Caution

Chef Salad

by Little Salad Bar

Open Food Facts label for barcode 4099100096071 · Little Salad Bar · Meals. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 4099100096071

The verdict

Chef Salad by Little Salad Bar scores 80/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 59 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 2 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 59-component record, beginning with Iceberg Lettuce, Ranch Dressing, Vegetable 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.

80/100
Caution safety score
2
Few 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

58/100

Grade C

Ingredient Safety

80/100

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.

00096071 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Chef Salad label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 80/100 FLAG-FEW 2 flagged LEN-DENSE 59 ing. REG-SPARSE 29% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 8% LEAD-FLAG Sodium Nitrite PHOTO-FINISH Brussel sprouts with · ±0 BOOK-OFF …096071 · July 2026

17 of 59 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Sodium Nitrite). Source sheet 00096071 · 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: Brussel sprouts with balsamic glazed bacon · Nearest score peer is Brussel sprouts with balsamic glazed bacon 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.

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. Chef Salad: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Chef Salad80/1002. Brussel sprouts with balsamic glazed bacon: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Brussel sprouts with bals…80/1003. Chicken Pot Pie: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Chicken Pot Pie80/1004. Toaster Tarts: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Toaster Tarts80/1005. toaster tarts: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. toaster tarts80/100
High-band neighbours for Chef Salad (80/100) outside Little Salad Bar.
Chart values as text

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

Chef Salad
80/100
Brussel sprouts with balsamic glazed bacon
80/100
Chicken Pot Pie
80/100
Toaster Tarts
80/100
toaster tarts
80/100

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 13.6 points below that category average (80/100 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 80/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (2 flagged of 59 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Iceberg Lettuce
2
Ranch Dressing
3
Vegetable Oil
4
Canola
5
Soybean Oil
6
Nonfat Buttermilk
7
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
8
Water
9
Skim Milk Powder
10
Corn Starch
11
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
12
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
13
Locust Bean Gum
14
Culture
15
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
16
White Wine Vinegar
17
Egg Yolk
18
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
19
Less Than 2% Of Buttermilk Powder
20
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
21
Distilled Vinegar
22
Seasoning Blend
23
Corn Starch
24
Onion
25
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
26
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
27
Natural Flavor
28
Spice
29
Dehydrated Parsley
30
Guar Gum
31
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
32
Natural Flavors
33
Sodium Citrate
34
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
35
Butter
36
Cream
37
Spices
38
Ground Mustard
39
Smoked Turkey Breast
40
Or Less Of Salt
41
Sodium Lactate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, WASHING OR SURFACE REMOVAL AGENT
GRAS
42
Sodium Phosphate
43
Flavoring
44
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
45
Mesquite Smoke Flavor
46
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
47
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
48
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
49
Smoked Ham Water Added - A Portion Of Ground Ham Added
50
Sodium Phosphates
51
Flavoring
52
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
53
Swiss Cheese
54
Pasteurized Milk
55
Cheese Culture
56
Enzymes
57
Potato Starch And Powdered Cellulose
58
Natamycin
FUMIGANT
Safe Approved
59
Mold Inhibitor

Full Ingredient List

ICEBERG LETTUCE, RANCH DRESSING (VEGETABLE OIL [CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL], NONFAT BUTTERMILK [WHEY, WATER, SKIM MILK POWDER, CORN STARCH, TAPIOCA STARCH, CARRAGEENAN, LOCUST BEAN GUM, CULTURE), WATER, MALTODEXTRIN, WHITE WINE VINEGAR, EGG YOLK, SUGAR, LESS THAN 2% OF BUTTERMILK POWDER, SALT, DISTILLED VINEGAR, SEASONING BLEND [SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, DRIED ONION, DRIED GARLIC, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SPICE, PARSLEY, GUAR GUM], SEASONING BLEND [DEXTROSE, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, MODIFIED CORN STARCH), SODIUM CITRATE, XANTHAN GUM, BUTTER [CREAM, SALT], DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONION, SPICES, GROUND MUSTARD, NATURAL FLAVOR), SMOKED TURKEY BREAST (CURED WITH: WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SALT, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SODIUM LACTATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL FLAVORING, SODIUM DIACETATE, NATURAL MESQUITE SMOKE FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID, SODIUM NITRITE, CITRIC ACID), SMOKED HAM WATER ADDED - A PORTION OF GROUND HAM ADDED (CURED WITH: WATER, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, SODIUM LACTATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, FLAVORING, SODIUM DIACETATE, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE), SWISS CHEESE (SWISS CHEESE [PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], POTATO STARCH AND POWDERED CELLULOSE [TO PREVENT ČAKING], NATAMYCIN [MOLD INHIBITOR])

Categories

Meals Prepared salads

High-score cross-brand comparables for Chef Salad

Neighbours outside Little Salad Bar with screening scores in the same high band as Chef Salad (80/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Little Salad Bar; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Sodium Nitrite 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 Nitrite. Open Sodium Nitrite
  • Compare Chef Salad's 2 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 4099100096071: 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.