Safe

Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli

by Trader Joe's

Open Food Facts label for barcode 00544481 · Trader Joe's · Frozen-entrees. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 00544481 · Serving size 1 cup frozen with sauce (116 g)

The verdict

Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli by Trader Joe's scores 90/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 44 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 44-component record, beginning with Broccoli Florets, Beef, Water And Binder Product. 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.

90/100
Safe safety score
2
Few flagged · of 44 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
C
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

63/100

Grade C+

Ingredient Safety

90/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

C

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.

00544481 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 90/100 FLAG-FEW 2 flagged LEN-DENSE 44 ing. REG-SPARSE 20% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 5% LEAD-FLAG Carrageenan PHOTO-FINISH Charlie's Lunch Kit, · ±0 BOOK-OFF …544481 · July 2026

9 of 44 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Carrageenan). Source sheet 00544481 · 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: Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water · Nearest score peer is Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

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

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

Nutri-Score settled on its middle grade here, the band the algorithm produces when the penalty and credit sides of its nutrient ledger come out close to balanced. A mid-scale grade is a statement about the panel as a whole rather than about any single nutrient, and products arrive at it by very different routes: a moderate profile across every term, or high marks on some offset by heavy penalties on others. The grade is computed separately from the ingredient screen below and the two are not comparable measures.

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. Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli: 90/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef…90/1002. Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water: 90/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chun…90/1003. Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water: 90/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chun…90/1004. Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich: 90/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Chocolate Chip Cookie San…90/1005. Heinz Zesty Cocktail Sauce: 90/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Heinz Zesty Cocktail Sauce90/100
High-band neighbours for Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli (90/100) outside Trader Joe's.
Chart values as text

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

Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli
90/100
Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk White Albacore Tuna In Water
90/100
Charlie's Lunch Kit, Chunk Light Tuna Salad In Water
90/100
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich
90/100
Heinz Zesty Cocktail Sauce
90/100

Ingredient-list length vs every product we publish

Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli lists 44 ingredients on its label

44 95th percentile a longer ingredient list than 95% of the 359,392 products we track

0–2: 6,050 products (2%). Below this entry. 2–4: 24,522 products (7%). Below this entry. 4–6: 31,054 products (9%). Below this entry. 6–8: 30,981 products (9%). Below this entry. 8–10: 31,618 products (9%). Below this entry. 10–12: 29,943 products (8%). Below this entry. 12–14: 28,403 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 27,417 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 24,508 products (7%). Below this entry. 18–20: 19,062 products (5%). Below this entry. 20–22: 14,679 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 12,238 products (3%). Below this entry. 24–26: 10,830 products (3%). Below this entry. 26–28: 9,344 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 7,955 products (2%). Below this entry. 30–32: 6,753 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 5,918 products (2%). Below this entry. 34–36: 5,282 products (1%). Below this entry. 36–38: 4,531 products (1%). Below this entry. 38–40: 4,063 products (1%). Below this entry. 40–42: 24,241 products (7%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published 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

359,392 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 44 (95th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
6,050 products (2%)
2–4
24,522 products (7%)
4–6
31,054 products (9%)
6–8
30,981 products (9%)
8–10
31,618 products (9%)
10–12
29,943 products (8%)
12–14
28,403 products (8%)
14–16
27,417 products (8%)
16–18
24,508 products (7%)
18–20
19,062 products (5%)
20–22
14,679 products (4%)
22–24
12,238 products (3%)
24–26
10,830 products (3%)
26–28
9,344 products (3%)
28–30
7,955 products (2%)
30–32
6,753 products (2%)
32–34
5,918 products (2%)
34–36
5,282 products (1%)
36–38
4,531 products (1%)
38–40
4,063 products (1%)
40 and above
24,241 products (7%)

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. No category with enough published products was available for this record, so the comparison runs against the whole published catalogue.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 90/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (2 flagged of 44 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Broccoli Florets
2
Beef
3
Water And Binder Product
4
Soybean Oil
5
Water
6
Coating
7
Icornstarch
8
Bread Crumbs
9
Junbleached Wheat Flour
10
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
11
Yeast
12
Salti
13
Soybean Oil Leavening
14
Agents Isodium Acid Pyrophosphate
15
Sodium Bicarbonateij
16
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
17
Wheat
18
Soybeans
19
Potato
20
Starch
Thickener
Safe
21
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
22
Soy
23
Dried Protein Isolate
24
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
25
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
26
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
27
Garlic Powder
28
Onion
29
Powder
30
White Pepper
31
Red Chile Garlic Puree
32
Chile
33
Pepper
34
Dried Vinegar
35
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
36
Sauce
37
Garlic Puree
38
Citric
39
Acid
40
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
41
Ginger Puree
42
Dried Red Chile Pepper
43
Cayenne Pepper
44
Caramel Coloring
Coloring
Avoid Approved (color additive, GRAS)

Full Ingredient List

BROCCOLI FLORETS, BEEF,, WATER AND BINDER PRODUCT (BEEF,, SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, COATING, ICORNSTARCH, BREAD CRUMBS, JUNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR,, YEAST, SALTI, SOYBEAN OIL LEAVENING, AGENTS ISODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE,, SODIUM BICARBONATEIJ, SOY SAUCE, WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALTI, POTATO, STARCH, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY, PROTEIN ISOLATE, SALT, CARRAGEENAN,, CORNSTARCH, GARLIC POWDER, ONION, POWDER, WHITE PEPPER), SAUCE: SUGAR,, WATER, RED CHILE GARLIC PUREE (CHILE, PEPPER, VINEGAR, GARLIC, SALT), SOY, SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT)., VINEGAR, GARLIC PUREE (GARLIC, CITRIC, ACID), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SALT,, GINGER PUREE, RED CHILE PEPPER., CAYENNE PEPPER, CARAMEL COLOR.

Other products containing Soybean Oil Leavening

Soybean Oil Leavening is the least common ingredient on this label, appearing in 3 products across the catalog. See its safety profile.

Categories

Frozen-entrees

High-score cross-brand comparables for Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli

Neighbours outside Trader Joe's with screening scores in the same high band as Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli (90/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Trader Joe's; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Carrageenan is the first flagged ingredient selected from Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 44-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Carrageenan. Open Carrageenan
  • Compare Mildly Sweet & Spicy Beef & Broccoli'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 00544481: 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.