Is Applegate Healthier Than Boar's Head? 290 vs 360mg Sodium

Is Applegate healthier than Boar's Head? The labels don't settle it: Applegate Naturals lists 290 mg sodium per 2 slices (about 55 g) and no sodium phosphate or sugar, while Boar's Head pre-sliced lists 360 mg per 2 oz with sodium phosphate and sugar, and the two serving sizes differ.

Key takeaways

• Applegate lists turkey breast, water, and 2% or less of sea salt, potato starch, salt, turkey broth, and rosemary extract, with no sodium phosphate or sugar in that ingredient statement.
• Boar's Head pre-sliced lists turkey breast, water, and less than 1.5% of salt, sodium phosphate, and sugar.
• Per serving, Applegate (2 slices) lists 290 mg sodium (13% DV) and 14 g protein, while Boar's Head (2 oz) lists 360 mg sodium (15% DV) and 11 g protein. Both panels list 0 g total sugars.
• Applied per serving under FDA's 5% and 20% DV guide, neither printed sodium value is classed as low or high.
• The brands word their nitrate and nitrite claims differently, and the serving sizes differ, so compare the per-serving figures on each package.

Applegate Naturals Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Boar's Head pre-sliced Oven Roasted Turkey Breast are both sliced, cooked turkey breast, but their printed labels differ on ingredients, sodium, and protein. The sections below place those printed facts side by side.

What Are the Ingredients in Applegate Naturals vs Boar's Head Oven Roasted Turkey Breast?

Applegate Naturals lists turkey breast, water, and 2% or less of sea salt, potato starch, salt, turkey broth, and rosemary extract. Boar's Head pre-sliced lists turkey breast, water, and less than 1.5% of salt, sodium phosphate, and sugar.

The Applegate brand page gives its ingredient statement as "Turkey Breast, Water. Contains 2% or less of: Sea Salt, Potato Starch, Salt, Turkey Broth, Rosemary Extract." The Boar's Head pre-sliced 8 oz listing gives its statement as "Turkey Breast, Water, Less than 1.5% of Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Sugar."

That ingredient statement applies to the pre-sliced 8 oz listing only. The Ovengold deli-counter product is a different item, and this article does not attribute this ingredient list to it.

Some third-party databases list Applegate's broth as chicken broth. This article uses the brand's own wording, "turkey broth."

Applegate's brand page also states "No chemical nitrates or nitrites, No artificial ingredients or preservatives, No fillers, No GMO ingredients" and tags the product Casein Free, Gluten Free, and Whole30 Approved. The Boar's Head pages cited here do not include a matching brand statement for this pack.

Does Boar's Head Pre-Sliced Turkey Contain Sodium Phosphate and Sugar?

Yes. Boar's Head pre-sliced lists sodium phosphate and sugar in its ingredient statement. Applegate Naturals lists neither, and its ingredient statement contains no phosphate and no sugar.

Boar's Head lists salt, sodium phosphate, and sugar after the phrase "Less than 1.5% of," and the label does not give the amount of each. The panel reports 0 g sugars at the 2 oz serving, but the label does not disclose the sugar amount. The label also does not disclose how much sodium phosphate the pack contains.

That gap matters for reading the label. Because the printed panel does not state the quantity of either ingredient, this article cannot say what share of the product they represent, and it does not treat the 0 g sugar figure as proof that sugar is absent.

This comparison cannot establish how sodium phosphate or sugar in these packs affects any individual, and it does not measure how much of either ingredient a shopper would consume.

Does Boar's Head Turkey Have a Lot of Sodium?

Boar's Head pre-sliced lists 360 mg of sodium per 2 oz serving, which is 15% DV, according to its nutrition page. FDA treats 5% DV or less as low and 20% DV or more as high, so that printed figure falls between those thresholds, and whether it counts as a lot depends on your total daily intake.

Applegate lists 290 mg (13% DV) per 2 slices, so the two printed values sit fairly close together even though the serving sizes differ. The Ovengold deli-counter product lists the same 360 mg (15% DV) per 2 oz serving, but it is a separate item from the pre-sliced pack.

How Much Sodium Is in Applegate Naturals vs Boar's Head Turkey, and What Is the %DV?

Applegate lists 290 mg sodium (13% DV) per 2 slices. Boar's Head pre-sliced lists 360 mg sodium (15% DV) per 2 oz. Applied per serving, both values sit between FDA's 5% DV low threshold and 20% DV high threshold.

The FDA Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg per day. FDA states that "5% DV or less of sodium per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more of sodium per serving is considered high." Those thresholds apply per serving, so the printed serving size matters.

Applegate's serving is 2 slices, which Open Food Facts lists as 55 g. Boar's Head's serving is 2 oz. The grams per slice for the pre-sliced Boar's Head pack are not printed, so a gram-for-gram comparison cannot be made from the label information alone.

A sandwich adds sodium from its bread, cheese, and condiments, so the turkey's figure is only one part of a meal's total. People who track sodium on a clinician's advice may find %DV useful for comparing servings against the 2,300 mg reference. It does not reflect any individual limit.

How Much Protein Is in Applegate Naturals vs Boar's Head Oven Roasted Turkey Breast?

Applegate lists 14 g protein per 2 slices (Lowes Foods listing), and Boar's Head pre-sliced lists 11 g protein per 2 oz. The Open Food Facts entry for Applegate also lists 14 g protein.

Because the serving sizes differ, the 3 g gap reflects the printed serving on each label, not a per-ounce comparison. The same panels show other differences: Applegate lists 60 calories, 0 g total fat, 30 mg cholesterol (10% DV), and 370 mg potassium (8% DV). Boar's Head pre-sliced lists 50 calories, 0.5 g total fat (1% DV), 25 mg cholesterol (8% DV), and 280 mg potassium (8% DV).

People counting protein for a meal plan can use the grams printed per serving. Interpreting protein targets for a specific person is a task for a clinician or dietitian.

How Do the Nitrate and Nitrite Claims Differ Between Applegate and Boar's Head?

Applegate's brand page says "No chemical nitrates or nitrites," and its package text says "No nitrates or nitrites added" with an exception for those "naturally occurring in sea salt." The Boar's Head Ovengold deli-counter badge says "No Nitrates or Nitrites Added Except for those naturally occurring in cultured celery juice powder."

These are different products. The pre-sliced Boar's Head ingredient statement does not name celery juice powder, and the nitrate or nitrite wording on the pre-sliced pack is not disclosed. This comparison therefore covers only the Ovengold badge and the Applegate statements on that point.

Both brands use "naturally occurring" wording for the source they name: sea salt for Applegate and cultured celery juice powder for Ovengold. The labels do not explain the chemistry, and this article does not add an interpretation. Nitrite labeling on other meats follows its own wording, as shown in Does Oscar Mayer Bacon Have Nitrites? Yes, and So Does Hormel.

What Do Sodium Phosphate and Sugar Mean on a Deli Turkey Label?

Sodium phosphate is a phosphate additive, and sugar is a sweetener. USDA rules (9 CFR 424.21) permit sodium phosphates in poultry products "to decrease the amount of cooked out juices," limited to 0.5 percent of the total product. On the Boar's Head pre-sliced ingredient statement, both appear in the group labeled less than 1.5%. Applegate's statement contains neither.

A few label-reading points help here:

• "Less than 1.5% of" is a grouping phrase; the label does not give the amount of any ingredient after it.
• Sugar can appear in the ingredient statement while the Nutrition Facts panel shows 0 g at the printed serving.
• Phosphate appears on the Boar's Head label under the name "Sodium Phosphate."
• Applegate's statement lists both sea salt and salt, and both contribute sodium.

The labels cited here describe these ingredients only as printed. They do not establish health effects of sodium phosphate or sugar in deli turkey, so this article makes no such claim.

How Do the Two Turkeys Compare Side by Side at a Glance?

Both printed panels show 0 g total sugars, and the products differ on serving size, sodium, protein, and ingredient list. The table uses only the printed figures for the pre-sliced Boar's Head pack and the Applegate pack.

Item	Applegate Naturals Oven Roasted Turkey Breast	Boar's Head pre-sliced Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Serving size	2 slices (Open Food Facts: 55 g)	2 oz
Servings per container	3.5 (7 oz pack)	4 (8 oz pack)
Calories	60	50
Total fat	0 g	0.5 g (1% DV)
Sodium	290 mg (13% DV)	360 mg (15% DV)
Total sugars / added sugars	0 g / 0 g	0 g / 0 g
Protein	14 g	11 g
Potassium	370 mg (8% DV)	280 mg (8% DV)
Cholesterol	30 mg (10% DV)	25 mg (8% DV)
Ingredient statement	Turkey breast, water, 2% or less of sea salt, potato starch, salt, turkey broth, rosemary extract (Applegate product page)	Turkey breast, water, less than 1.5% of salt, sodium phosphate, sugar (Lowes Foods listing)
Phosphate listed	No (Applegate product page)	Yes, sodium phosphate (Lowes Foods listing)
Nitrate and nitrite wording	"No chemical nitrates or nitrites" (brand page); "No nitrates or nitrites added" except those naturally occurring in sea salt (package)	Not disclosed for this pack; the Ovengold deli-counter badge differs (Ovengold nutrition page)
Brand statements	Casein Free, Gluten Free, Whole30 Approved; no artificial ingredients or preservatives	American Heart Association Heart-Check mark (product page)

The Heart-Check mark appears on the Boar's Head product page. This article reports it without evaluating it.

How Should Shoppers Read These Labels Before Buying Deli Turkey?

Read the serving size first, then compare sodium in mg and %DV at that same serving, then check the ingredient statement for phosphates and sugar. Deli-counter and pre-sliced packs can differ, so check the package you are holding.

A practical checklist:

• Serving size: 2 slices (Applegate) and 2 oz (Boar's Head pre-sliced) are different measures.
• Sodium: compare mg and %DV per serving, since FDA's 5% and 20% DV thresholds apply per serving.
• Ingredients: look for sodium phosphate, sugar, and any grouping such as "2% or less" or "less than 1.5%."
• Nitrates and nitrites: read the exact wording, including any "naturally occurring" exception.
• Protein: check grams per printed serving.
• Different product, same brand line: the Ovengold deli-counter product lists 60 calories and 1 g total fat per 2 oz. That is not the pre-sliced pack, which lists 50 calories and 0.5 g total fat.

For a related meat-labeling story, see Fake USDA Inspection Mark: 167,639 Pounds of Meat Recalled.

These label figures describe one printed pack and one serving each. They cannot establish how any individual responds to sodium, phosphate, or sugar, and they do not cover every flavor, deli-counter cut, or package size.