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Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Original Flavored Soup
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Instant noodle soups

Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Original Flavored Soup

100 g

Bad out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in salt
  • High in saturated fat
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains seed oils
  • Contains palm oil
  • No synthetic dyes
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Why it scores 12

Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Original Flavored Soup scores 12 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. 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
  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 instant noodles and ramen

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

The Receipt

Japanese Style Noodles & Original Flavored Soup

START100

Ingredients

  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • 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. [4][5][6][7]
  • Sodium benzoate
    Strong Benzoates can form small amounts of benzene in drinks that also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C), especially with heat or light. [8][9][10]
  • Palm oil
    Strong About half saturated fat; WHO recommends keeping saturated fat to 10% of energy or less. [11][12][13]
  • Guar gum
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [14]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [14]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added), flavor enhancer, flavoring, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [14]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Saturated fat 9 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in saturated fat. [11]
  • Salt 4.6 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in salt. [15]
  • Energy 460 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
  • Fiber 4 g / 100 g
    Strong A good source of fiber. [2]
  • Protein 10 g / 100 g
    Info A good source of protein. [2]
subtotal−14
TOTAL 12Bad

100 − 88 = 12

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

Can’t score above 79. High in fat, saturated fat and salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [16]

GTIN 00076186000011 · 2026-10-08

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy460 kcal
Fat19 g
Saturated fat9 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates62 g
Sugars0 g
Added sugars0 g
Fiber4 g
Protein10 g
Salt4.6 g

Serving: 100g

Ingredients

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

Oriental noodles: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil (tbhq and citric acid added to protect flavor), tapioca starch, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, sodium benzoate [preservative]), salt, guar gum, sodium carbonate, tocopherols, potassium carbonate. soup base: salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, maltodextrin, soy sauce powder (soy sauce [wheat, soybeans, salt], maltodextrin, salt), onion powder, leek chips, caramel color (contains sulfites), spices, chicken broth powder (maltodextrin, chicken broth flavor [contains chicken broth, salt, flavor]), beef stock powder, disodium succinate, malic acid, garlic powder, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, corn oil, sodium citrate, sesame oil.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Sesame, Sulphites

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

Always check the package: recipes change.

Packaging

Ldpe 4 low density polyethylene

Context only: no points in v1.

Healthiest instant noodle soups in the US

More from Sapporo Ichiban

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. 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

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

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

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

    PLOS ONE · Feb 18, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  7. 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

  8. Benzene production from decarboxylation of benzoic acid in the presence of ascorbic acid and a transition-metal catalyst

    Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · May 1993 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

    The Lancet · November 2007 · Peer-reviewed

    “Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.”

    doi.org

  10. Re-evaluation of benzyl alcohol (E 1519) as food additive (records the 2016 benzoate re-evaluation)

    European Food Safety Authority · Oct 30, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “derived a group ADI of 5 mg/kg bw per day (expressed as benzoic acid) in accordance with the ADI previously derived by SCF and JECFA”

    doi.org

  11. 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

  12. Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods

    European Food Safety Authority · May 3, 2016 · Agency assessment

    “The highest levels of GE, as well as 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD (including esters) were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  13. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food

    European Union (Official Journal) · Apr 25, 2023 · Law

    “Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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

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

    Circulation · Jul 18, 2017 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  21. 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