Sloppy joe: known only through its beef and its tomato

Nobody has studied the sloppy joe as a dish, so everything here comes from its two main parts, red meat and tomato. The firmest finding is about the meat. Across 18 randomized trials, eating more red meat raised C-reactive protein (weighted mean difference 0.23, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.39, unit not given in the abstract), an effect confined to people with cardiometabolic disease eating mixed red meat at 0.5 servings a day or more. The tomato side has a pooled result too. In a meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials, fat eaten with carotenoid-rich food raised carotenoid absorption, more with unsaturated fats (SMD 0.90) than with saturated fats (SMD 0.27), and the authors pooled carotenoids in general, with lycopene not tested alone. Beef fat is mostly saturated. The number you can act on today is salt. One sandwich on a white bun (185 g) carries about 666 mg sodium and 342 calories in US survey data, from a single recipe-based entry.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A cup of sloppy joe filling without the bun (250 g) carries about 740 mg sodium, 350 calories, 30 g protein and 9.5 g sugars in US survey data. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = 1 food code) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: sodium 296 mg, energy 140 calories, protein 12.06 g, total sugars 3.81 g; per cup 250 g: 740 mg, 350 calories, 30.1 g, 9.5 g
• One sloppy joe sandwich on a white bun (185 g) carries about 666 mg sodium, 342 calories and 21 g protein in US survey data. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = 1 food code) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: sodium 360 mg, energy 185 calories, protein 11.32 g, total sugars 4.94 g; per sandwich 185 g: 666 mg, 342.2 calories, 20.9 g, 9.1 g

What your body absorbs

• Across 12 RCTs, eating fat with carotenoid-rich food raised carotenoid absorption, with unsaturated fats (SMD 0.90) beating saturated fats (SMD 0.27). — 12 RCTs in humans plus 27 in vitro studies Evidence A source
  SMD 0.90 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.11) with unsaturated fats vs SMD 0.27 (0.08 to 0.47) with saturated fats
• In 16 adults, lycopene absorbed from a salad eaten with 28 g olive oil was 45.8% higher than with 28 g coconut oil over 10 hours. — 16 subjects, carotenoid-rich salad with 0.99 oz (28 g) of one of four fats, crossover, plasma sampled hourly for 10 h (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Lycopene positive iAUC 1-10 h +45.8% with olive oil vs coconut oil; total carotenoids +55.2%
• Studies mapped by a scoping review found that adding meat to a plant-based meal steadily increased iron and zinc absorption from that meal. — 77 studies, 52 in humans, 24 in animals, 1 in both (n = 77 studies) Evidence C source
  Direction only: higher iron and zinc absorption from single meals; effect in the overall diet less clear

What it does to your health

• Across 18 RCTs, eating more red meat raised blood C-reactive protein, with a weighted mean difference of 0.23. — 22 RCTs with 1152 adults of any health status; CRP pooled from 18 RCTs (n = 1152) Evidence A source
  CRP WMD 0.23 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.39); seen with mixed or unspecified red meat, not unprocessed red meat alone
• Observational data link the highest total red meat intake to a 12% higher pancreatic cancer risk across 19 cohorts. — 19 prospective cohorts, 4,291,065 participants, 13,820 cases (n = 4291065) Evidence C source
  HR 1.12 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.24) highest vs lowest total red meat; unprocessed HR 1.05 and processed HR 1.02, both not significant
• Observational data link higher tomato intake to 11% lower cancer mortality and higher lycopene intake to 16% lower cancer mortality. — 121 prospective studies of adults, follow-up 2 to 32 years Evidence C source
  Cancer mortality RR 0.89 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.93) for tomato intake; RR 0.84 (0.81 to 0.86) for lycopene intake

Safety, limits and interactions

• In people with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-bite red meat allergy, 91.8% had symptoms starting an hour or more after eating red meat. — 1162 alpha-gal syndrome patients in 15 studies, 57% female (n = 1162) Evidence C source
  Onset 1 h or more after red meat in 91.8% (95% CI 84.6 to 96.8); tick bite recalled by 78.7%

What people believe that the data does not support

• Europe refused a claim that lycopene from tomato pulp and sauces should always be eaten for its nutritional qualities. — — Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In 10 intervention studies with 397 adults, eating more red meat for at least 4 weeks raised hemoglobin by 2.36 g/L but did not significantly change ferritin. — 397 adults aged 18 to 70, 81% women, at least 4 weeks of increased red meat (255 to 1841 g cooked a week) (n = 397) Evidence C source
  Hemoglobin +2.36 g/L (95% CI 0.71 to 4.02); ferritin +1.87 ug/L (95% CI -0.73 to 4.48), significant only for trials of 8 weeks or more

The bottom line

Without the bun, a 250 g cup of the filling carries about 740 mg sodium, 350 calories, 30 g protein and 9.5 g sugars, again from one recipe-based entry, and home and canned sauces vary widely in sodium and sugar. On iron, 10 controlled intervention studies in 397 adults, 81% of them women, found that eating more red meat for at least four weeks raised hemoglobin by 2.36 g/L (95% CI 0.71 to 4.02). Ferritin, the iron store, rose by 1.87 ug/L with an interval running from minus 0.73 to 4.48, which did not reach significance, and the authors call the clinical meaning unclear. A scoping review of 77 studies adds direction without size. Adding meat to a single plant-based meal steadily raised iron and zinc absorption from that meal, and the effect across a whole diet is less clear. For the tomato, a crossover trial in 16 adults found lycopene absorption 45.8% higher when a salad came with 28 g olive oil than with 28 g coconut oil, over one meal of salad, a long way from a simmered meat sauce. Spurious precision is easy on cancer, so here is what the cohorts actually say. Across 19 cohorts with 4.3 million people, the highest total red meat intake was associated with 12% higher pancreatic cancer risk (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24), while processed and unprocessed red meat taken separately showed no significant link. In 121 prospective studies, higher tomato intake went with 11% lower cancer mortality and higher lycopene intake with 16% lower, observational figures with high heterogeneity and nothing about tomato cooked into a meat sauce. Europe has refused the claim that lycopene from tomato pulp and sauces should always be eaten for its nutritional qualities, and all 28 lycopene claims in its register are non-authorized. The caution with evidence behind it is alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy that follows tick bites. Across 15 studies of 1162 patients, 91.8% (95% CI 84.6 to 96.8) had symptoms starting an hour or more after eating red meat, a pooled figure with very high heterogeneity. That delay makes it easy to miss the link to a beef sandwich at lunch. This page has no data on children, pregnancy or medicines for this dish, and no study of what simmering ground beef in tomato sauce does to lycopene or iron.

Sources

1. slj-r8-01 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2706378 Sloppy joe, no bun: Sodium 296 mg/100 g, 1 cup 250 g 740.0 mg · Energy 140 kcal/100 g, 1 cup 350.0 kcal · Protein 12.06 g/100 g, 1 cup 30.1 g · Total Sugars 3.81 g/100 g, 1 cup 9.5 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
2. slj-r8-02 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2706883 Sloppy joe sandwich, on white bun: Sodium 360 mg/100 g, 1 sandwich 185 g 666.0 mg · Energy 185 kcal/100 g, 1 sandwich 342.2 kcal · Protein 11.32 g/100 g, 1 sandwich 20.9 g · Total Sugars 4.94 g/100 g, 1 sandwich 9.1 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
3. slj-r8-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Moreover, fats rich in unsaturated fatty acids resulted in greater improvement in carotenoid bioavailability (SMD 0.90; 95%CI, 0.69-1.11) as compared with fats rich in saturated fatty acids (SMD 0.27; 95%CI, 0.08-0.47).
   Nutr Rev, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
4. slj-r8-04 · randomized crossover trial
   Similarly, the positive iAUC1-10h of TC, α-carotene, and lycopene were 55.2%, 110.8%, and 45.8%, respectively, higher with olive oil than with coconut oil.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
5. slj-r8-05 · scoping review
   The addition of muscle tissue and muscle tissue fractions to single plant-based meals steadily increased absorption of iron and zinc across studies.
   Adv Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
6. slj-r8-07 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Overall, greater total RMI led to higher CRP across 18 RCTs (weighted mean difference 0.23, 95% CI 0.08-0.39).
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
7. slj-r8-08 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   The highest intake of total red meat was positively related to risk of pancreatic cancer (Pooled HR: 1.12, 95%CIs: 1.01, 1.24; I2: 36.5 %, PQ-test: 0.10).
   Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
8. slj-r8-09 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   Regarding cancer mortality, negative relationships were found with total tomato intake (Pooled RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85-0.93, I2 = 65.7%, p < 0.001), lycopene intake (Pooled RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.81-0.86, I2 = 86.5%, p < 0.001) and lycopene levels (Pooled RR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60-0.98, I2 = 70.9%, p = 0.031).
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
9. slj-r8-10 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   Tick bite history was recalled by 78.7% (CI: 46.4-98.1; I2 = 99.1%), and 91.8% (CI: 84.6-96.8; I2 = 70.3%) had symptom onset ≥ 1 h post red meat intake.
   Neurogastroenterol Motil, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
10. slj-r8-11 · regulatory register entry
    POL-HC-7535 Lycopenes from tomato pulp and sauces Tomato is as almost unique as a source of a specific carotene named: Lycopene; Therefore use it always is any conditions for its nutritional qualities Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7535, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
11. slj-r8-06 · meta-analysis of intervention studies
    Interventions involving increasing red meat intake had no significant effect on serum ferritin concentrations ... but did have a positive effect on Hb concentrations (RMCD = 2.36 g L-1; 95% CI, 0.71 to 4.02; t = 3.297; P = .011).
    Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29