Old Bay
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Old Bay, 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
Old Bay averages 99.5/100 across the 30 of 36 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 10.0% 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.
- 99.5/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 30 scored products
- 36
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 10.0%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 55.2%
- 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 36 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Old bay, blackened seasoning; Old bay, tartar sauce; Old bay, cocktail sauce; 10.0% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 99.5/100. 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.
| Signal | Old Bay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avg safety score | 99.5/100 | Above-average |
| Products tracked | 36 | OpenFoodFacts US index |
| Flagged ingredients | 10.0% | FDA SAFFA + CSPI flag overlap |
What the Data Says About Old Bay
Old Bay: 36 products tracked, 30 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 99.5/100, 10.0% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Old Bay's labelled portfolio averages at least 95/100 in this snapshot. Open the individual rows before extending that aggregate to a specific package or formulation. Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Across the 894,137 products we index overall, the average safety score is 92.8/100, and Old Bay sits 6.7 points above that fleet-wide average.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Old Bay processing intensity
Old Bay's NOVA-classified set is 29 products: 55.2% ultra-processed (Group 4, 16 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 16. That ultra-processed share sits 23.1 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Old Bay shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Old Bay concentrates in Condiments (21, 75% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (4); Cooking helpers (1); Groceries (1); Meals (1).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condiments | 20 | 99.3/100 | 15% |
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 4 | 100/100 | 0% |
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (99.5/100) summarizes 30 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.
Old Bay product score distribution
Brand average 99.5/100 across 30 scored products
100 5th percentile sits above 5% of the 30 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
- 90–100
- 3 scored products (10%)
- 100 and above
- 27 scored products (90%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Old Bay relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 30 Old Bay products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 2. 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 | Old Bay products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 2 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Polysorbate 80 | 1 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
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 30 concern-sorted Old Bay 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 (7 ingredients and 100/100) 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
- 30
- Median label
- 7 ingredients
- Median score
- 100/100
The outlined point is Old bay, blackened seasoning, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (1). 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
- Old bay, blackened seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Old bay, tartar sauce: 23 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Old bay, cocktail sauce: 24 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Potato Bites: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Wild Caught Light Tuna: 23 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mccormick rub: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Crab cake classic mix original maryland recipe: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Seasoning Less Sodium: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Crabs Seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Hot seasoning for chicken, seafood, salads, meats and more..., hot: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Crab Seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Blackened Old Bay Seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Garlic & Herb Old Bay Seasoning imp: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Seafood Seasoning Hot: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Seasoning Less Sodium: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Hot Sauce: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Shrimp & Linguine: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Tuna classic cake mix: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Salmon classic: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Seasoning: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Crab Cake Classic: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Garlic & herb seasoning: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Lemon & herb with seasoning: 13 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Seasoning for seafood, poultry, salads, and meats: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old bay, crab cake classic mix: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Seasoning & steaming bag seafood steamers: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Seafood rub: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Old Bay Seasoning: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- OLD BAY SEASONING: 6 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Old Bay
Showing 36 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first).
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Old Bay: closest on tracked product count (36 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (99.5/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
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 Old Bay food safe? ▼
Old Bay has an average safety score of 100/100 across the 30 of 36 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 10.0% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Old Bay products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 36 Old Bay products. 30 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 6 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Old Bay catalog? ▼
Old Bay has 29 NOVA-classified products; 55.2% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 16 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Old Bay catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Old Bay concentrates in Condiments (21, 75% of this top-five); Plant-based foods and beverages (4); Cooking helpers (1); Groceries (1); Meals (1).
Does Old Bay use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Old Bay 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 Old Bay 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 Old bay, blackened seasoning, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (1) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 2 scored Old Bay products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Old Bay's 99.5/100 average and 10.0% 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.
