Smarties
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Smarties, 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
Smarties averages 21.3/100 across the 24 of 53 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 91.7% 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.
- 21.3/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 24 scored products
- 53
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 91.7%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 100%
- 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 53 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Candy Canes; Original Minis Candy Rolls, Original; Trick or Sweet original candy rolls; 91.7% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 21.3/100. 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 24 of 53 tracked Smarties records (45.3%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 29 cannot be screened, so the 21.3/100 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 Smarties
Smarties: 53 products tracked, 24 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 21.3/100, 91.7% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 45.3% 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 →
Processing mix (NOVA)
Smarties processing intensity
Smarties's NOVA-classified set is 24 products: 100% ultra-processed (Group 4, 24 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 24. That ultra-processed share sits 21.7 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
- G1
- 0
- G2
- 0
- G3
- 0
- G4 ultra
- 24 (100%)
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (21.3/100) summarizes 24 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.
Smarties product score distribution
Brand average 21.3/100 across 24 scored products
21 83rd percentile sits above 83% of the 24 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
- 1 scored products (4%)
- 10–20
- 19 scored products (79%)
- 60–70
- 2 scored products (8%)
- 100 and above
- 2 scored products (8%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Smarties relies most on Red 40, an industry staple
Across the 24 Smarties products scored here, Red 40 appears in 21. 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 | Smarties products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Red 40 | 21 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 2 | 20 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 20 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 6 | 20 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 2 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| BHT | 1 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
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 24 concern-sorted Smarties 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 (9 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
- 24
- Median label
- 9 ingredients
- Median score
- 10/100
The outlined point is Candy Canes, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (4). 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
- Candy Canes: 9 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Original Minis Candy Rolls, Original: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Trick or Sweet original candy rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- candy rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Halloween Candy Rolls, Halloween: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties assorted flavor candy rolls pound value: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties tropical: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Mega smarties: 6 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Original Candy Rolls, Original: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Assorted Flavors Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties assorted flavor candy rolls value: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Valentine Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Easter Candy Rolls: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Original Candy Rolls, Original: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties: 9 resolved ingredients, 10/100, 4 flagged.
- Smarties: 7 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- Bubble Gum Balls: 15 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- Mixed Fruit Squashies: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Candy: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Smarties
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 3 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 Smarties: closest on tracked product count (53 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (21.3/100 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 Smarties food safe? ▼
Smarties has an average safety score of 21/100 across the 24 of 53 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 91.7% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Smarties products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 53 Smarties products. 24 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 29 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Smarties catalog? ▼
Smarties has 24 NOVA-classified products; 100% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 24 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Does Smarties use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Smarties 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 Smarties 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 Candy Canes, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (4) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Red 40 appears in 21 scored Smarties products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Smarties's 21.3/100 average and 91.7% 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.
