Caution

ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS

by Gardein

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0842234002333 · Gardein · Meat alternatives. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0842234002333 · Serving size 6 pieces (94 g)

The verdict

ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS by Gardein scores 85/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 39 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 39-component record, beginning with Water, Enriched Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour. 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 39 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0842234002333
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

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

N/A

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.

34002333 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 85/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 39 ing. REG-PART 38% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 14% LEAD-FLAG Fructose PHOTO-FINISH Crispy rice · ±0 BOOK-OFF …002333 · July 2026

15 of 39 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Fructose). Source sheet 34002333 · 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: Crispy rice · Nearest score peer is Crispy rice at the same screening score.

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.

No Nutri-Score grade is present for this record in the OpenFoodFacts snapshot this page is built from. The nutritional dimension is absent rather than assessed and withheld: the grade depends on a complete declared nutrition panel, and community-contributed records vary in how much of that panel they carry. Nothing about the missing grade implies anything either way about the panel itself. The screen below covers additive ratings only and does not depend on the nutrition figures.

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. ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHIC…85/1002. Crispy rice: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Crispy rice85/1003. Gourmet Cookie Dough: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Gourmet Cookie Dough85/1004. Universal, Nectar Mix, Soursop: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Universal, Nectar Mix, So…85/1005. Gelatin Powder, Strawberry: 85/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Gelatin Powder, Strawberry85/100
High-band neighbours for ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS (85/100) outside Gardein.
Chart values as text

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

ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS
85/100
Crispy rice
85/100
Gourmet Cookie Dough
85/100
Universal, Nectar Mix, Soursop
85/100
Gelatin Powder, Strawberry
85/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 611 products we've scored in the Meat alternatives category, the average safety score is 98.7/100. ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS scores 13.7 points below that category average (85/100 vs. 98.7/100), 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 Meat alternatives products

ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS lists 39 ingredients on its label

39 86th percentile a longer ingredient list than 86% of the 141 products we track

2–4: 2 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 3 products (2%). Below this entry. 6–8: 3 products (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 6 products (4%). Below this entry. 10–12: 3 products (2%). Below this entry. 12–14: 11 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 12 products (9%). Below this entry. 16–18: 14 products (10%). Below this entry. 18–20: 12 products (9%). Below this entry. 20–22: 10 products (7%). Below this entry. 22–24: 10 products (7%). Below this entry. 24–26: 4 products (3%). Below this entry. 26–28: 12 products (9%). Below this entry. 28–30: 5 products (4%). Below this entry. 30–32: 3 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 2 products (1%). Below this entry. 34–36: 2 products (1%). Below this entry. 36–38: 5 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 5 products (4%). This entry sits in this band. 40–42: 17 products (12%). Above this entry. This product 2 42 every published Meat alternatives 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

141 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 39 (86th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

2–4
2 products (1%)
4–6
3 products (2%)
6–8
3 products (2%)
8–10
6 products (4%)
10–12
3 products (2%)
12–14
11 products (8%)
14–16
12 products (9%)
16–18
14 products (10%)
18–20
12 products (9%)
20–22
10 products (7%)
22–24
10 products (7%)
24–26
4 products (3%)
26–28
12 products (9%)
28–30
5 products (4%)
30–32
3 products (2%)
32–34
2 products (1%)
34–36
2 products (1%)
36–38
5 products (4%)
38–40
5 products (4%)
40 and above
17 products (12%)

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 141 Meat alternatives 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 39 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Water
2
Enriched Wheat Flour
3
Wheat Flour
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Reduced Iron
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Vital Wheat Gluten
10
Canola Oil
11
Soy Protein Isolate
12
Pea Protein Concentrate
13
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
14
Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour
15
Textured Wheat Protein
16
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
17
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
18
Methylcellulose
19
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
20
Yeast Extract
21
Natural Flavors
22
Garlic Powder
23
Spices
24
Onion Powder
25
Onion
26
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
27
Leavening
28
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
29
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
30
Paprika Extractives
31
Color
32
Pea Protein
33
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
34
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
35
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
36
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
37
Sunflower Oil
38
Wheat
39
Soy

Full Ingredient List

water, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vital wheat gluten, canola oil, soy protein isolate, pea protein concentrate, tapioca starch, 2% or less of: degerminated yellow corn flour, textured wheat protein (wheat gluten, wheat starch), methylcellulose, salt, yeast extract, natural flavors, garlic powder, spices, onion powder, dried onion, fructose, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), paprika extractives (color), pea protein, citric acid, titanium dioxide (color), xanthan gum, lactic acid, sunflower oil contains: wheat, soy,

Categories

Meat alternatives Breaded products Meat analogues Vegetarian nuggets

High-score cross-brand comparables for ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS

Neighbours outside Gardein with screening scores in the same high band as ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS (85/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Gardein; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Fructose is the first flagged ingredient selected from ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 39-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Fructose. Open Fructose
  • Compare ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED CHICK'N NUGGETS'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 0842234002333: 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.