Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 117 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 — Marinara Sauce highlighted.

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

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Marinara Sauce117
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Marinara Sauce 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

Marinara Sauce currently appears in 117 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.

Marinara Sauce 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 Marinara Sauce 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 Marinara Sauce
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 117 products OpenFoodFacts

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

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 117 products

Ahold, breaded chicken parmesan
Giant
95/100
American chop suey
Unknown
100/100
American chop suey
Unknown
100/100
ANGEL HAIR MARINARA
Smart Ones
100/100
Baked turkey meatballs in a crushed tomato basil sauce meal, baked turkey meatballs in a crushed tomato basil sauce
Unknown
100/100
Baked ziti
Unknown
65/100
Beef bolognese with cavatappi pasta
Unknown
100/100
Beef jumbo ravioli stuffed with a creamy filling of beef, ricotta & romano cheeses, beef
Unknown
95/100
Beef lasagna
Unknown
95/100
Beef lasagna includes marinara sauce, mafalda pasta, & parmesan seasoning
Unknown
100/100
Beef Meatballs In Marinara Sauce
Target Stores
100/100
Beef ravioli
Unknown
95/100
Beef ravioli
Unknown
95/100
Beef ravioli
Unknown
95/100
BERTOLLI Lasagna, 34 OZ
Unknown
100/100
Birds eye, steamfresh, rigatoni & vegetables with tomato parmesan sauce
Birds Eye
100/100
Bruschetta chicken with green beans
Unknown
100/100
Cheese lasagna
Caesar's Pasta Specialties
100/100
Cheesy Ravioli & Chicken Marinara
Healthy Choice
100/100
Chicken caprese
Unknown
100/100
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
Tyson
85/100
Chicken Fettuccini In Marinara Sauce
Dining Smart
100/100
Chicken Parmesan
Smart Ones
100/100
Chicken parmesan
Unknown
100/100
Chicken Parmesan
Ahold
95/100
Chicken parmesan pasta
Unknown
100/100
Chicken parmesan sliders with marinara sauce
Tgi Fridays
100/100
Chicken parmesan with linguini
Unknown
100/100
Chicken parmesan with spaghetti
Unknown
100/100
Chicken Parmesan With Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Taylor Farms
100/100
Chicken parmigiana
Unknown
100/100
Classic Cheese Lasagna
Severino, The Regatta Group
100/100
Classic Italian Meatballs With Spaghetti And Marinara Sauce
Big Y
100/100
Classic Italian Meatballs With Spaghetti And Marinara Sauce
Big Y
95/100
Classics classics
Unknown
100/100
Classics three cheese ziti marinara
Unknown
95/100
Creamy goat cheese covered in pretzel crumbs and served with a side of delicious marinara sauce
Unknown
100/100
Eggplant Parmesan
Whole Foods Market, Bread & Circus Inc.
100/100
Eggplant Parmigiana
Scardigno's
100/100
Eggplant Parmigiana
Scardigno's
100/100
Eggplant Roll-Ups
Scardigno's Prime Meats & Groceries Inc
100/100
Family classics italian sausage & marinara pasta
Unknown
100/100
Four Cheese Stuffed Shells Traditional Italian-Style Shells With Marinara Sauce, Four Cheese Stuffed
Freshness guaranteed
95/100
Garden Tomato Four Cheese Ravioli Bowl
Marie Callender's
100/100
Giant, macaroni & beef
Giant
95/100
Gluten-Free Gourmet With Herb Marinara Sauce
Caesar's Pasta Specialties
100/100
Grilled Chicken & Parmesan
Whole Foods Market
100/100
Ground beef, marinara sauce ricotta cheese and rigatoni pasta topped with mozzarella, parmesan cheese and parsley baked ziti
Unknown
100/100
Hand-Rolled Giant Turkey Meatballs
Hometown Cuisine Gourmet
100/100
Holy pepperoni stromboli
Screamin' Sicilian
55/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Marinara Sauce safe to eat?

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

What products contain Marinara Sauce?

Marinara Sauce is found in 117 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Marinara Sauce do in food?

Marinara Sauce 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.