Italian style turkey meatballs

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Italian style turkey meatballs 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
0007203663046
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
3 MEATBALLS (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Italian style turkey meatballs 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, Italian style turkey meatballs 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 D 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 Italian style turkey meatballs
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 D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Ground Turkey
2
Mechanically Separated Turkey
3
Water
4
Bread Crumbs
5
Enriched Flour
6
Wheat Flour
7
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Reduced Iron
9
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
10
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
11
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
12
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
13
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
14
Vegetable Oil
15
Soybean
16
Cottonseed
17
Corn
18
Canola Oils
19
Or Less Of The Following: Yeast
20
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
21
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
22
Soy Flour
23
Sodium
24
Calcium Stearoyl
25
2 Lactylate
26
Sesame Seeds
27
Textured Vegetable Protein Product
28
Soy Protein Concentrate
29
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
30
Cheese
31
Imported Parmesan Cheese
32
Made From Cow's Milk
33
Rennet
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
34
Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese
35
Made From Sheep's Milk
36
Sodium Lactate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, WASHING OR SURFACE REMOVAL AGENT
GRAS
37
Vinegar
38
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
39
Cereal
40
Wheat
41
Rye
42
Oats
43
Rice
44
Onion
45
Red And Green Bell Peppers
46
Spices
47
Dehydrated Parsley
48
Onion Powder
49
Garlic Powder
50
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
51
Spice Extractives
52
Flavoring
53
Egg

Full Ingredient List

Ground turkey, mechanically separated turkey, water, bread crumbs (enriched flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], corn syrup, sugar, vegetable oil [soybean and/or cottonseed and/or corn and/or canola oils], contains 2% or less of the following: yeast, salt, whey, soy flour, sodium and/or calcium stearoyl, 2 lactylate, sesame seeds), textured vegetable protein product (soy protein concentrate, caramel color), cheese (imported parmesan cheese [made from cow's milk, rennet, salt], imported pecorino romano cheese [made from sheep's milk, rennet, salt]), sodium lactate, vinegar, dextrose, salt, cereal (corn, wheat, rye, oats, rice), dehydrated onion, dehydrated red and green bell peppers, spices, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, sodium diacetate, spice extractives, natural flavoring, egg.

Categories

Meats and their products Meats Prepared meats

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