Frozen foods
Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie
15 oz
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in saturated fat
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains seed oils
- No synthetic dyes
Why it scores 13
Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie scores 13 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Corn syrup solids: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- 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 frozen meals
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Chicken Pot Pie Stouffer's · 9 oz Less saturated fat · No added sugars Score 63 out of 100 , 50 points higher -
Chicken Pot Pie Blake's · 227 g Less saturated fat · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 50 out of 100 , 37 points higher -
Vegetable Pot Pie Amy's · 213 g Not ultra-processed · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 55 out of 100 , 42 points higher -
Handheld Chicken Pot Pies Trader Joe's · 9 oz Less saturated fat · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 46 out of 100 , 33 points higher -
Turkey Pot Pie Blake's · 227 g Less saturated fat · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 50 out of 100 , 37 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- Corn syrup solids minus 20 points
- Sugar minus 20 points
- Dextrose minus 10 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 10 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 8 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Saturated fat 6.8 g / 100 g minus 7 points
- Salt 0.9 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Energy 237 kcal / 100 g minus 1 points
100 − 87 = 13
Can’t score above 79. Contains corn syrup solids, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Can’t score above 79. High in saturated fat (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [7]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 237 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 15.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 6.8 g |
| Trans fat | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18.4 g |
| Sugars | 2.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.1 g |
| Protein | 5.3 g |
| Salt | 0.9 g |
Serving: 1 cup (190 g)
Ingredients
- Filling: water
- marinated cooked white chicken (chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, carrageenan, sodium phosphates)
- carrots
- gravy mix (modified food starch, wheat flour, cream sauce base, sweet whey, salt, yeast extract, chicken fat, xanthan gum, sugar, chicken broth powder, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, onion powder, garlic powder, natural flavor, spices, turmeric [color]) (not recognized)
- corn
- peas
- onion
- celery. crust: bleached enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- shortening (soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil)
- water
- dough conditioner (wheat flour, dextrose, corn starch, salt, sodium propionate [preservative], sodium aluminosilicate, sodium metabisulfite)
- dextrose (high concern)
- salt
- sodium bicarbonate
Label text, as published
Filling: water, marinated cooked white chicken (chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, carrageenan, sodium phosphates), carrots, gravy mix (modified food starch, wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid], cream sauce base [coconut oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, mono and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate], sweet whey, salt, yeast extract, chicken fat, xanthan gum, sugar, chicken broth powder, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, onion powder, garlic powder, natural flavor, spices, turmeric [color]), corn, peas, onion, celery. crust: bleached enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), shortening (soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil), water, dough conditioner (wheat flour, dextrose, corn starch, salt, sodium propionate [preservative], 2% or less of sodium aluminosilicate, sodium metabisulfite), dextrose, salt, sodium bicarbonate.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Celery, Sulphites
- Not vegan
- Not vegetarian
- Not gluten-free
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
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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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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“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
-
“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
-
“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