Freezer aisle
Sodium and servings in the Aplenty freezer aisle
A frozen meal is a label you read at the stove, usually after the box is open. Two lines on it decide more than any other: how many servings the package holds, and how much sodium is in each one. Here they are for every frozen Aplenty product we list.
Servings first
FDA asks you to look at servings per container and serving size before anything else on the Nutrition Facts panel, because every other number refers to one serving. Eat two and you double them all. Frozen labels count modest servings: a third of a pizza, four potstickers, a cup of orange chicken. The mochi boxes are the exception, counting all six pieces as a single serving.
Sodium per serving and per package
The Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams a day. Per serving, the frozen products here run from 120 mg for Aplenty Mango Mochi Ice Cream to 660 mg for Aplenty Margherita Pizza, Wood Fired Crust. The last column multiplies the label’s per-serving figure by its servings per container: our arithmetic, not a number printed on the box.
| Product | Serving | Servings | Sodium per serving | Whole package |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aplenty Mango Mochi Ice Cream | 6 Pieces (210g) | 1 | 120 mg | 120 mg |
| Aplenty Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream | 6 Pieces (210g) | 1 | 150 mg | 150 mg |
| Aplenty Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry | 1 cup (110 g) | 3.5 | 190 mg | 665 mg |
| Aplenty 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese Bites | 4 bites (85g) | 2.5 | 270 mg | 675 mg |
| Aplenty Gnocchi with Tomato & Mozzarella | 1 cup (110 g) | 4 | 280 mg | 1,120 mg |
| Aplenty Greek Style Spanakopita | 3 pieces (86 g) | 2.5 | 290 mg | 725 mg |
| Aplenty Chicken & Vegetable Potstickers | 4 pieces (76 g) | 5 | 300 mg | 1,500 mg |
| Aplenty Pork & Vegetable Potstickers | 4 pieces (76 g) | 5 | 320 mg | 1,600 mg |
| Aplenty Truffle Oil & Mushrooms Thin and Crispy Pizza | 1/3 Pizza (139g) | 3 | 490 mg | 1,470 mg |
| Aplenty Mandarin Orange Chicken | 1 cup (140g/5oz) | 4 | 560 mg | 2,240 mg |
| Aplenty Chicken Pesto Thin and Crispy Pizza | 1/3 Pizza (145 g) | 3 | 650 mg | 1,950 mg |
| Aplenty Margherita Pizza, Wood Fired Crust | 1/3 pizza (152 g) | 3 | 660 mg | 1,980 mg |
The whole package with the most sodium is Aplenty Mandarin Orange Chicken, about 2,240 mg if one person finished it. No package here passes the full daily value when eaten whole, though several come close. FDA counts 20% of the daily value per serving as high and 5% or less as low, and lists pizza among the foods that bring Americans the most sodium.
Aplenty Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry The lowest sodium per serving in the freezer aisle here, and vegan on the package.
Cook it the way the package says
USDA found that home cooks often cannot tell whether a frozen product is raw or fully cooked, especially when it is breaded or browned. Words such as "Cook and Serve", "Ready to Cook" or "Oven Ready" mean the food must be cooked. Follow the package directions, wash your hands before and after handling raw frozen products, and check meat with a food thermometer: 165°F is the safe internal temperature for poultry.
- Read servings per container before you plate.
- Compare sodium per serving across products with the same serving size, not across a pizza slice and a cup of rice.
- Use the package directions and a thermometer for anything with chicken or pork.