Wish-Bone Italian Dressing: Labelgrade C (60/100)
C 60 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, low sugar load, and high sodium per 100mL.
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Wish-Bone Italian Dressing delivers 0g of protein and 15 calories per 2 Tbsp (USDA FDC 2039896). Per 100mL that’s 0g of protein; per fl oz, 0g. The Labelgrade is C (60 / 100): Very low saturated fat, low sugar load, and high sodium per 100mL.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | D | 50 / 100 | 0g per 100mL — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | C+ | 69 / 100 | 17 ingredients; flagged maltodextrin or corn syrup |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | F | 9 / 100 | 350mg per serving (345mg per fl oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | A- | 85 / 100 | 2g sugar; USDA omits the added-sugar line, but the ingredients list a sweetener — scored as added, not naturally-occurring |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g fiber, expected for beverages |
| Overall | C | 60 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 23% · ingredients 21% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 15% · fiber 8% |
A salad dressing is a flavor add-on, not a food, so the grade isn’t measuring nutrition it was never meant to provide — the protein and fiber F-grades are structural for the whole category. What the grade does track is fat and sodium, and on fat this dressing is close to spotless: 0g total, 0g saturated, a perfect A+. That single fact is why a C here means something different from the D next door. The one drag is sodium, and it’s the only number on this label worth watching.
Vinaigrette vs creamy: the format is the grade
The most useful thing on this page isn’t Wish-Bone’s score in isolation — it’s the gap between it and a creamy ranch, because that gap is the entire lesson of the salad-dressing aisle. Look at the same 2 Tbsp serving side by side: this Italian is 15 calories and 0g of fat; a creamy ranch is 160 calories and 16g of fat. More than a ten-to-one difference in calories, for a spoonful of the same thing — dressing.
That gap isn’t about quality or branding; it’s baked into how each one is built. A vinaigrette starts from water and vinegar and uses oil as an accent, so it’s mostly an acidic, near-calorie-free liquid. A creamy dressing starts from oil and buttermilk and emulsifies them into something thick and clinging, so fat is the product. When the choice is “Italian or ranch,” you’re really choosing between a flavor splash and a fat delivery vehicle — and on every dimension our grade can measure except sodium, the vinaigrette wins by a wide margin. If you want salad dressing to cost you as little as possible, the rule is simple: vinaigrette beats creamy, almost every time.
What it’s made of, and the one number to watch
Read the label and the vinaigrette structure is right there: water first, distilled vinegar second, then sugar and salt, with soybean oil sitting below all of them and the rest a short tail of flavor and texture — garlic, onion, red bell pepper, xanthan gum, a stevia leaf sweetener (Reb A), caramel color, and a standard preservative trio. It’s an engineered shelf-stable product, not a homemade oil-and-vinegar, but the bones are honest: this is a low-calorie acidic dressing, and the macros back that up.
The catch is sodium: 350mg per 2 Tbsp, an F on the card — and notably higher than the creamy ranch we compare it against. That isn’t an accident. When you strip the fat out of a dressing, you lose a lot of what makes it taste rich, so the flavor load shifts onto salt and acid to compensate. The practical upshot flips the usual advice: with a creamy dressing you watch the pour because the calories climb fast; with this vinaigrette you can be relaxed about the pour (it’s nearly free) but mindful of the salt if you’re sodium-sensitive or eating it daily. Used as intended — a light toss over greens a few times a week — it’s one of the lowest-cost flavor upgrades in the kitchen.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wish-Bone Italian Dressing (this product) | 0g | 0g | 0g | 15 |
| Ken’s Steak House Chef’s Reserve Farmhouse Ranch Dressing | 0g | 0g | 0g | 160 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Scope
This page covers Wish-Bone Italian Dressing (16 fl oz/473 mL), UPC 041321005411, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2039896. Wish-Bone sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
WATER, DISTILLED VINEGAR, SUGAR, SALT, GARLIC*, MALTODEXTRIN (CORN), SOYBEAN OIL**, ONION*, XANTHAN GUM, RED BELL PEPPERS*, SORBIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), SPICE, DL ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), REB A (NATURAL STEVIA LEAF SWEETENER), CARAMEL COLOR, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 2 Tbsp
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (2 Tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 15 |
| Protein | 0g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 3g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 2g |
| Sodium | 350mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Italian Dressing (16 fl oz/473 mL) · UPC 041321005411. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Wish-Bone Italian only 15 calories per serving when ranch is 160?
Because it's a vinaigrette, not a creamy dressing. The first ingredient is water, the second is distilled vinegar, and oil is far down the list — so a 2 Tbsp serving carries 0g of fat and just 15 calories (USDA FDC 2039896). Creamy ranch is built on oil and buttermilk, which is why it lands at 16g of fat and 160 calories for the same spoonful. The format, not the brand, sets the calorie floor.
Does Wish-Bone Italian have any fat at all?
Effectively none — 0g total fat and 0g saturated fat per 2 Tbsp, which earns a perfect A+ on the saturated-fat dimension. There is soybean oil in the ingredient list, but it sits below water, vinegar, sugar, and salt, so the amount per serving rounds to zero on the label. This is the single biggest reason a vinaigrette out-grades a creamy dressing: there's almost no fat to penalize.
If it's nearly calorie-free, why does it still only grade a C?
Sodium. At 350mg per 2 Tbsp the sodium dimension scores an F — and on this product it's actually higher than the ranch we compare it to (260mg), because the salt and savory flavor have to come from somewhere once you remove the fat. The near-zero fat and low sugar pull the grade up to a C; the sodium is what keeps it from climbing into B territory. It's a genuinely better choice than creamy ranch, but 'better' here still means C.
Is the 2 Tbsp serving realistic for Italian dressing?
More realistic than it is for ranch, but still optimistic. Because a vinaigrette is thin and pourable, people tend to use more of it than a thick creamy dressing — but the upside is that overshooting barely costs you. Triple the serving to 6 Tbsp and you're still only at ~45 calories and 0g of fat; the sodium, however, triples to over 1,000mg. With this dressing, watch the salt, not the calories.
Is Wish-Bone Italian Dressing keto-friendly?
It fits, with one caveat. At 3g total carbs, 2g sugar, 0g fat, and 0g protein per 2 Tbsp, it clears most ketogenic and low-carb thresholds. The caveat is that a fat-free vinaigrette adds no fat to your day — on keto, where fat is the point, a creamy dressing or a splash of olive oil does more work. For low-calorie or general low-carb eating, though, this is close to a free flavor add.
When was this data last verified?
Last verified 2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2039896. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.