Safe

Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0888670016978 · Meats and their products. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0888670016978 · Serving size 3 MEATBALLS WITH 5 TBSP SAUCE (66 g) (69 g)

The verdict

Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 44 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 44-component record, beginning with Meatballs, Ground Beef, Ground Pork. 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.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
None flagged · of 44 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
E
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

58/100

Grade C

Ingredient Safety

100/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

E

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.

70016978 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 100/100 FLAG-CLEAN 0 flagged LEN-DENSE 44 ing. REG-SPARSE 20% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-E Nutri-E RANK-SHORT Len top 1% LEAD-RARE Silicon Dioxide PHOTO-SOLO No peers BOOK-OFF …016978 · July 2026

9 of 44 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Silicon Dioxide). Source sheet 70016978 · 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

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 assigned its lowest band to this label. The algorithm reserves that grade for nutrition panels where the values it penalises sit well above the components it credits. The two systems on this page measure genuinely different things: a product can hold this grade while carrying no additive flagged by the registries screened below, and a product graded well can carry several. Neither reading substitutes for the other, and the per-component table is where the additive picture is set out.

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.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 13,350 products we've scored in the Meats and their products category, the average safety score is 92.4/100. Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style scores 7.6 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 92.4/100), so it is a comparatively strong pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Meats and their products products

Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style lists 44 ingredients on its label

44 99th percentile a longer ingredient list than 99% of the 11,159 products we track

0–2: 79 products (1%). Below this entry. 2–4: 430 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 612 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,397 products (13%). Below this entry. 8–10: 1,485 products (13%). Below this entry. 10–12: 1,698 products (15%). Below this entry. 12–14: 1,463 products (13%). Below this entry. 14–16: 996 products (9%). Below this entry. 16–18: 734 products (7%). Below this entry. 18–20: 489 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 377 products (3%). Below this entry. 22–24: 277 products (2%). Below this entry. 24–26: 234 products (2%). Below this entry. 26–28: 140 products (1%). Below this entry. 28–30: 145 products (1%). Below this entry. 30–32: 92 products (1%). Below this entry. 32–34: 83 products (1%). Below this entry. 34–36: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 36–38: 74 products (1%). Below this entry. 38–40: 50 products (0%). Below this entry. 40–42: 238 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Meats and their products 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

11,159 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 44 (99th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
79 products (1%)
2–4
430 products (4%)
4–6
612 products (5%)
6–8
1,397 products (13%)
8–10
1,485 products (13%)
10–12
1,698 products (15%)
12–14
1,463 products (13%)
14–16
996 products (9%)
16–18
734 products (7%)
18–20
489 products (4%)
20–22
377 products (3%)
22–24
277 products (2%)
24–26
234 products (2%)
26–28
140 products (1%)
28–30
145 products (1%)
30–32
92 products (1%)
32–34
83 products (1%)
34–36
66 products (1%)
36–38
74 products (1%)
38–40
50 products (0%)
40 and above
238 products (2%)

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. The comparison here runs against the 11,159 Meats and their products products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Meatballs
2
Ground Beef
3
Ground Pork
4
Water
5
Bread Crumbs
6
Wheat Flour
7
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
8
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
9
Yeast
10
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
11
Milk
12
Worcestershire Sauce
13
Distilled White Vinegar
14
Molasses
15
Organic Onions
16
Anchovies
17
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
18
Organic Cloves
19
Tamarind Extract
20
Flavorings
21
Chili Pepper Extract
22
Eggs
23
Whole Eggs
24
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
25
Seasoning
26
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
27
Black Pepper
28
Fennel
29
Fennel Oil
30
Natural Flavor
31
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
32
Onion Powder
33
Dehydrated Parsley
34
Margherita Tomato Sauce
35
Crushed Tomatoes
36
Tomatoes
37
Onion
38
Organic Basil
39
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
40
Cane Sugar
41
Olive Oil
42
Canola Oil
43
Cultured Dextrose
44
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

Full Ingredient List

Meatballs (ground beef, ground pork, water, bread crumbs [wheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast, ascorbic acid {dough conditioner}], milk, worcestershire sauce [distilled white vinegar, molasses, sugar, water, salt, onions, anchovies, garlic, cloves, tamarind extract, natural flavorings, chili pepper extract], eggs [whole eggs, citric acid {added to preserve color}, water {as carrier for citric acid}], seasoning [dextrose, salt, black pepper, fennel, garlic, fennel oil, natural flavor, silicon dioxide {to prevent caking}], garlic, onion powder, parsley, salt, black pepper), margherita tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes [tomatoes, salt, citric acid], water, onion, basil, cornstarch, cane sugar, olive oil, canola oil, cultured dextrose [maltodextrin, cultured dextrose], salt, garlic, black pepper).

Categories

Meats and their products Meats Prepared meats

Read the longer label in layers

Read the longer label in layers

Italian style meatballs in margherita tomato sauce, italian style has a longer ingredient list than 99% of its Meats and their products category comparison set. Use the ingredient table before relying on its single screening score.

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0888670016978: 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.