Caroline Pride, Red Cooked Sausage

by Carolina Pride Foods Inc.

30
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Caroline Pride, Red Cooked Sausage by Carolina Pride Foods Inc. receives a safety score of 30/100 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
0073675251053
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
2 ONZ (56 g)

What the Data Says About

Caroline Pride, Red Cooked Sausage by Carolina Pride Foods Inc. carries a composite safety score of 30/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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, Caroline Pride, Red Cooked Sausage 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 E 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 Caroline Pride, Red Cooked Sausage
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 30/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score E OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Mechanically Separated Chicken
2
Pork
3
Water
4
Pork Snouts
5
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
6
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
7
Or Less Dextrose
8
Modified Food Starch
9
Sodium Lactate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, WASHING OR SURFACE REMOVAL AGENT
GRAS
10
Sodium Diacetate
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
11
Flavorings
12
Sodium Phosphate
13
Beef
14
Turkey
15
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
16
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
17
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
18
Propygallate
19
BHA
Avoid GRAS
20
BHT
Caution GRAS
21
Yellow #6
22
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
23
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
24
Annatto
Coloring
Certain People Should Avoid
25
Iron Oxide. May Also Contain Red Peppers
26
Pepper And Salt
27
Sweet Pickles
28
Cucumbers
29
Benzoate
30
Turmeric
31
Alum
32
Potassium Sorbate Used As Preservative
33
Olives
34
Minced Pimento
35
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
36
Sodium Alginate
37
Guar Gum
38
Calcium Chloride And Potassium Sorbate Used As Preservative
39
Jalapenos
40
Cheese
41
Paprika
42
Garlic Powder
43
Onion Powder

Full Ingredient List

Mechanically separated chicken, pork, water, pork snouts, corn syrup, salt, contains 2% or less dextrose, modified food starch, sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, flavorings, sodium phosphate, beef, turkey, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, citric acid, propygallate, bha, bht, yellow #6, sugar, fd&c red #3, annatto, iron oxide. may also contain red peppers (pepper and salt), sweet pickles (cucumbers, benzoate, turmeric, alum, potassium sorbate used as preservative), olives (minced pimento, lactic acid, citric acid, sodium alginate, guar gum, calcium chloride and potassium sorbate used as preservative), jalapenos, cheese, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder.

Categories

Meats and their products Meats Prepared meats Sausages

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