C+

Ingredient Safety

85/100

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.

66163021 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Chef salad label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 85/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 59 ing. REG-SPARSE 22% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 8% LEAD-FLAG Sodium Nitrate PHOTO-SOLO No peers BOOK-OFF …163021 · July 2026

13 of 59 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Sodium Nitrate). Source sheet 66163021 · 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

Screening model notes

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

The composite for this product falls in the second band of the four-tier framework. That band collects labels whose registry-rated components pull the derived score down measurably without dominating it. Position inside a band is not visible from the band name, and two labels sharing it can differ in how many components were rated and how severely. This is a threshold on an index computed here from public data, not a regulatory classification of any kind; the exact cut-offs are published 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.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 15,626 products we've scored in the Meals category, the average safety score is 93.6/100. Chef salad scores 8.6 points below that category average (85/100 vs. 93.6/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Meals products

Chef salad lists 59 ingredients on its label

59 92nd percentile a longer ingredient list than 92% of the 11,283 products we track

0–2: 12 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 83 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 127 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 209 products (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 312 products (3%). Below this entry. 10–12: 315 products (3%). Below this entry. 12–14: 412 products (4%). Below this entry. 14–16: 477 products (4%). Below this entry. 16–18: 542 products (5%). Below this entry. 18–20: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 20–22: 545 products (5%). Below this entry. 22–24: 550 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 26–28: 552 products (5%). Below this entry. 28–30: 574 products (5%). Below this entry. 30–32: 517 products (5%). Below this entry. 32–34: 466 products (4%). Below this entry. 34–36: 451 products (4%). Below this entry. 36–38: 443 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 388 products (3%). Below this entry. 40–42: 3,204 products (28%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Meals 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

11,283 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 59 (92nd percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
12 products (0%)
2–4
83 products (1%)
4–6
127 products (1%)
6–8
209 products (2%)
8–10
312 products (3%)
10–12
315 products (3%)
12–14
412 products (4%)
14–16
477 products (4%)
16–18
542 products (5%)
18–20
552 products (5%)
20–22
545 products (5%)
22–24
550 products (5%)
24–26
552 products (5%)
26–28
552 products (5%)
28–30
574 products (5%)
30–32
517 products (5%)
32–34
466 products (4%)
34–36
451 products (4%)
36–38
443 products (4%)
38–40
388 products (3%)
40 and above
3,204 products (28%)

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 11,283 Meals 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 85/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 59 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Romaine Lettuce
2
Ranch Dressing
3
Canola Oil
4
Low Fat Buttermilk
5
Skim Milk
6
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Water
8
Skim Milk Solids
9
Whey Solids
10
Corn Starch
11
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
12
Disodium Phosphate
13
Carrageenan Gum
14
Locust Bean Gum
15
Culture
16
Egg Yolk
17
Non Fat Sour Cream
18
Cultured Skim Milk
19
Distilled Vinegar
20
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
21
Natural Flavor
22
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
23
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
24
Onion
25
Spices
26
Corn Starch
27
Green Onion
28
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
29
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
30
Guar Gum
31
Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast
32
Turkey Breast
33
Less Than One And One Half Percent Of Salt
34
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
35
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
36
Honey Solids
37
Refinery Syrup
38
Honey
39
Paprika
40
Onion
41
2% Or Less Of Natural Flavors
42
Extractives Of Paprika And Turmeric
43
Ham Water Added
44
Fresh Ham
45
Less Than 2% Of Sodium Phosphate
46
Sodium Erythorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe GRAS
47
Sodium Nitrate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
48
Grape Tomatoes
49
Hard Cooked Egg
50
Hard Cooked Eggs
51
Water. Citric Acid
52
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
53
Nisin Preparation
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT
GRAS
54
As Preservatives
55
Cucumber
56
Imported Switzerland Swiss Cheese
57
Pasteurized Organic Part Skim Milk
58
Cheese Cultures
59
Enzymes

Full Ingredient List

Romaine lettuce, ranch dressing (canola oil, low fat buttermilk [skim milk, whey, water, skim milk solids, whey solids, corn starch, tapioca starch, disodium phosphate, carrageenan gum, locust bean gum, culture], water, egg yolk, non fat sour cream [cultured skim milk, corn starch, tapioca starch, carrageenan gum, locust bean gum], distilled vinegar, salt, natural flavor, sugar, dried garlic, dried onion, spices, modified corn starch, dried green onion, lactic acid, xanthan gum, guar gum), ovengold roasted turkey breast (turkey breast, water, contains less than one and one half percent of salt, sugar, sodium phosphate and dextrose. coated with: dextrose, sea salt, honey solids [refinery syrup, honey], paprika, spices, onion, 2% or less of natural flavors, extractives of paprika and turmeric), ham water added (fresh ham, water, salt, sugar, dextrose, less than 2% of sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrate), grape tomatoes, hard cooked egg (hard cooked eggs, water. citric acid, sodium benzoate, and nisin preparation [as preservatives]), cucumber, imported switzerland swiss cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes).

Categories

Meals Prepared salads Salads

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Sodium Nitrate is the first flagged ingredient selected from Chef salad's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 59-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Sodium Nitrate. Open Sodium Nitrate
  • Compare Chef salad'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 0826766163021: 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.