Hostess
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Hostess, 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
Hostess averages 67.3/100 across the 192 of 321 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 60.4% 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.
- 67.3/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 192 scored products
- 321
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 60.4%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 99%
- 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 321 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Milk chocolate candies; Brownies; Hostess, birthday cake mini muffins; 60.4% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 67.3/100. 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 192 of 321 tracked Hostess records (59.8%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 129 cannot be screened, so the 67.3/100 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 Hostess
Hostess: 321 products tracked, 192 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 67.3/100, 60.4% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 59.8% 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), Hostess's 60.4% flagged share is 42.4 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Hostess processing intensity
Hostess's NOVA-classified set is 191 products: 99% ultra-processed (Group 4, 189 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 189. That ultra-processed share sits 20.7 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Hostess shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Hostess concentrates in Snacks (166, 94% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (8); Desserts (1); Mini-cake (1); Snack-cake (1).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks | 158 | 64.3/100 | 65.2% |
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 7 | 89.3/100 | 14.3% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Hostess's 60.4% flagged share is measured across 192 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.
Hostess flagged share vs large-brand cohort
60.4% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
60% 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 (67.3/100) summarizes 192 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.
Hostess product score distribution
Brand average 67.3/100 across 192 scored products
67 39th percentile sits above 39% of the 192 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
- 21 scored products (11%)
- 10–20
- 10 scored products (5%)
- 20–30
- 5 scored products (3%)
- 30–40
- 13 scored products (7%)
- 40–50
- 4 scored products (2%)
- 50–60
- 18 scored products (9%)
- 60–70
- 8 scored products (4%)
- 70–80
- 11 scored products (6%)
- 80–90
- 18 scored products (9%)
- 90–100
- 8 scored products (4%)
- 100 and above
- 76 scored products (40%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Hostess relies most on Red 40, an industry staple
Across the 192 Hostess products scored here, Red 40 appears in 72. It is used by 2,397 other brands in this database (6.8% 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 | Hostess products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Red 40 | 72 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 66 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Titanium Dioxide | 52 | Restricted: EU (banned); California (under review) |
| Yellow 6 | 37 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 25 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 2 | 23 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Caramel Coloring | 16 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Red 3 | 10 | FDA ban effective 2027-01-15 · Restricted: California (AB 418; effective 2027-01-01); Federal (FDA; effective 2027-01-15) |
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 Hostess 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 (57.5 ingredients and 10/100) 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
- 57.5 ingredients
- Median score
- 10/100
The outlined point is Milk chocolate candies, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (10). 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
- Milk chocolate candies: 57 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 10 flagged.
- Brownies: 60 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 9 flagged.
- Hostess, birthday cake mini muffins: 50 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 8 flagged.
- Hostess Birthday Cupcakes: 72 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Iced Pumpkin CupCakes: 59 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Birthday Cup Cakes: 72 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Frosted Yellow Cake With Creamy Filling Mermaid Cupcakes, Frosted Yellow Cake: 59 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Hot Fudge Sundae Brownies, Hot Fudge Sundae: 56 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Frosted Yellow Cake With Creamy Filling Cupcakes, Frosted Yellow: 59 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 7 flagged.
- Hostess S'Mores Cupcakes: 59 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Brownies made with milky way bar pieces: 63 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Brownies made with milky way bar pieces: 63 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Brownies made with milky way bar pieces: 63 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Mermaid frosted yellow cupcakes with creamy filling: 64 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Snoballs: 52 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Sno balls: 52 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Coconut & marshmallow covered chocolate cake with creamy filling, coconut & marshmallow: 54 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Key Lime Cupcakes: 60 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Hostess, cupcakes, caramel apple: 69 resolved ingredients, 5/100, 5 flagged.
- Caramel Fudge Covered Cake With Caramel Creme Filling, Caramel Fudge Covered With Caramel Creme Filling: 51 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Twinkies, Golden Sponge Cake With Artificially Flavored Key Lime Creamy Filling, Key Lime: 40 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Orange Cupcakes: 63 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Hostess, cupcakes: 59 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Orange flavor cup cakes: 63 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Limited edition scarycakes: 57 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Red velvet cup cakes: 63 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Cupcakes: 63 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Caramel iced yellow cake with salted topping & creamy caramel filling cupcakes, salted caramel: 70 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Frosted dark chocolate cake with raspberry creamy filling cupcakes, dark chocolate raspberry: 59 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint: 51 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Frankencakes: 57 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Mix: 15 resolved ingredients, 30/100, 4 flagged.
- Danish snack cakes 4.79: 63 resolved ingredients, 30/100, 4 flagged.
- Danish with Icing Berries & Cream Cheese: 59 resolved ingredients, 40/100, 4 flagged.
- Hostess Tiger Tails Golden Sponge Cake With Orange Creme Filling Twinkies: 36 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Honey bun: 22 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Chocolate Cake Rolled With Peanut Butter Creamy Filling, Peanut Butter: 51 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Lemonade Stand Golden Sponge Cake With Lemon Creamy Filling, Lemonade Stand: 37 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Fruit pie: 39 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Hostess Iced Lemon Cupcakes: 53 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Golden Sponge Cake With Mixed Berry Creamy Filling, Golden Sponge With Mixed Berry Creamy Filling: 43 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Chocolate Pie Made With Real Cocoa: 40 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Zingers Cake: 70 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Hostess, cupcakes, candy corn: 58 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Cup cakes: 61 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Valentine DingDongs: 50 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Iced Lemon Flavored Cake With Creamy Filling Cupcakes, Iced Lemon: 53 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Twinkies: 48 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Mixed Berry Twinkies: 49 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Cupcakes Wickedly Wonderful Green: 52 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
Products by Hostess
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 271 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 Hostess: closest on tracked product count (321 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (67.3/100 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 Hostess food safe? ▼
Hostess has an average safety score of 67/100 across the 192 of 321 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 60.4% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Hostess products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 321 Hostess products. 192 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 129 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Hostess catalog? ▼
Hostess has 191 NOVA-classified products; 99% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 189 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Hostess catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Hostess concentrates in Snacks (166, 94% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (8); Desserts (1); Mini-cake (1); Snack-cake (1).
Does Hostess use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Hostess 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 Hostess 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 Milk chocolate candies, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (10) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Red 40 appears in 72 scored Hostess products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Hostess's 67.3/100 average and 60.4% 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.
