Turkey preparations
Lunchables Turkey & American with Chocolate Crème Cookies
3.2 oz (90 g)
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in salt
- High in saturated fat
- Contains nitrites or nitrates
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains seed oils
- Contains palm oil
Why it scores 5
Lunchables Turkey & American with Chocolate Crème Cookies scores 5 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Dextrose: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Sodium nitrite: IARC classifies ingested nitrate or nitrite under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation as Group 2A; it classifies processed meat as Group 1. Regulatory
- minus 18 points 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.
Better sandwich cookies
-
Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies Cocoa & Cashew Butter Simple Mills · 190 g Not ultra-processed · Less salt Score 46 out of 100 , 41 points higher -
Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies Simple Mills · 6.7 oz Not ultra-processed · Less salt Score 48 out of 100 , 43 points higher -
Dunkies chocolate & crème cookies vanilla Choc Zero · 9 oz Less salt · No nitrites or nitrates Score 42 out of 100 , 37 points higher -
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Oreo · .8 oz Less salt · Less saturated fat Score 46 out of 100 , 41 points higher -
Sandwich Cookies HighKey · 5.09 oz Less salt · Less saturated fat Score 56 out of 100 , 51 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Turkey & American with Chocolate Crème Cookies
Ingredients
- Dextrose minus 20 points
- Sodium nitrite minus 20 points
- Sugar minus 10 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 7 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 8 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Sugars 12.2 g / 100 g minus 5 points
- Saturated fat 7.8 g / 100 g minus 7 points
- Salt 1.8 g / 100 g minus 7 points
- Energy 333 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
- Protein 12.2 g / 100 g plus 2 points
100 − 95 = 5
Can’t score above 79. Contains dextrose, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][12]
Can’t score above 79. High in saturated fat and salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [13]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 333 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 16.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 7.8 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35.6 g |
| Sugars | 12.2 g |
| Added sugars | 11.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.1 g |
| Protein | 12.2 g |
| Salt | 1.8 g |
Serving: 1 serving (100 g)
Ingredients
- ROAST WHITE TURKEY-CURED-SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED (WHITE TURKEY, WATER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, DEXTROSE, SALT, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM DIACETATE, POTASSIUM SALTS, SODIUM ASCORBATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SODIUM NITRITE, SMOKE FLAVOR)
- CHOCOLATE CREME SANDWICH COOKIES (ENRICHED FLOUR, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, PALM AND SOYBEAN OIL, COCOA [PROCESSED WITH ALKALI], DEXTROSE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN STARCH, SODIUM BICARBONATE [LEAVENER], SALT, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, CHOCOLATE)
- AMERICAN PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEESE PRODUCT (MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM CITRATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA [COLOR], ANNATTO [COLOR], WITH SUNFLOWER LECITHIN ADDED FOR SLICE SEPARATION)
- CRACKERS (ENRICHED FLOUR, PALM OIL, SUGAR, SALT, BAKING SODA, WHEY [FROM MILK], SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR)
Label text, as published
ROAST WHITE TURKEY-CURED-SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED (WHITE TURKEY, WATER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, DEXTROSE, SALT, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM DIACETATE, POTASSIUM SALTS, SODIUM ASCORBATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SODIUM NITRITE, SMOKE FLAVOR), CHOCOLATE CREME SANDWICH COOKIES (ENRICHED FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, PALM AND SOYBEAN OIL, COCOA [PROCESSED WITH ALKALI], DEXTROSE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: CORN STARCH, SODIUM BICARBONATE [LEAVENER], SALT, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, CHOCOLATE), AMERICAN PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEESE PRODUCT (MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM CITRATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA [COLOR], ANNATTO [COLOR], WITH SUNFLOWER LECITHIN ADDED FOR SLICE SEPARATION), CRACKERS (ENRICHED FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], PALM OIL, SUGAR, SALT, BAKING SODA, WHEY [FROM MILK], SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR)
Allergens and diets
Contains: Milk, Wheat
- Not vegan
- Not vegetarian
- Not gluten-free
- Not palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
More from Lunchables
Sources
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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
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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
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Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
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Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)
monographs.iarc.who.int
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“the presence of nitrites and nitrates in foods can give rise to the formation of nitrosamines some of which are carcinogenic.”
eur-lex.europa.eu
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EFSA confirms safe levels for nitrites and nitrates added to food
“They concluded that when nitrites are used at approved levels, their contribution to overall exposure to nitrosamines is of low concern for health.”
efsa.europa.eu
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Nitrosamines in food raise a health concern
“Nitrosamines in food raise a health concern”
efsa.europa.eu
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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
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21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup
“a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”
ecfr.gov
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“Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
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“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
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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
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”
doi.org
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“Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”
eur-lex.europa.eu