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Prano Balsamic vinegar
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Balsamic vinegars

Prano Balsamic vinegar

500 g

Poor out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains added sugars
  • No synthetic dyes
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Why it scores 28

Prano Balsamic vinegar scores 28 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Fruit juice concentrate (sweetener): 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 vinegar

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

The Receipt

Balsamic vinegar

START100

Ingredients

  • Fruit juice concentrate (sweetener)
    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]
  • Sulfur dioxide
    Regulatory Sulfites must be declared above 10 mg/kg in the EU and UK and at 10 ppm or more in the US because some people, especially people with asthma, react to them. [8][9][10]
subtotal−47.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [11]
  • 2 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added) and industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate. [11]
subtotal−19.5

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 13.3 g / 100 g
    Strong High in sugar. [1]
subtotal−5
TOTAL 28Poor

100 − 72 = 28

Can’t score above 79. Contains fruit juice concentrate (sweetener), an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

GTIN 04099100138191 · 2023-11-29

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy67 kcal
Fat0 g
Saturated fat0 g
Carbohydrates13.3 g
Sugars13.3 g
Added sugars0 g
Fiber0 g
Protein0 g
Salt0 g

Serving: 15 g

Ingredients

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

wine vinegar, concentrated grape must, caramel color, contains sulfites,

Allergens and diets

Contains: Sulphites

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest balsamic vinegars in the US

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. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers

    European Union (Official Journal) · Oct 25, 2011 · Law

    “ANNEX II SUBSTANCES OR PRODUCTS CAUSING ALLERGIES OR INTOLERANCES 1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  9. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (as it applies in the UK), Annex II: substances or products causing allergies or intolerances

    legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · Law

    “1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof”

    legislation.gov.uk

  10. 21 CFR 101.100 Food; exemptions from labeling (sulfiting agents)

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Feb 17, 2022 · Law

    ecfr.gov

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  12. 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

  13. 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