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Wendy’s

Flavor:

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

Spicy Chicken Breast: Chicken Breast Fillets with Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning (Salt, Sodium Phosphates, Modified Potato Starch, Spices [Including Celery Seed and Mustard], Gum Arabic, Spice Extractives, Paprika, Extractives of Paprika, Extractives of Turmeric). Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Spice, Yellow Corn Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Extractives of Paprika, Spice Extractives. Breading set in Vegetable Oil. Cooked In Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Canola, Corn and/or Cottonseed, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Dimethylpolysiloxane [To Reduce Foaming]). CONTAINS: WHEAT. COOKED IN THE SAME OIL AS MENU ITEMS THAT CONTAIN WHEAT, MILK, EGG, SOY, SESAME, AND FISH.

Premium Bun: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains less than 2% of each of the following: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Propionate (Added as a Preservative), Calcium Sulfate, Canola Oil, Citric Acid, Corn Starch, Dextrose, Enzymes, Maltodextrins, Modified Food Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate, Monoglycerides, Salt, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate (SSL), Starch, Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Proteins (Pea, Potato, Fava Bean), Wheat Dextrose, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Wheat Maltodextrins, Sesame Flour. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SESAME. BUNS ARE TOASTED IN A COMMON TOASTER WITH PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN WHEAT, SOY, MILK, SESAME.

Tomato: Tomato.

Mayonnaise: Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Mustard Seed, Calcium Disodium Edta (To Protect Flavor). CONTAINS: EGG

Lettuce: Lettuce

Rating: We Avoid

Ingredient Score:

Rated at 1/5 green leaves, the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich falls short of the healthy standards set by our website. This product is not organic and contains genetically modified ingredients. The presence of added sugars, including high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, and fructose, detracts significantly from its nutritional value. Additionally, the sandwich includes more intense sweeteners like dextrose and corn syrup, which further impact its score.

The ingredient list reveals several potentially harmful additives like natural and artificial flavors, enriched flour, monoglycerides, calcium disodium EDTA, modified food starch, and corn starch. Maltodextrin, classified here as a known harmful additive, further reduces the product’s rating. Moreover, the sandwich contains oils that are considered harmful, such as canola, soybean, and generic vegetable oils.

The bun of the sandwich contains a myriad of ingredients, including preservatives and conditioners like calcium propionate and sodium stearoyl lactylate, which are indicative of a highly processed food product. The chicken breast, the main component of the sandwich, is seasoned and breaded with various ingredients and spices, and then set in and cooked in vegetable oils that include soybean and canola, which are often derived from genetically modified crops. The simplicity of the tomato and lettuce does not offset the complex and processed nature of the rest of the sandwich.

The mayonnaise adds another layer of processed ingredients, including more soybean oil and additives like calcium disodium EDTA. The product’s composition reflects a prioritization of preservation, taste enhancement, and texture over nutritional integrity and wholesomeness.

The Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, with its high content of additives, sugars, and genetically modified ingredients, receives the lowest possible rating on our scale. This assessment is rooted in a comprehensive evaluation of its components, which underscores the sandwich’s alignment with processed and less healthy food options. Customers seeking cleaner, more wholesome food choices are advised to consider alternative products that better align with these values.