/ / Balducci's Chicago Giardiniera Marinara

Balducci's Chicago Giardiniera Marinara

Contains soybean oil

This tomato-based marinara includes giardiniera vegetables and is made in small batches. It contains soybean oil, sulfites and preservatives.

No added sugarNo artificial dyesNo artificial flavorsNo natural flavorsNo added nitritesNo phosphatesGluten-free (label)Dairy-freeContains soy
$8.99 lowest price at Balducci's Chicago
Price and stock checked Oct 30, 2026
Key nutrition facts
80caloriesPer serving · 1/2 Cup (125g)
Protein
2g
Fiber
2g
Added sugar
0g
Sodium
420mg▲
Saturated fat
0g
▲ raises the score · ▼ lowers it · From the product label
Ingredients: Tomato paste (tomatoes, naturally derived citric acid), water, crushed tomatoes (ground tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, calcium chloride and/or calcium sulfate [firming agents], and citric acid), hot giardiniera (peppers [serrano and jalapeno peppers], soybean oil, celery, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, olives, pimento paste (pimento, sodium alginate, and guar gum [gelling agent]), water, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic powder, spices, preservatives [sodium benzoate, calcium chloride, potassium sorbate, and sodium bisulfite]), granulated garlic, spices, and salt
67 / 100
Fair Scored automatically
Weighted as ready meals, soups, saucesHigh confidence · Scored on 11 of 11 inputs, 1 claim verified
Nutrition · counts 35%84
Ingredients · counts 25%66
Processing · counts 15%55
Sourcing · counts 10%50
Transparency · counts 15%50
Why it scores 67
Nutrition 84 · Compared with other ready meals and sauces: less sodium (420 mg); no added sugar per 1/2 Cup
Ingredients 66 · Soybean oil, 4th ingredient (seed oil, −10, ClearShelf standard); Benzoates (sodium benzoate, benzoic acid) (additive, −10); Sulfites (additive, −10); 1 more
Processing 55 · Tomato-based sauce with soybean oil, gums and preservatives
Sourcing 50 · Locally produced is stated, but ingredient growing practices aren't
Transparency 50 · Full list given, but spices are unspecified and preservatives are included
Contains soybean oil
Contains sulfites and preservatives
420 mg sodium per serving
Evidence behind the Ingredients deductions
Varies by additive−24 for benzoates, sulfites, sorbates
ClearShelf standard−10 for soybean oil · our house standard, not a medical claim
Scored Oct 22, 2026 · Scoring guide v3.1 · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · See what changed

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Ingredients
Tomato paste (tomatoes, naturally derived citric acid) Water Crushed tomatoes (ground tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, calcium chloride and/or calcium sulfate [firming agents], and citric acid) Hot giardiniera (peppers [serrano and jalapeno peppers] Soybean oil Celery Cauliflower Carrots Bell peppers Olives Pimento paste (pimento, sodium alginate, and guar gum [gelling agent]), water, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic powder, spices, preservatives [sodium benzoate, calcium chloride, potassium sorbate, and sodium bisulfite]) Granulated garlic Spices And salt
14 ingredients 2 to avoid
Sourcing

Origin not disclosed on the product page.

Additives6 additives · 2 moderate risk
Benzoates (sodium benzoate, benzoic acid) (E210–E212)PreservativeModerate risk
Can form small amounts of benzene with vitamin C in drinks, and was part of the 2007 UK hyperactivity study mix.
Sulfites (E220–E228)PreservativeModerate risk
Can trigger asthma-like reactions in sensitive people, which is why they must be declared on labels.
Sorbates (potassium sorbate, sorbic acid) (E200–E203)PreservativeLimited risk
Generally well tolerated; EFSA re-evaluated it in 2015 and kept it approved, though it can irritate sensitive skin.
Seed oilFatLimited risk
ClearShelf standard: we lower the Ingredients score when seed oils are used. This is our house standard, not a medical claim. Research is mixed; major health groups have not found harm at typical intakes.
Guar gum (E412)ThickenerNo risk
A fibre from guar beans; EFSA considers it safe at normal intakes.
Citric acid (E330)AcidNo risk
Usually made by fermentation; considered safe.
Matched from the ingredient list. Risk levels summarise findings from EFSA, the FDA, IARC and published studies; they explain a concern, not a diagnosis.

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