Ham and cheese on wheat bread
Contains 4 flagged ingredients
Ham and cheese on wheat bread 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.
What the Data Says About
Ham and cheese on wheat bread 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, Ham and cheese on wheat bread 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
| 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
Full Ingredient List
Black forest ham: cured with: water, dextrose, contains 2% or less of modified food starch, salt, potassium lactate, seasoning 9potassium chloride, pork stock, sugar, yeast extract, salt, lactic acid, fructose, sunflower oil, cysteine, hydrochloride, calcium lactate, modified food starch, flavors, grill flavor (from sunflower oil), polysorbate 80, rendered pork fat, and smoke flavor), sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, caramel color) 32% of weight is added ingredients caramel color added "smoke flavor added), wheat bread (enrinched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, ascorbic acid (vitamin c) added as a dough conditioner, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, crushed wheat, pumpernickel flour, rye flour, wheat bran, brown sugar, contains 2% or less of each of the following: soybean oil, yeast, salt, calcium sulfate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ethoxylated mono and diglycerides, enzymes, calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, ascorbic acid added as a dough conditioner, azodicarbonamide, monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin), provolone cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt and enzymes)
Categories
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.
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