Safe

Swedish Meatballs

by Lean Cuisine

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0013800188076 · Lean Cuisine · Meats and their products. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0013800188076 · Serving size 1 package (258 g)

The verdict

Swedish Meatballs by Lean Cuisine scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 45 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 45-component record, beginning with Water, Skim Milk, Cooked Beef. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

95/100
Safe safety score
1
One flagged · of 45 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
B
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

70/100

Grade B

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

B

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

00188076 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Swedish Meatballs label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 45 ing. REG-SPARSE 29% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-B Nutri-B RANK-SHORT Len top 1% LEAD-FLAG Caramel Coloring PHOTO-FINISH Cheesy Chicken and · ±0 BOOK-OFF …188076 · July 2026

13 of 45 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Caramel Coloring). Source sheet 00188076 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake · Nearest score peer is Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

The Nutri-Score algorithm returned its second band for this label. That grade typically describes a nutrition panel whose favourable components register clearly in the model without fully offsetting its energy or sodium terms. Because the calculation is a single points balance rather than a set of independent thresholds, a strong fibre or protein figure can lift a panel into this band even where one penalised nutrient sits high. The grade summarises the declared panel alone and carries no information about the additive ratings screened below.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Swedish Meatballs: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Swedish Meatballs95/1002. Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Cheesy Chicken and Brocco…95/1003. GRANDMA'S CHICKEN & VEGETABLE RICE BAKE: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. GRANDMA'S CHICKEN & VEGET…95/1004. Savory Beef & Broccoli Bowl: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Savory Beef & Broccoli Bo…95/1005. Grandma's chicken & vegetable rice bake: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Grandma's chicken & veget…95/100
High-band neighbours for Swedish Meatballs (95/100) outside Lean Cuisine.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Swedish Meatballs
95/100
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
95/100
GRANDMA'S CHICKEN & VEGETABLE RICE BAKE
95/100
Savory Beef & Broccoli Bowl
95/100
Grandma's chicken & vegetable rice bake
95/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 15,626 products we've scored in the Meals category, the average safety score is 93.6/100. Swedish Meatballs scores 1.4 points above that category average (95/100 vs. 93.6/100), so it is roughly typical for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Meats and their products products

Swedish Meatballs lists 45 ingredients on its label

45 99th percentile a longer ingredient list than 99% of the 11,159 products we track

0–2: 79 products (1%). Below this entry. 2–4: 430 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 612 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,397 products (13%). Below this entry. 8–10: 1,485 products (13%). Below this entry. 10–12: 1,698 products (15%). Below this entry. 12–14: 1,463 products (13%). Below this entry. 14–16: 996 products (9%). Below this entry. 16–18: 734 products (7%). Below this entry. 18–20: 489 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 377 products (3%). Below this entry. 22–24: 277 products (2%). Below this entry. 24–26: 234 products (2%). Below this entry. 26–28: 140 products (1%). Below this entry. 28–30: 145 products (1%). Below this entry. 30–32: 92 products (1%). Below this entry. 32–34: 83 products (1%). Below this entry. 34–36: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 36–38: 74 products (1%). Below this entry. 38–40: 50 products (0%). Below this entry. 40–42: 238 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Meats and their products product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

11,159 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 45 (99th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
79 products (1%)
2–4
430 products (4%)
4–6
612 products (5%)
6–8
1,397 products (13%)
8–10
1,485 products (13%)
10–12
1,698 products (15%)
12–14
1,463 products (13%)
14–16
996 products (9%)
16–18
734 products (7%)
18–20
489 products (4%)
20–22
377 products (3%)
22–24
277 products (2%)
24–26
234 products (2%)
26–28
140 products (1%)
28–30
145 products (1%)
30–32
92 products (1%)
32–34
83 products (1%)
34–36
66 products (1%)
36–38
74 products (1%)
38–40
50 products (0%)
40 and above
238 products (2%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 11,159 Meats and their products products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 95/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 45 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Water
2
Skim Milk
3
Cooked Beef
4
Cooked Pork
5
Organic Onions
6
Modified Food Starch
7
Soy Protein Concentrate
8
Organic Rolled Oats
9
Sour Cream
10
Cultured Cream
11
Enzymes
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Bleached Wheat Flour
14
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
15
Organic Onions
16
Caramel Coloring
Coloring
Avoid Approved (color additive, GRAS)
17
Natural Flavors
18
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
19
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
20
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
21
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
22
Spices
23
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
24
Soybean
25
Wheat
26
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
27
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
28
Mushrooms
29
Soybean Oil
30
Safflower Oil
31
Beef Broth
32
Enzyme Modified Cream
33
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
34
Cultured Whey
35
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
36
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
37
Glucose
38
Vegetable Oil
39
Beef Extract
40
Beef Fat
41
Natural Flavors
42
Tapioca Dextrin
43
Semolina
44
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
45
Dehydrated Parsley

Full Ingredient List

Sauce and cooked meatballs: water, skim milk, cooked beef, cooked pork, onions, modified food starch, soy protein concentrate, rolled oats, sour cream (cultured cream, skim milk, enzymes), salt, bleached wheat flour, maltodextrin, dried onions, caramel color, flavors, autolyzed yeast extract, potassium chloride, garlic, sugar, spices, soy sauce (soybean, wheat, salt), xanthan gum, dried garlic, mushrooms, soybean oil, safflower oil, beef broth, enzyme modified cream, lactic acid, cultured whey, ascorbic acid, citric acid, glucose, vegetable oil, beef extract, beef fat, natural flavors, tapioca dextrin, thiamine hydrochloride. cooked pasta:water, semolina, soybean oil, wheat gluten, parsley.

Categories

Meats and their products Meals Pasta dishes Meals with meat

High-score cross-brand comparables for Swedish Meatballs

Neighbours outside Lean Cuisine with screening scores in the same high band as Swedish Meatballs (95/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Lean Cuisine; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Caramel Coloring is the first flagged ingredient selected from Swedish Meatballs's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 45-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Caramel Coloring. Open Caramel Coloring
  • Compare Swedish Meatballs's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0013800188076: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.