Meatballs and mozzarella sandwiches
Contains 1 flagged ingredient
Meatballs and mozzarella sandwiches 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.
What the Data Says About
Meatballs and mozzarella sandwiches 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 sandwiches 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 C 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
| 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 | C | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, cooked italian style meatball caramel color added (pork, water, textured vegetable protein (soy protein concentrate, caramel color], onions, 2% or less of spices [including celery seed], salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, beef flavor, eggs, caramel color, potassium chloride, yeast extract, natural flavors), reduced fat mozzarella cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, nonfat milk, modified food starch*, cultures, salt, vitamin a palmitate, enzymes, *ingredients not in regular mozzarella cheese), tomato paste, sugar, 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), basil, seasoning (bread crumb [bleached wheat flour, dextrose, yeast, salt], dried garlic, onion powder, salt, parmesan cheese [cultured part skim milk cow's milk, salt, enzymes], spice, red bell pepper, sugar, soybean oil, tomato powder, natural flavor, whey, disodium phoaphate), modified food starch, fractionated palm oil, salt, egg yolks, dough conditioner blend (calcium sulfate, salt, l-cysteine hydrochloride, garlic powder, tricalcium phosphate, enzymes), yeast, parmesan and asiago cheeses [cultured milk, salt, enzymes], enzyme modified parmesan cheese [cultured milk, water, salt, enzymes], whey, salt_), garlic, soybean oil oregano, emulsifier (monoglycerides, 2% or less of ascorbic acid [antioxidant], citric acid [antioxidant]), soy lecithin, methylcellulose, whey, spice, soy flour, egg white.
Categories
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
