Ham & cheese hoagie

45
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 3 flagged ingredients

Ham & cheese hoagie receives a safety score of 45/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 ingredients 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
0030223010258
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.5 SANDWICH (215 g)

What the Data Says About

Ham & cheese hoagie carries a composite safety score of 45/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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 3 flagged ingredients 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, Ham & cheese hoagie 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 Ham & cheese hoagie
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 45/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 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
Cooked Ham Water Added
2
Cured With Water
3
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
4
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
5
Sodium Phosphate
6
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
7
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
8
Italian Sub Roll
9
Bleached Enriched Flour
10
Wheat Flour
11
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
12
Calcium
13
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
14
Iron
15
Thiamin Mononitrate
16
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
17
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
18
Water
19
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
20
Margarine
21
Palm Oil
22
Liquid Soybean Oil
23
Yeast
24
Dough Conditioner
25
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
26
Corn Flour
27
Monocalcium Phosphate
28
I-cysteine Hydrochloride
29
Potassium Bromate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT
Avoid Approved
30
And 2% Or Less Of The Following: Guar Gum
31
Potassium Iodate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT
Avoid GRAS
32
Calcium Sulfte
33
Ammonium Sulfate
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
34
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
35
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
36
Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters Of Mono And Diglycerides
37
Datem
Emulsifier
Safe
38
Azodicarbonamide
DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT
Avoid Approved
39
Ada
40
Swiss Cheese
41
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
42
Cheese Culture
43
Enzymes
44
Tomato
45
Green Leaf Lettuce

Full Ingredient List

Cooked ham water added (cured with water, dextrose, salt, sodium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite), italian sub roll (bleached enriched flour [wheat flour, vitamin a palmitate, calcium, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, salt, dextrose [sugar], margarine [palm oil, liquid soybean oil, water, salt], yeast, dough conditioner [whey, corn flour, monocalcium phosphate, i-cysteine hydrochloride, potassium bromate], and 2% or less of the following: guar gum, potassium iodate, calcium sulfte, ammonium sulfate, ascorbic acid, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides [datem], azodicarbonamide [ada]), swiss cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), tomato, green leaf lettuce.

Categories

Sandwiches

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