Meatballs and mozzarella

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Meatballs and mozzarella 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
0043695036008
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Meatballs and mozzarella 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, Meatballs and mozzarella 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Meatballs and mozzarella
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Flour
2
Water
3
Cooked Meatballs
4
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
5
Pork
6
Textured Vegetable Protein
7
Soy Protein Concentrate
8
Seasoning
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Spices
11
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
12
Soybean Oil
13
Hydrolyzed Corn
14
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
15
Corn
16
Soy
17
Yeast
18
Wheat
19
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
20
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
21
Disodium Inosinate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
22
Disodium Guanylate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Approved
23
Flavoring
24
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
25
Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese
26
Pasteurized Organic Part Skim Milk
27
Nonfat Milk
28
Modified Food Starch
29
Cultures
30
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
31
Enzymes
32
Tomato Paste
33
Palm Oil
34
Romano Cheese
35
Pasteurized Cow's Milk
36
Cheese Cultures
37
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
38
Dough Conditioner Blend
39
L-cysteine Hydrochloride
40
Garlic Powder
41
Tricalcium Phosphate
42
Egg Yolks
43
Organic Cultured Cow's Milk
44
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
45
With Ascorbic Acid And Citric Acid
46
Egg Whites
47
Egg
48
Whole Milk

Full Ingredient List

enriched flour, water, cooked meatballs, caramel color, pork, water, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrate, caramel color, seasoning, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, soybean oil, hydrolyzed corn, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, corn, soy, yeast, wheat, autolyzed yeast extract, sugar, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, flavoring, sodium tripolyphosphate, caramel color, reduced fat mozzarella cheese, pasteurized part skim milk, nonfat milk, modified food starch, cultures, salt, vitamin A palmitate, enzymes, tomato paste, palm oil, romano cheese, pasteurized cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified cornstarch, yeast, dough conditioner blend, L-cysteine hydrochloride, garlic powder, tricalcium phosphate, enzymes, egg yolks, romano cheese, cultured cow's milk, water, salt, enzymes, salt, maltodextrin, garlic powder, spices, romano cheese, cultured cow's milk, water, salt, enzymes, with ascorbic acid and citric acid, egg whites, contains egg, whole milk, soy

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