maruchan chicken

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

maruchan chicken 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
3542104611876
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

maruchan chicken 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, maruchan chicken 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 maruchan chicken
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
Enriched Wheat Flour
2
Wheat Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Reduced Iron
5
Thiamine Mononitrate Riboflavin
6
Folic Acidi
7
Vegetable Oil
8
The Following: Canola
9
Cottonseed
10
Palm
11
Preserved By Tbhq
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Dehydrated Vegetables
14
Carrot
15
Corn
16
Green Peas
17
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
18
Onion
19
Celery Stalk
20
Chive
21
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
22
Msg
23
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
24
Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
25
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
26
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
27
Chicken Fat
28
Potassium Carbonate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
29
Powdered Cooked Chicken Spices
30
Celery Seed
31
Yeast Extract
32
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
33
Wheat
34
Soybeans
35
Sodium Carbonate Sodium Hexametaphosphate
36
Turmeric
37
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
38
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
39
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
40
Monosodium Phosphate
41
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
42
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
43
Anti-caking Agent
44
Soy
45
And Milk Ingredients
46
A Bioengineered Food Ingredient

Full Ingredient List

enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate riboflavin, folic acidi, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola, cottonseed, palm) preserved by tbhq, salt, dehydrated vegetables (carrot, corn, green peas, garlic, onion, celery stalk, chive), contains less than 2% of: maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, sugar, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, chicken fat, potassium carbonate, powdered cooked chicken spices (celery seed), yeast extract, dehydrated soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt), sodium carbonate sodium hexametaphosphate, turmeric, sodium tripolyphosphate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, monosodium phosphate, lactose, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), contains wheat, soy, and milk ingredients, manufactured in a facility that also processes crustacean shellfish and sesame products, contains a bioengineered food ingredient,

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