Is Jimmy Dean Healthier Than Johnsonville? Sodium, MSG, BHA

Jimmy Dean Original Premium Fresh Pork Sausage Links and Johnsonville Original Breakfast Sausage Links differ on several label lines. Per serving, Jimmy Dean lists 570 mg sodium, 19 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat and 11 g protein for 3 cooked links, while Johnsonville lists 410 mg sodium, 14 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat and 9 g protein for 3 skillet cooked links. The ingredient panels also differ: Johnsonville's names BHA and propyl gallate, while Jimmy Dean's names monosodium glutamate but neither antioxidant. This page sets those label facts side by side.

Key takeaways

• Per serving, Jimmy Dean lists 570 mg sodium for 66 g of cooked links, and Johnsonville lists 410 mg for 55 g of skillet cooked links.
• Johnsonville's ingredient panel names BHA and propyl gallate. Jimmy Dean's printed ingredient list names monosodium glutamate and does not name BHA or propyl gallate.
• FDA considers added MSG generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and requires it to be declared in the ingredient panel.
• USDA's meat-ingredient rule permits BHA and propyl gallate in fresh pork sausage at 0.01 percent of fat content each, or 0.02 percent combined.
• Serving weights differ (66 g and 55 g), so per-gram figures in this article are calculated from the panel values. Neither brand states them.

Quick Answer: How the Two Sausage Links Differ on the Label at a Glance

The table below uses the figures printed on each manufacturer's nutrition panel and ingredient statement.

Label line	Jimmy Dean Original Premium Fresh Pork Sausage Links	Johnsonville Original Breakfast Sausage Links
Serving basis	3 cooked links (66 g)	3 skillet cooked links (55 g)
Calories	220	170
Total fat	19 g (24% DV)	14 g (18% DV)
Saturated fat	7 g (35% DV)	5 g (26% DV)
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	50 mg (17% DV)	35 mg (12% DV)
Sodium	570 mg (25% DV)	410 mg (18% DV)
Protein	11 g (22% DV)	9 g
Added sugars	1 g (2% DV)	1 g (1% DV)
Monosodium glutamate in ingredient list	Yes	Not named in the ingredient list
BHA in ingredient list	Not listed	Listed
Propyl gallate in ingredient list	Not listed	Listed
Package size	12 oz, 14 links, about 5 servings	Not disclosed on the page
Servings per container	About 5	4.5

The rest of this article walks through each row, explains what the numbers mean on a label, and notes where information is not disclosed.

How Much Sodium Is in Jimmy Dean vs Johnsonville Original Sausage Links per Serving?

Jimmy Dean's 3 cooked links (66 g) contain 570 mg of sodium, and Johnsonville's 3 skillet cooked links (55 g) contain 410 mg. The FDA states that the Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams per day, and it describes 20% DV or more of sodium per serving as high. Jimmy Dean's serving is 25% DV and Johnsonville's serving is 18% DV.

Serving weights change the per-gram picture. Dividing each panel figure by its serving weight gives calculated values of about 8.6 mg of sodium per gram for Jimmy Dean and about 7.5 mg per gram for Johnsonville. Neither brand states these per-gram values; they are calculated from the panels.

The labels do not show how much of Jimmy Dean's sodium comes from salt and how much comes from monosodium glutamate. FDA notes that additives such as MSG contain sodium and contribute, in lesser amounts, to the sodium listed on the Nutrition Facts label. The split for these products was not disclosed.

For another side-by-side sodium comparison of packaged meats, see Hebrew National vs Nathan's: Sodium 480 mg vs 400 mg.

How Much Total and Saturated Fat Do Jimmy Dean and Johnsonville Links Contain?

Jimmy Dean's 3 cooked links (66 g) list 19 g of total fat and 7 g of saturated fat, with 0 g of trans fat. Johnsonville's 3 skillet cooked links (55 g) list 14 g of total fat and 5 g of saturated fat, with 0 g of trans fat.

Calculated from the panel values, calories work out to about 3.3 per gram for Jimmy Dean (220 calories over 66 g) and about 3.1 per gram for Johnsonville (170 calories over 55 g). Neither brand states these per-gram figures. Cholesterol is 50 mg for Jimmy Dean and 35 mg for Johnsonville on the panels shown.

How Much Protein Do Jimmy Dean and Johnsonville Original Sausage Links Provide?

Jimmy Dean lists 11 g of protein per 3 cooked links (22% DV), and its product page describes the product as a good source of protein at 11 grams per serving. Johnsonville lists 9 g of protein per 3 skillet cooked links, with no %DV printed on the panel.

Calculated from the panels, protein is about 0.17 g per gram for Jimmy Dean and about 0.16 g per gram for Johnsonville. Neither brand states these per-gram values.

Do Jimmy Dean Original Sausage Links Contain MSG, and Does Johnsonville?

Yes, Jimmy Dean's ingredient statement names monosodium glutamate, listed among items that make up 2% or less of the product. Johnsonville's printed ingredient list does not name monosodium glutamate, and whether any ingredient on that list contains MSG was not disclosed.

FDA states that added MSG is generally recognized as safe, and it requires that foods containing added MSG declare it in the ingredient panel. Because of that requirement, MSG appears by name on the Jimmy Dean ingredient statement, while the printed Johnsonville list does not name it. Readers who want to avoid MSG specifically should read the full ingredient statement on the package they buy.

Research on how individuals respond to MSG has limits, and this comparison does not establish whether any reader reacts to it.

Are BHA and Propyl Gallate Listed in Jimmy Dean vs Johnsonville Original Sausage Links?

Yes, Johnsonville's ingredient statement lists BHA and propyl gallate. Jimmy Dean's printed ingredient list names neither one. Johnsonville's page also says 'No Artificial Colors or Flavors.' That statement concerns colors and flavors and says nothing about antioxidants such as BHA or propyl gallate.

The amount of BHA or propyl gallate in Johnsonville's links was not disclosed. Ingredient statements list the presence of an ingredient, not its quantity, so the label alone cannot show how much of either antioxidant is in a serving.

What Does the Federal Rule Say About BHA and Propyl Gallate in Sausage?

USDA's meat-ingredient table at 9 CFR 424.21 lists BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and propyl gallate as antioxidants used to retard rancidity. For fresh pork and sausage products, the table's permitted-use wording reads 'Fresh pork, sausage, brown and serve sausages, fresh Italian sausage products...' The limits are 0.01 percent when used individually and 0.02 percent in combination with other antioxidants, both based on fat content. The same table lists monosodium glutamate as a flavoring permitted in various meat and poultry products.

How Do Serving Sizes Change the Comparison of Jimmy Dean and Johnsonville Sausage Links?

Serving size changes almost every per-serving number on these panels. Jimmy Dean's serving is 66 g and Johnsonville's is 55 g, so a 3-link serving of each product is not the same amount of food.

A per-gram view helps, with the caveat that these values are calculated from the panels. Jimmy Dean works out to about 8.6 mg of sodium per gram, compared with about 7.5 mg for Johnsonville. Calories come to about 3.3 per gram for Jimmy Dean and 3.1 per gram for Johnsonville. Protein comes to about 0.17 g per gram for Jimmy Dean and 0.16 g per gram for Johnsonville.

The package also matters. Jimmy Dean's package is listed as 12 oz with 14 links and about 5 servings. Johnsonville's page lists 4.5 servings per container but does not disclose the net weight or link count, so readers cannot calculate its per-package totals from the page.

What Do Claims Like All Natural, Gluten-Free, and No Artificial Colors Mean?

Jimmy Dean's page labels the product 'All Natural*' and adds the footnote '*Minimally processed, no artificial ingredients.' The page also lists 'Good source of protein: 11 grams per serving' and 'Gluten-free.' No regulatory definition of 'All Natural' is cited on that page, so the footnote is the only explanation it gives.

Johnsonville's page lists '0% Trans Fat,' 'No Artificial Colors or Flavors,' and 'Premium Spice Blend.' The trans fat claim matches the 0 g of trans fat on its panel. Gluten-free status for Johnsonville was not disclosed.

Claims on the front of a package are marketing statements. The Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient statement are the most direct places to check what is inside.

Who Should Check Sodium, MSG, and Additive Labels Most Closely on These Links?

Readers who track sodium because of a clinician's advice may find the per-serving sodium figures most useful. The FDA's 2,300 mg daily reference and its 20% DV threshold are the regulatory benchmarks cited here. People who manage sodium for health reasons may want to discuss their intake with a clinician or dietitian.

Readers who want to know whether MSG is in a product will find it named on the Jimmy Dean ingredient list and not named on the Johnsonville list. People who avoid specific additives may want to read each ingredient statement in full, because flavorings can contain components that are not named individually.

This article does not make population-specific claims. Evidence specific to pregnant readers, children, or people with medical conditions was not established for these products.

What Information Was Not Disclosed for This Jimmy Dean vs Johnsonville Comparison?

Several details are not disclosed on these product pages:

• Johnsonville's package net weight and link count
• The amount of BHA or propyl gallate in Johnsonville's links
• How much of Jimmy Dean's sodium comes from MSG compared with salt
• Whether Johnsonville's links are gluten-free
• Nitrite content for either product, since neither ingredient statement lists nitrite
• Any FDA health-risk conclusion on BHA specific to these products
• Nutrition information for Jimmy Dean's fully cooked links, which is a different product

For a related label question, see Does Oscar Mayer Bacon Have Nitrites? Yes, and So Does Hormel.

The evidence here cannot establish how any individual will respond to these ingredients, or how the antioxidants behave in every body. Studies on additives often involve specific doses, animals or small groups, and they do not always translate to everyday meals.

Scan the Jimmy Dean and Johnsonville packages yourself to compare the panels you find on the shelf.

Related reading: for the eggs on the same plate, see Is Eggland's Best Pasture-Raised Like Vital Farms?.