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King's Hawaiian Hawaiian Sweet Mini Sub Rolls
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Breads

King's Hawaiian Hawaiian Sweet Mini Sub Rolls

12 oz

Bad out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Seed-oil free
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Why it scores 10

King's Hawaiian Hawaiian Sweet Mini Sub Rolls scores 10 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Invert sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  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.

Better buns and rolls

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Hawaiian Sweet Mini Sub Rolls

START100

Ingredients

  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Invert sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Wheat gluten
    Info An ingredient typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
  • Sodium stearoyl lactylate
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
  • DATEM
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
  • Calcium phosphate
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI for phosphates of 40 mg/kg body weight (as phosphorus) and noted that infants, toddlers and children may exceed it. [5]
  • Sorbic acid
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI of 11 mg/kg body weight per day for sorbic acid and potassium sorbate. [6]
  • Sorbitan monostearate
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
  • Mono- and diglycerides
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher intakes of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471 and E472) were associated with higher cardiovascular risk; cause and effect is not established. [7][8][4]
  • Microcrystalline cellulose
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
  • Calcium silicate
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [4]
subtotal−49.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [4]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: anti-caking agent, emulsifier, industrial protein, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [4]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 17.5 g / 100 g
    Strong High in sugar. [1]
  • Saturated fat 4.4 g / 100 g
    Strong High in saturated fat. [9]
  • Salt 0.7 g / 100 g
    Strong High in salt. [10]
  • Energy 316 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−17
TOTAL 10Bad

100 − 90.5 = 9.5 → 10

Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]

GTIN 00073435003045 · 2026-02-26

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy316 kcal
Fat7.9 g
Saturated fat4.4 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates52.6 g
Sugars17.5 g
Added sugars15.8 g
Fiber1.8 g
Protein8.8 g
Salt0.7 g

Serving: 1 roll (57 g)

Ingredients

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

ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, LIQUID SUGAR (SUGAR, WATER), BUTTER (PASTEURIZED CREAM, SALT), EGGS, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: POTATO FLOUR, WHEY, YEAST, NONFAT MILK, SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY FLOUR, DEGERMINATED YELLOW CORN FLOUR, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, INACTIVE YEAST, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SORBIC ACID PRESERVATIVE, WHEAT FLOUR, CALCIUM SULFATE, SODIUM SILICOALUMINATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, WHEAT STARCH, ASCORBIC ACID ADDED AS A DOUGH CONDITIONER, ENZYMES, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, MONO- & DIGLYCERIDES, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, CALCIUM SILICATE.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Egg

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

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest breads in the US

More from King's Hawaiian

Sources

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  5. EFSA issues new advice on phosphates

    European Food Safety Authority · Jun 12, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “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

  6. Opinion on the follow-up of the re-evaluation of sorbic acid (E200) and potassium sorbate (E202) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Mar 1, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “By applying a default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel established a group ADI expressed as 11 mg sorbic acid/kg bw per day for sorbic acid (E 200) and its potassium salt (E 202).”

    doi.org

  7. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “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

  8. Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Nov 10, 2017 · Agency assessment

    “The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”

    doi.org

  9. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline

    World Health Organization · Jul 17, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”

    who.int

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “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

  14. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “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