Caution

High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches

by Hot Pockets

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0043695071184 · Hot Pockets · Frozen foods. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0043695071184 · Serving size 1 sandwich (127 g)

The verdict

High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches by Hot Pockets scores 80/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 87 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 2 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 87-component record, beginning with Water, Enriched Flour, Wheat Flour. 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.

80/100
Caution safety score
2
Few flagged · of 87 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
D
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

53/100

Grade C-

Ingredient Safety

80/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

D

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.

95071184 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 80/100 FLAG-FEW 2 flagged LEN-DENSE 87 ing. REG-SPARSE 23% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-D Nutri-D RANK-SHORT Len top 2% LEAD-FLAG BHT PHOTO-FINISH Hickory ham & · ±0 BOOK-OFF …071184 · July 2026

20 of 87 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: BHT). Source sheet 95071184 · 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: Hickory ham & cheddar sandwiches · Nearest score peer is Hickory ham & cheddar sandwiches at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

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

The composite for this product falls in the second band of the four-tier framework. That band collects labels whose registry-rated components pull the derived score down measurably without dominating it. Position inside a band is not visible from the band name, and two labels sharing it can differ in how many components were rated and how severely. This is a threshold on an index computed here from public data, not a regulatory classification of any kind; the exact cut-offs are published on the methodology page.

This label falls in the fourth Nutri-Score band. The model arrives there when its penalty terms — energy density, sugars, saturated fat, sodium — carry more weight in the calculation than the fibre, protein and produce content it credits. The band covers a wide span of the points scale, so position within it is not visible from the letter alone. The grade reflects the declared nutrition panel and is unrelated to the additive ratings listed below, which come from different bodies applying different criteria.

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. High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. High protein steak & ched…80/1002. Hickory ham & cheddar sandwiches: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Hickory ham & cheddar san…80/1003. Hot Pockets Hickory Ham & Cheddar Crispy Buttery Crust: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Hot Pockets Hickory Ham &…80/1004. Croissant crust sandwiches: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Croissant crust sandwiches80/1005. Buffalo Style Boneless Chicken Bites: 80/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Buffalo Style Boneless Ch…80/100
High-band neighbours for High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches (80/100) outside Hot Pockets.
Chart values as text

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

High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches
80/100
Hickory ham & cheddar sandwiches
80/100
Hot Pockets Hickory Ham & Cheddar Crispy Buttery Crust
80/100
Croissant crust sandwiches
80/100
Buffalo Style Boneless Chicken Bites
80/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 24,982 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 92.9/100. High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches scores 12.9 points below that category average (80/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Frozen foods products

High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches lists 87 ingredients on its label

87 98th percentile a longer ingredient list than 98% of the 7,008 products we track

0–2: 11 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 8–10: 102 products (1%). Below this entry. 10–12: 112 products (2%). Below this entry. 12–14: 184 products (3%). Below this entry. 14–16: 205 products (3%). Below this entry. 16–18: 245 products (3%). Below this entry. 18–20: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 264 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 298 products (4%). Below this entry. 24–26: 247 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 271 products (4%). Below this entry. 28–30: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 30–32: 294 products (4%). Below this entry. 32–34: 325 products (5%). Below this entry. 34–36: 319 products (5%). Below this entry. 36–38: 314 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 283 products (4%). Below this entry. 40–42: 2,792 products (40%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Frozen foods 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

7,008 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 87 (98th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
11 products (0%)
2–4
54 products (1%)
4–6
54 products (1%)
6–8
66 products (1%)
8–10
102 products (1%)
10–12
112 products (2%)
12–14
184 products (3%)
14–16
205 products (3%)
16–18
245 products (3%)
18–20
284 products (4%)
20–22
264 products (4%)
22–24
298 products (4%)
24–26
247 products (4%)
26–28
271 products (4%)
28–30
284 products (4%)
30–32
294 products (4%)
32–34
325 products (5%)
34–36
319 products (5%)
36–38
314 products (4%)
38–40
283 products (4%)
40 and above
2,792 products (40%)

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 7,008 Frozen foods 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 80/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (2 flagged of 87 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Water
2
Enriched Flour
3
Wheat Flour
4
Malted Barley Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Iron
7
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Cooked Beef Steak Ground And Formed Caramel Color Added
11
Up To 14% Solution Of Water
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Seasoning
14
Yeast Extract
15
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
16
Natural Flavors
17
Dried Beef Stock
18
Sunflower Oil
19
Sodium Phosphate
20
Beef Fat
21
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
22
Caramel Coloring
Coloring
Avoid Approved (color additive, GRAS)
23
Cheddar Cheese
24
Cultured Pasteurized Milk
25
Enzymes
26
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
27
Color
28
Isolated soy protein
Other
Safe
29
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
30
Cheddar/blue Cheeses
31
Pasteurized Milk
32
Cheese Cultures
33
Buttermilk
34
Natural Flavor
35
Coconut Oil
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Listed
36
Disodium Phosphate
37
Cultured Whole Milk
38
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
39
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
40
Extractives Of Annatto And Turmeric
41
2% Or Less Of Margarine
42
Palm Oil
43
Soybean Oil
44
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
45
Mono & Diglycerides
46
Soybean Lecithin
47
Potassium Sorbate And Citric Acid
48
Preservatives
49
Annatto And Turmeric Color
50
Vitamin A Palmitate Added
51
Organic Onions
52
Modified Food Starch
53
Bread Crumbs
54
Bleached Wheat Flour
55
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
56
Yeast
57
Cheddar And Blue Cheeses
58
Onion
59
Garlic Powder
60
Spice
61
Extractives Of Paprika And Annatto
62
Fractionated Palm Oil
63
Milk
64
Nonfat Milk
65
Natural Flavors
66
Milk Protein Concentrate
67
Cultured Milk
68
Extractives Of Annatto
69
Paprika
70
Turmeric
71
Dough Conditioner Blend
72
Calcium Sulfate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
73
L-cysteine Hydrochloride
74
Tricalcium Phosphate
75
Wheat
76
Flavoring
77
Soy Lecithin
78
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
79
Cream
80
Beef Broth
81
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
82
Corn Starch
83
Natural Butter Flavor
84
BHT
Caution GRAS
85
Organic Onions
86
Soy Flour
87
Egg Whites

Full Ingredient List

Water, enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cooked beef steak ground and formed caramel color added (contains up to 14% solution of water, salt, seasoning [yeast extract, maltodextrin, flavors, beef stock, sunflower oil, salt, sodium phosphate, beef fat], sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, caramel color), cheddar cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes, annatto [color]), isolated soy protein, seasoning (whey, cheddar/blue cheeses [pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], buttermilk, natural flavor, maltodextrin, coconut oil, disodium phosphate, cultured whole milk, citric acid, lactic acid, extractives of annatto and turmeric), 2% or less of margarine (palm oil, water, soybean oil, sugar, mono & diglycerides, soybean lecithin, potassium sorbate and citric acid [preservatives], annatto and turmeric color, vitamin a palmitate added), onions, modified food starch, seasoning (bread crumbs [bleached wheat flour, dextrose, yeast, salt], seasoning [cheddar and blue cheeses {milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes}, whey, salt, dextrose, dried onion, natural flavor, soybean oil, garlic powder, citric acid, lactic acid, spice, extractives of paprika and annatto]), sugar, palm oil, fractionated palm oil, soybean oil, salt, seasoning (whey, soybean oil, maltodextrin, cheddar/blue cheeses [milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], nonfat milk, salt, natural flavors, milk protein concentrate, disodium phosphate, cultured milk, citric acid, extractives of annatto, paprika, and turmeric [color]), dough conditioner blend (calcium sulfate, salt, l-cysteine hydrochloride, garlic powder, tricalcium phosphate, enzymes [wheat]), maltodextrin, yeast, flavoring (yeast extract, salt), potassium chloride (potassium chloride, citric acid), whey, soy lecithin, seasoning (salt, autolyzed yeast extract, cream, flavoring, potassium chloride, dried beef broth, beef fat, citric acid, fructose), potassium chloride, seasoning (maltodextrin, modified corn starch, butter flavor), beef fat (beef fat, bht, citric acid), dried onions, soy flour, egg whites, annatto (color).

Other products containing Cooked Beef Steak Ground And Formed Caramel Color Added

Cooked Beef Steak Ground And Formed Caramel Color Added is the least common ingredient on this label, appearing in 11 products across the catalog. See its safety profile.

Categories

Frozen foods

High-score cross-brand comparables for High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches

Neighbours outside Hot Pockets with screening scores in the same high band as High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches (80/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Hot Pockets; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

BHT is the first flagged ingredient selected from High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 87-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to BHT. Open BHT
  • Compare High protein steak & cheddar sandwiches's 2 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 0043695071184: 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.