Best Choice
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Best Choice, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Best Choice averages 93.6/100 across the 371 of 953 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 27.0% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 93.6/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 371 scored products
- 953
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 27.0%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 71.3%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 953 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Best choice, creamy wheels, birthday cake; Energy Low Calorie Drink Mix; Best Choice Candy Shop Jelly Beans; 27.0% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 93.6/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
Catalog evidence
Ingredient-list coverage comes before the score
Only 371 of 953 tracked Best Choice records (38.9%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 582 cannot be screened, so the 93.6/100 mean describes the labelled subset rather than the whole brand.
Next check: use the product rows below to verify the labelled subset, then compare the current package for any unscored item.
What the Data Says About Best Choice
Best Choice: 953 products tracked, 371 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 93.6/100, 27.0% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 38.9% of tracked records, this average is a description of the labelled subset, not a brand-wide tier. The coverage gap is the dominant limitation. Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Among the 804 brands with 50+ products (the typical brand in that group flags 18% of its catalog), Best Choice's 27.0% flagged share is 9 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Best Choice processing intensity
Best Choice's NOVA-classified set is 341 products: 71.3% ultra-processed (Group 4, 243 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 243. That ultra-processed share sits 7 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Best Choice shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Best Choice concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (118, 42% of this top-five); Dairies (53); Snacks (52); Condiments (37); Beverages (19).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 89 | 97.4/100 | 9% |
| Snacks | 41 | 93.9/100 | 22% |
| Condiments | 35 | 96.9/100 | 22.9% |
| Dairies | 32 | 98/100 | 28.1% |
| Beverages | 18 | 66.7/100 | 88.9% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Best Choice's 27.0% flagged share is measured across 371 scored products. The chart places that rate against the 50 brands with 50+ scored products in this snapshot, the same qualifying cohort used on the rankings page.
Best Choice flagged share vs large-brand cohort
27.0% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
27% 0th percentile is at or above the flagged share of 0% of the 50 qualifying brands we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more qualifying brands. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0%–10%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 10%–20%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 20%–30%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 30%–40%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 40%–50%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 50%–60%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 60%–70%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 70%–80%
- 3 qualifying brands (6%)
- 80%–90%
- 25 qualifying brands (50%)
- 90% and above
- 22 qualifying brands (44%)
Source Open Food Facts × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (93.6/100) summarizes 371 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Best Choice product score distribution
Brand average 93.6/100 across 371 scored products
94 21st percentile sits above 21% of the 371 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0–10
- 3 scored products (1%)
- 20–30
- 4 scored products (1%)
- 30–40
- 5 scored products (1%)
- 40–50
- 1 scored products (0%)
- 50–60
- 3 scored products (1%)
- 60–70
- 4 scored products (1%)
- 70–80
- 21 scored products (6%)
- 80–90
- 17 scored products (5%)
- 90–100
- 42 scored products (11%)
- 100 and above
- 271 scored products (73%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Best Choice relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 371 Best Choice products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 29. It is used by 3,551 other brands in this database (10.1% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Best Choice products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 29 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Carrageenan | 25 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Red 40 | 21 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 16 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Sucralose | 13 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Polysorbate 80 | 12 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Blue 1 | 10 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 6 | 8 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 50 concern-sorted Best Choice records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (14 ingredients and 70/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 50
- Median label
- 14 ingredients
- Median score
- 70/100
The outlined point is Best choice, creamy wheels, birthday cake, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (6). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Best choice, creamy wheels, birthday cake: 36 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Energy Low Calorie Drink Mix: 20 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Best Choice Candy Shop Jelly Beans: 12 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cherry pomegranate sugar free low calorie drink mix: 16 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Berry Pomegranate Liquid Water Enhancer: 15 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Grape sugar free low calorie drink mix, grape: 14 resolved ingredients, 20/100, 4 flagged.
- Jumbos Biscuits: 34 resolved ingredients, 30/100, 4 flagged.
- Country Mist Naturally Flavored Soda: 13 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Toaster Pastries: 45 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Trail mix fruit & nut: 42 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Best choice, diet orange soda, orange: 11 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Splash ICE - Orange Mango: 23 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Syrup: 14 resolved ingredients, 45/100, 3 flagged.
- Sugar free syrup: 14 resolved ingredients, 65/100, 3 flagged.
- Neapolitan Premium Ice Cream: 20 resolved ingredients, 65/100, 3 flagged.
- Premium ice cream: 31 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 3 flagged.
- Ice Cream: 26 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 3 flagged.
- Orange Soda: 9 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Sweet and tangy French style dressing: 17 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Best choice, right choice, crispy rice and wheat flakes, fruit & yogurt: 53 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Lemonade: 14 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- strawberry Creamy frosting: 22 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- Imitation Bacon Bits: 6 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Dill Hamburger Slices: 12 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Kosher dill spears: 11 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Whole Kosher Dill: 11 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- BLACK CHERRY SPARKLING WATER BEVERAGE: 10 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Kosher Dill Sandwich Slicers: 11 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Baby Kosher Dills: 11 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Black cherry soda: 9 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Dill Spear: 12 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- BlueBerry Pomegranate: 10 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Red Cream Soda: 8 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Baked Beans: 22 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Ice Cream: 18 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Premium Ice Cream: 17 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Premium Ice Cream: 13 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Butter Pecan Premium Ice Cream: 19 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Ruby red grapefruit: 12 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Toaster Pastries: 38 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Best choice, soda, pine apple: 10 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Frosted Shredded Wheat: 19 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Cherry Limeade Energy: 18 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Red velvet mix: 29 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Whole pepperoncini: 11 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Cream Cheese Spread: 19 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Strawberry flavored syrup: 8 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Popcorn: 9 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Popcorn Microwave Bags: 9 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Bacon Ranch Dressing: 23 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
Products by Best Choice
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 903 tracked records with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Best Choice: closest on tracked product count (953 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (93.6/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar product count
Nearest other brands by Open Food Facts product count (floored at ≥50).
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Best Choice food safe? ▼
Best Choice has an average safety score of 94/100 across the 371 of 953 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 27.0% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Best Choice products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 953 Best Choice products. 371 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 582 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Best Choice catalog? ▼
Best Choice has 341 NOVA-classified products; 71.3% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 243 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Best Choice catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Best Choice concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (118, 42% of this top-five); Dairies (53); Snacks (52); Condiments (37); Beverages (19).
Does Best Choice use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Best Choice items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Best Choice profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Best choice, creamy wheels, birthday cake, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (6) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 29 scored Best Choice products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Best Choice's 93.6/100 average and 27.0% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
