Safe

Beef Merlot

by Healthy Choice

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0072655001022 · Healthy Choice. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0072655001022 · Serving size 1 Meal (269 g) (269 g)

The verdict

Beef Merlot by Healthy Choice scores 95/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 41 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 41-component record, beginning with Sauce, Water, Organic Onions. 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.

95/100
Safe safety score
1
One flagged · of 41 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0072655001022
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

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

67/100

Grade B-

Ingredient Safety

95/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

N/A

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.

55001022 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Beef Merlot label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 95/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 41 ing. REG-SPARSE 22% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 6% LEAD-FLAG Caramel Coloring PHOTO-FINISH Lemon Herb Chicken · ±0 BOOK-OFF …001022 · July 2026

9 of 41 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Caramel Coloring). Source sheet 55001022 · 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: Lemon Herb Chicken · Nearest score peer is Lemon Herb Chicken 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.

No Nutri-Score grade is present for this record in the OpenFoodFacts snapshot this page is built from. The nutritional dimension is absent rather than assessed and withheld: the grade depends on a complete declared nutrition panel, and community-contributed records vary in how much of that panel they carry. Nothing about the missing grade implies anything either way about the panel itself. The screen below covers additive ratings only and does not depend on the nutrition figures.

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. Beef Merlot: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Beef Merlot95/1002. Lemon Herb Chicken: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Lemon Herb Chicken95/1003. Sweet corn elote bowl: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Sweet corn elote bowl95/1004. Udon Noodle Bowl: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Udon Noodle Bowl95/1005. Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast: 95/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Mesquite Smoked Turkey Br…95/100
High-band neighbours for Beef Merlot (95/100) outside Healthy Choice.
Chart values as text

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

Beef Merlot
95/100
Lemon Herb Chicken
95/100
Sweet corn elote bowl
95/100
Udon Noodle Bowl
95/100
Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast
95/100

Ingredient-list length vs every product we publish

Beef Merlot lists 41 ingredients on its label

41 94th percentile a longer ingredient list than 94% 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: 41 (94th 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 95/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 41 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Sauce
2
Water
3
Organic Onions
4
Merlot Wine
5
Corn Starch
6
Natural Beef Flavor
7
Cooked Beef
8
Yeast Extract
9
Beef Tallow
10
Beef Extract
11
Flavoring
12
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
13
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
14
Vegetable Juice Concentrates
15
Carrot
16
Celery
17
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
18
Burgundy Wine
19
Canola Oil
20
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
21
Butter
22
Cream
23
Flavorings
24
Seasoned Cooked Beef And Binder Product
25
Beef
26
Caramel Coloring
Coloring
Avoid Approved (color additive, GRAS)
27
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
28
Seasoning
29
Natural Flavor
30
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
31
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
32
Cauliflower
33
Sesame Oil
34
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
35
Potassium Phosphate
36
Sodium Phosphates
37
Spice Extractives
38
Russet Potatoes
39
Green Beans
40
Carrots
41
Milk

Full Ingredient List

Sauce (water, onions, merlot wine, modified corn starch, beef flavor [cooked beef, yeast extract, beef tallow, beef extract, flavoring, salt, sugar, vegetable juice concentrates {onion, carrot, celery}, lactic acid], contains 2% or less of: burgundy wine, salt, canola oil, garlic, butter [cream, salt], flavorings), seasoned cooked beef and binder product (beef, water, contains 2% or less of: caramel color, dextrose, seasoning [natural flavor, salt, maltodextrin, dried whey, dried cauliflower, sesame oil], modified corn starch, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, salt, sodium phosphates, spice extractives), russet potatoes, green beans, carrots. contains: milk.

Other products containing Seasoned Cooked Beef And Binder Product

Seasoned Cooked Beef And Binder Product is the least common ingredient on this label, appearing in 8 products across the catalog. See its safety profile.

High-score cross-brand comparables for Beef Merlot

Neighbours outside Healthy Choice with screening scores in the same high band as Beef Merlot (95/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Healthy Choice; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Caramel Coloring is the first flagged ingredient selected from Beef Merlot's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 41-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Caramel Coloring. Open Caramel Coloring
  • Compare Beef Merlot's 1 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 0072655001022: 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.