Swedish meatballs

by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc.

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Swedish meatballs by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc. 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.

Barcode
0717854106290
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 PACKAGE (241 g)

What the Data Says About

Swedish meatballs by Michelina's, Bellisio Foods Inc. 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, Swedish meatballs 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

Composite safety metrics for Swedish meatballs
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

1
Cooked Enriched Macaroni Product
2
Water
3
Durum Semolina
4
Enriched With Niacin
5
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Cooked Swedish Style Meatballs
10
Beef
11
Textured Vegetable Protein
12
Soy Flour
13
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
14
Bread Crumbs
15
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour {Niacin
16
Reduced Iron
17
Folic Acid}
18
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
19
Durum Flour
20
Soybean Oil Shortening
21
Leavening {Sodium Bicarbonate
22
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
23
Monocalcium Phosphate}
24
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
25
Yeast
26
Spice Extractive
27
Soy Protein Concentrate
28
Whole Eggs
29
Flavorings
30
Worcestershire Sauce Powder {Salt
31
Worcestershire Sauce
32
Vinegar
33
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
34
Onion
35
Tomato
36
Apple
37
Spices
38
Yeast Extract
39
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
40
Garlic Powder}
41
Paprika
42
Spice
43
Nonfat Dry Milk
44
Half And Half
45
Milk And Cream
46
Less Than 2% Of Sour Cream
47
Cultured Cream
48
Enzyme
49
Organic Onions
50
Cheese Flavor
51
Dehydrated Enzyme Modified Cheese And Butter
52
Cheddar Cheese {Milk
53
Cheese Culture
54
Enzymes}
55
Butter
56
Enzymes
57
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
58
Buttermilk Solids
59
Sodium Phosphate
60
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
61
Modified Food Starch
62
Beef Base
63
Roasted Beef And Concentrated Beef Stock
64
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
65
Soy
66
Corn
67
Wheat
68
Corn Oil
69
Auto-lyzed Yeast
70
Flavoring
71
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
72
Dehydrated Soy Sauce
73
Soybeans
74
Dry Vermouth Wine
75
With Salt
76
Sorbate
77
Veal Flavor Concentrate
78
Veal Stock Concentrate
79
Natural Flavor
80
Canola Oil
81
Beef-type Flavor
82
Dried Beef Stock
83
Autolyzed yeast extract
Flavoring
Certain People Should Avoid
84
Corn Starch
85
Pot Roast-type Flavor
86
Beef Fat
87
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
88
Granulated Garlic
89
Parsley Flakes

Full Ingredient List

Cooked enriched macaroni product (water, durum semolina [enriched with niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), water, cooked swedish style meatballs (beef, water, textured vegetable protein [soy flour, caramel color], bread crumbs [enriched bleached wheat flour {niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, salt, durum flour, soybean oil shortening, leavening {sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate}, dextrose, yeast, spice extractive], soy protein concentrate, salt, dried whole eggs, flavorings, worcestershire sauce powder {salt, worcestershire sauce [vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, tomato, apple, caramel color, spices, yeast extract], maltodextrin, spices, caramel color, garlic powder}, paprika, spice, nonfat dry milk), half and half (milk and cream), less than 2% of sour cream (cultured cream, enzyme), nonfat dry milk, onions, cheese flavor (enzyme modified cheese and butter [cheddar cheese {milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes}, butter, cheese culture, enzymes], whey, buttermilk solids, salt, sodium phosphate, lactic acid), modified food starch, beef base (roasted beef and concentrated beef stock, salt, hydrolyzed plant protein (soy, corn, wheat), corn oil, sugar, auto-lyzed yeast, flavoring, maltodextrin, dried whey, dextrose, caramel color), worcestershire sauce (water, vinegar, soy sauce [water, wheat, soybeans, salt], sugar, salt, spices), dry vermouth wine (with salt, sorbate), veal flavor concentrate (veal stock concentrate, salt, natural flavor, yeast extract, sugar), canola oil, beef-type flavor (water, natural flavor, beef stock, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, corn starch), pot roast-type flavor (water, natural flavor, salt, beef stock, beef fat, autolyzed yeast extract, corn starch, xanthan gum), granulated garlic, xanthan gum, paprika, sugar, spices, parsley flakes.

Categories

Frozen foods

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