Pasta dishes
Marie Callender's Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli
13 oz
Score
- Ultra-processed
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains seed oils
Why it scores 34
Marie Callender's Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli scores 34 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Dextrose: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
- minus 7.5 points Carrageenan: In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher carrageenan intake was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes; cause and effect is not established. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
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The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli
Ingredients
- Dextrose minus 20 points
- Carrageenan minus 7.5 points
- Soybean oil minus 2.5 points
- Wine minus 1.5 points
- Modified starch minus 1.5 points
- Sodium phosphate minus 1.5 points
- Xanthan gum minus 0.5 points
- Guar gum minus 0.5 points
- Natural flavors minus 0.5 points
- Soy protein isolate / concentrate minus 0.5 points
- Soy lecithin minus 0.5 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 6 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 7.5 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Saturated fat 1.6 g / 100 g minus 1 points
- Salt 0.7 g / 100 g minus 3 points
100 − 66.5 = 33.5 → 34
Can’t score above 79. Contains dextrose, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 119 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 4.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.7 g |
| Sugars | 1.6 g |
| Added sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fiber | 1.1 g |
| Protein | 6.8 g |
| Salt | 0.7 g |
Serving: 1 meal (369 g)
Ingredients
- Cooked Enriched Pasta (Water, Enriched Wheat Flour, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Whites)
- Sauce (Water, Cream, Soybean Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Romano Cheese from Cow's Milk, Sherry Wine, Nonfat Dry Milk, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Parmesan Cheese Flavor, Modified Rice Starch, Gelatin, Enzyme Modified Cream, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Flavoring) (not recognized)
- Cooked Chicken (Chicken Breast, Water, Olive Oil, Isolated Soy Protein Product, Dextrose, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Flavoring)
- Broccoli
Label text, as published
Cooked Enriched Pasta (Water, Enriched Wheat Flour [Durum Wheat Semolina, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate {Iron}, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Whites), Sauce (Water, Cream, Soybean Oil, Parmesan Cheese [Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Romano Cheese from Cow's Milk [Cultured Part-Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes], Sherry Wine, Nonfat Dry Milk, Less Than 2% Of: Modified Corn Starch, Salt,Parmesan Cheese Flavor [Parmesan Cheese {Pasteurized Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes}, Water, Salt, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate], Modified Rice Starch, Gelatin, Enzyme Modified Cream [Cream, Water, Salt], Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Flavoring), Cooked Chicken (Chicken Breast, Water, Olive Oil, Contains 2% Or Less Of Isolated Soy Protein Product [Isolated Soy Protein, Modified Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Carrageenan, Soy Lecithin], Dextrose, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Flavoring), Broccoli. CONTAINS: EGG, MILK, SOY, WHEAT.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Egg
- Not vegan
- Not vegetarian
- Not gluten-free
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
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Sources
-
Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
-
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
-
Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
“We found direct associations between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposures to various food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods, in a large prospective cohort of French adults.”
doi.org
-
Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome
“carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”
doi.org
-
Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives
“However, the Panel noted uncertainties as regards the chemistry, the exposure assessment and biological and toxicological data.”
doi.org
-
Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)
monographs.iarc.who.int
-
“replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”
doi.org
-
“These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”
doi.org
-
About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy
“There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy.”
cdc.gov
-
EFSA issues new advice on phosphates
“We estimated that dietary exposure to phosphates may exceed the new ADI for infants, toddlers and children with average consumption of phosphates in their diet.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
21 CFR 101.22 Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives
“whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
ecfr.gov
-
Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
-
“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
-
“Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”
doi.org
-
“Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”
doi.org
-
“This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”
doi.org