Starburst
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Starburst, 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
Starburst averages 50.6/100 across the 27 of 57 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 77.8% 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.
- 50.6/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 27 scored products
- 57
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 77.8%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 96.3%
- 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 57 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Starburst jellybeans; Starburst Jellybeans Original; Starburst mini original; 77.8% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 50.6/100. 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 27 of 57 tracked Starburst records (47.4%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 30 cannot be screened, so the 50.6/100 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 Starburst
Starburst: 57 products tracked, 27 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 50.6/100, 77.8% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 47.4% 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)
Starburst processing intensity
Starburst's NOVA-classified set is 27 products: 96.3% ultra-processed (Group 4, 26 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 26. That ultra-processed share sits 18 points above the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Starburst shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Starburst concentrates in Snacks (16, 76% of this top-five); Gummy-candies (2); Bad (1); Beverages and beverages preparations (1); Chewy-candies (1).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks | 15 | 46.7/100 | 80% |
| Gummy-candies | 2 | 62.5/100 | 50% |
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (50.6/100) summarizes 27 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.
Starburst product score distribution
Brand average 50.6/100 across 27 scored products
51 44th percentile sits above 44% of the 27 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
- 8 scored products (30%)
- 20–30
- 3 scored products (11%)
- 50–60
- 2 scored products (7%)
- 60–70
- 1 scored products (4%)
- 70–80
- 6 scored products (22%)
- 80–90
- 1 scored products (4%)
- 100 and above
- 6 scored products (22%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Starburst relies most on Red 40, an industry staple
Across the 27 Starburst products scored here, Red 40 appears in 16. 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 | Starburst products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Red 40 | 16 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 14 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 12 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 6 | 9 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Acesulfame Potassium | 2 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Sucralose | 2 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Titanium Dioxide | 2 | Restricted: EU (banned); California (under review) |
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 27 concern-sorted Starburst 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 60/100) 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
- 27
- Median label
- 14 ingredients
- Median score
- 60/100
The outlined point is Starburst jellybeans, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (5). 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
- Starburst jellybeans: 17 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Starburst Jellybeans Original: 18 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Starburst mini original: 15 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Mini Starburst Fruit Chews Original: 16 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Starburst (For Chemo): 14 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Sour Fruit Chews: 16 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Starburst Original: 12 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Starburst Jellybeans: 15 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Original Starburst Gummies: 14 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Cherry, Orange, Strawberry & Lemon Original Pops, Cherry, Orange, Strawberry & Lemon: 13 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Starburst Gummies: 14 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Mini Starburst fruit chews: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Fruit chews: 15 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Strawberry Drink Mix: 9 resolved ingredients, 60/100, 2 flagged.
- C4 Performance Energy Strawberry Zero Sugar: 16 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Strawberry fruit chews, strawberry: 13 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Mini Starburst Fruit Chews Sours: 14 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Mini Starburst Fruit Chews: 13 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Jellybeans: 15 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Original Starburst: 12 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Sparkling Ice Lemon: 25 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Gummy Candy: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Starburst Sour Gummies - Starburst: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Starburst Goodies Gummies: 21 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Goodies: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Starburst Original: 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Fruit Chews, Minis, Sours: 13 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Starburst
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 7 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 Starburst: closest on tracked product count (57 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (50.6/100 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 Starburst food safe? ▼
Starburst has an average safety score of 51/100 across the 27 of 57 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 77.8% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Starburst products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 57 Starburst products. 27 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 30 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Starburst catalog? ▼
Starburst has 27 NOVA-classified products; 96.3% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 26 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Starburst catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Starburst concentrates in Snacks (16, 76% of this top-five); Gummy-candies (2); Bad (1); Beverages and beverages preparations (1); Chewy-candies (1).
Does Starburst use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Starburst 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 Starburst 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 Starburst jellybeans, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (5) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Red 40 appears in 16 scored Starburst products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Starburst's 50.6/100 average and 77.8% 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.
