Brown Sauce

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Brown Sauce receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0001380015438
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
2 tablespoons (32 g)

What the Data Says About

Brown Sauce carries a composite safety score of 95/100, which we classify as "Safe" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Brown Sauce 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. The Nutri-Score grade of C reflects nutritional balance — calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content — which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Brown Sauce
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score C OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Water
2
Rendered Beef Fat
3
Dried Beef Stock
4
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
5
Wheat Flour
6
2% Or Less Of Margarine
7
Soybean Oil
8
Vegetable Mono & Diglycerides
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Natural Flavor
11
Vitamin A Palmitate Added
12
Vitamin D3
13
Chicken Fat
14
Flavoring
15
Vegetable Base
16
Sauteed Vegetables
17
Carrots
18
Organic Onions
19
Celery
20
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
21
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
22
Corn Oil
23
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
24
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
25
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
26
Natural Flavors
27
Carrot Juice Concentrate
28
Chicken Broth
29
Seasoning
30
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
31
Soybean
32
Wheat
33
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
34
Datem
Emulsifier
Safe
35
Mono - And Diglycerides
36
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
37
Spices
38
Cellulose Gel
39
Organic Onions
40
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
41
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
42
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved

Full Ingredient List

Water, Rendered Beef Fat, Beef Stock, Modified Cornstarch, Wheat Flour, 2% Or Less Of Margarine (Soybean Oil, Water, Vegetable Mono & Diglycerides, Salt, Natural Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate Added, Vitamin D3), Chicken Fat (Chicken Fat, Natural Flavoring), Vegetable Base (Sauteed Vegetables [Carrots, Onions, Celery], Salt, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Corn Oil, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Water, Potato Starch, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavors, Carrot Juice Concentrate), Chicken Broth, Salt, Seasoning (Soy Sauce [Water, Soybean, Wheat, Salt], Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Dextrose, Soybean Oil), Sugar, Datem, Mono - And Diglycerides, Caramel Color, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Spices, Cellulose Gel, Dehydrated Onions, Dehydrated Garlic, Natural Flavor, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate.

Categories

Condiments Sauces

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