American sub snack

60
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

American sub snack receives a safety score of 60/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 4 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
0049022894693
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
5.2 ONZ (147 g)

What the Data Says About

American sub snack carries a composite safety score of 60/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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 4 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, American sub snack 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 American sub snack
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 60/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 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
Soft Sub Bread
2
Unbleached Enriched Flour
3
Wheat Flour
4
Malted Barley Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Reduced 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
Water
11
Yeast
12
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
13
Fully Refined Soybean Oil
14
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
15
Granulated Sugar
16
Calcium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT
Safe GRAS
17
To Retain Freshness
18
Dough Improver
19
Malted Wheat Flour
20
Enzymes
21
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
22
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
23
Ham
24
Ham Cured With: Water
25
Or Less Of: Sugar
26
Potassium Lactate
FLAVOR ENHANCER
GRAS
27
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
28
Sodium Erythorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe GRAS
29
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
30
Sodium Phosphate
31
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
32
Smoked White Turkey
33
White Turkey
34
Turkey Broth
35
Or Less Of: Salt
36
Modified Food Starch
37
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
38
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
39
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
40
American Cheese
41
Cultured Milk And Skim Milk
42
Cream
43
Sodium Citrate
44
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
45
Preservative
46
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
47
Artificial Color
48
Acetic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
49
Soy Lecithin
50
Salami
51
Pork
52
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
53
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
54
Wine
55
Flavorings
56
Sodium Nitrate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
57
Spices
58
Lactic Acid Starter Culture

Full Ingredient List

Soft sub bread (unbleached enriched flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, yeast, wheat gluten, fully refined soybean oil, salt, granulated sugar, calcium propionate [to retain freshness], dough improver [malted wheat flour, enzymes, ascorbic acid], calcium sulfate, enzymes), ham (ham cured with: water, contains 2% or less of: sugar, salt, potassium lactate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, sodium phosphate, caramel color), smoked white turkey (white turkey, turkey broth, contains 2% or less of: salt, modified food starch, dextrose, tapioca starch, sodium phosphate, carrageenan), american cheese (cultured milk and skim milk, water, cream, sodium citrate, salt, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid [preservative], citric acid, artificial color, acetic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin), salami (pork, salt, corn syrup, dextrose, sugar, wine, sodium erythorbate, flavorings, sodium nitrate, spices, lactic acid starter culture, sodium nitrite).

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