Vietnamese Instant Pho Beef Flavored

by Chin-Su Pho Story

55
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 3 flagged ingredients

Vietnamese Instant Pho Beef Flavored by Chin-Su Pho Story receives a safety score of 55/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 ingredients 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
8936221046577
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 package (65 g)

What the Data Says About

Vietnamese Instant Pho Beef Flavored by Chin-Su Pho Story carries a composite safety score of 55/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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 3 flagged ingredients 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, Vietnamese Instant Pho Beef Flavored 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 Vietnamese Instant Pho Beef Flavored
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 55/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 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
Rice
2
Food Starch-modified
3
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Palm Oil
6
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Msg
8
&Lt
9
Fish Sauce
10
Artificial Beef Flavor
11
Water
12
Onion
13
Shallot
14
Cilantro
15
Yeast Extract
16
Green Onion
17
Organic Cinnamon Powder
18
Soy Protein
19
Textured Wheat Protein
20
Wheat Protein_wheat Flour_caramel Color
21
Organic Ginger
22
Chili Pepper
23
Onion Powder
24
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
25
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
26
Artificial Flavor
27
Chili Pepper Powder
28
Star Anise Powder
29
Ginger Powder
30
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
31
Black Pepper Powder
32
Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose
33
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
34
Garlic Powder
35
Tomato Paste
36
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
37
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
38
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
39
Acesulfame Potassium
NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Avoid Approved
40
Natural Flavor
41
BHA
Avoid GRAS
42
BHT
Caution GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Rice, food starch-modified, sugar, salt, palm oil, potato starch, monosodium glutamate (<2%), fish sauce, artificial beef flavor, water, onion, shallot, cilantro, yeast extract, dried green onion, cinnamon powder, soy protein, textured wheat protein (wheat protein_wheat flour_caramel color), ginger, chili pepper, onion powder, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, artificial flavor, chili pepper powder, star anise powder, ginger powder, high fructose corn syrup, black pepper powder, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, garlic, garlic powder, tomato paste, citric acid, acetic acid, xanthan gum, acesulfame potassium, natural flavor, BHA, BHT.

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