Cooked Ground Beef

Cooked Ground Beef carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 63 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Cooked Ground Beef highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Cooked Ground Beef63
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Cooked Ground Beef has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Cooked Ground Beef currently appears in 63 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Cooked Ground Beef serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Cooked Ground Beef in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Cooked Ground Beef
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 63 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 63 products

American chop suey
Unknown
100/100
American chop suey
Unknown
100/100
American chop suey
Hannaford
95/100
Barilla, sauce, meat
Barilla
100/100
Beef & cheddar rolled tacos, beef & cheddar
Unknown
95/100
Beef & cheddar wrap
Unknown
95/100
Beef & cheddar wrap
Unknown
95/100
Beef & chorizo xl burritos, beef & chorizo
Unknown
100/100
Beef fiesta taco bowl ground beef with green & red bell peppers, onions and monterey jack cheese
Atkins
95/100
Beef lasagna
Unknown
95/100
Beef taco filling
Unknown
100/100
Blakes Shepherds Pie
Blake's
100/100
Campbell'S, Spaghettios, Beefy Tacos Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
100/100
Campbell'S, Spaghettios, Beefy Tacos Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
100/100
Campbell'S, Spaghettios, Cheeseburgersos Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
100/100
Campbell'S, Spaghettios, Microwavable Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
95/100
Cheeseburger O'S Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
100/100
Chili con carne
Atkins
95/100
Flavored with meat pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Flavored with Meat Pasta Sauce
Great Value
100/100
Giant, macaroni & beef
Giant
95/100
Green chile cheeseburger wrap
Unknown
95/100
Homestyle meatloaf with potatoes and sauce
Clover Valley
95/100
Italian Style Beef Toasted Bites
Unknown
100/100
Italian style entrees, meat sauce gemelli
Barilla, Barilla America Inc.
100/100
Italian style pasta sauce
Roundy's
100/100
Italian-style pasta bake italian sausage, ground beef and pasta in tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese
Atkins Nutritionals Inc.
95/100
Lasagna With Meat & Sauce
Gourmet Culinary Solutions
95/100
MANWICH Heat N Serve Original Sloppy Joe Sauce, 18 OZ
Unknown
95/100
Meat flavor pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Meat flavor pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Meat Flavored Spaghetti Sauce, Meat
Krasdale
100/100
Meat Lovers Lasagna
Stouffer's
100/100
MEAT LOVERS LASAGNA
Stouffer's
70/100
MEAT LOVERS LASAGNA
Stouffer's
100/100
Meat Lovers Lasagna
Stouffer's
100/100
Meat pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Meat pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Microwavable Pasta In Meat Sauce
Campbell's
95/100
Old World Style Sauce Flavored with Meat
Ragú
100/100
Pasta sauce
Ragu
100/100
Pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Pasta sauce
Unknown
100/100
Pasta sauce flavored with meat, meat
Unknown
100/100
Pasta sauce flavored with meat, meat
Unknown
100/100
Pasta sauce with meat, meat
Unknown
100/100
Pasta sauce with meat, meat
Signature
100/100
Penne Pasta With Meat Sauce
Gourmet Culinary Solutions
100/100
Premium cabin goulash
Unknown
100/100
Rising Crust Pizza
Unknown
55/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cooked Ground Beef safe to eat?

Cooked Ground Beef has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Cooked Ground Beef?

Cooked Ground Beef is found in 63 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Cooked Ground Beef do in food?

Cooked Ground Beef serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.