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Goya Tomato cooking base
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Tomato sauces

Goya Tomato cooking base

12 oz

Bad out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in salt
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains seed oils
  • Contains artificial flavors
  • No synthetic dyes
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Why it scores 16

Goya Tomato cooking base scores 16 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Caramel color: The FDA says classes III and IV, which can contain 4-MEI, are the most commonly used food color additives by volume. Regulatory
  2. Bacon: IARC classifies processed meat (cured, salted, smoked or fermented) as Group 1, based on colorectal cancer; each 50 g eaten daily is linked to an 18% higher risk. Regulatory
  3. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

The Receipt

Tomato cooking base

START100

Ingredients

  • Caramel color
    Regulatory The FDA says classes III and IV, which can contain 4-MEI, are the most commonly used food color additives by volume. [1][2][3][4]
  • Bacon
    Regulatory IARC classifies processed meat (cured, salted, smoked or fermented) as Group 1, based on colorectal cancer; each 50 g eaten daily is linked to an 18% higher risk. [5][6]
  • Corn syrup solids
    Strong An added sugar. [7][8][9]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [10]
  • 7 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: anti-caking agent, color (added), flavor enhancer, flavoring, industrial protein, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and modified starch. [10]
subtotal−26

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 7.7 g / 100 g
    Strong Contains some sugar. [7]
  • Salt 1.8 g / 100 g
    Strong High in salt. [11]
subtotal−8
TOTAL 16Bad

100 − 84 = 16

Can’t score above 79. Contains caramel color, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Can’t score above 79. High in salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [12]

GTIN 00041331021463 · 2026-09-15

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy100 kcal
Fat0 g
Saturated fat0 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates20 g
Sugars7.7 g
Added sugars0 g
Fiber2.7 g
Protein0 g
Salt1.8 g

Serving: 1 tsp (26 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

WATER, TOMATO PASTE, GREEN PEPPERS, SOYBEAN OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, DEHYDRATED ONIONS, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY FLOUR, CARAMEL COLOR), SALT, CULANTRO, ONION POWDER, OLIVE OIL, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, PAPRIKA, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL BACON FLAVOR (HYDROLYZED CORN, SOY AND WHEAT PROTEIN, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, BACON FAT, SILICON DIOXIDE TO PREVENT CAKING, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND GUANYLATE), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL HAM FLAVOR (HYDROLYZED SOY AND CORN PROTEIN, SAIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, YEAST EXTRACT, CANOLA OIL, BROWN SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, SILICON DIOXIDE, MALTODEXTRIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE), GARLIC POWDER, OREGANO AND BLACK PEPPER.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten

  • Not vegan
  • Not vegetarian
  • Not gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest tomato sauces in the US

More from Goya

Sources

  1. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Mar 27, 2020 · Regulator

    “Based on current science, the FDA has no reason to believe that there are any immediate or short-term health risks presented by 4-MEI at the levels expected in food.”

    fda.gov

  2. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  3. Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment

    PLOS ONE · Feb 18, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  4. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  5. IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat (Press Release No. 240)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · Oct 26, 2015 · IARC

    “Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.”

    iarc.who.int

  6. Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat (IARC Monographs Vol. 114 working group summary)

    The Lancet Oncology · December 2015 · IARC

    doi.org

  7. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  8. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  9. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  10. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  11. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “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

  12. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets

    Department of Health and Social Care / Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) · Nov 8, 2016 · Regulator

    “Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”

    assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  13. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “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

  14. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  15. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

    BMJ · Apr 12, 2016 · Peer-reviewed

    “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

  16. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association

    Circulation · Jul 18, 2017 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  17. Dietary Linoleic Acid and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

    Circulation · Oct 28, 2014 · Peer-reviewed

    “These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”

    doi.org