Stephen's
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Stephen's, 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
Stephen's averages 75.6/100 across the 25 of 44 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 88.0% 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.
- 75.6/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 25 scored products
- 44
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 88.0%
- 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 44 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Candycane cocoa; Candycane Cocoa; Candycane cocoa; 88.0% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 75.6/100. 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 25 of 44 tracked Stephen's records (56.8%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 19 cannot be screened, so the 75.6/100 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 Stephen's
Stephen's: 44 products tracked, 25 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 75.6/100, 88.0% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 56.8% 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 →
Processing mix (NOVA)
Stephen's processing intensity
Stephen's's NOVA-classified set is 25 products: 100% ultra-processed (Group 4, 25 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 25. 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
- 25 (100%)
Shelf mix
Where Stephen's shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Stephen's concentrates in Beverages (19, 86% of this top-five); Baking-decorations (1); Beverages and beverages preparations (1); Snacks (1).
- Beverages 19
- Baking-decorations 1
- Beverages and beverages preparations 1
- Snacks 1
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (75.6/100) summarizes 25 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.
Stephen's product score distribution
Brand average 75.6/100 across 25 scored products
76 24th percentile sits above 24% of the 25 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
- 4 scored products (16%)
- 40–50
- 1 scored products (4%)
- 70–80
- 2 scored products (8%)
- 80–90
- 2 scored products (8%)
- 90–100
- 13 scored products (52%)
- 100 and above
- 3 scored products (12%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Stephen's relies most on Carrageenan, an industry staple
Across the 25 Stephen's products scored here, Carrageenan appears in 16. It is used by 2,390 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 | Stephen's products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Carrageenan | 16 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Yellow 6 | 5 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Blue 1 | 4 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 3 | 4 | FDA ban effective 2027-01-15 · Restricted: California (AB 418; effective 2027-01-01); Federal (FDA; effective 2027-01-15) |
| Red 40 | 4 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Sucralose | 4 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Titanium Dioxide | 4 | Restricted: EU (banned); California (under review) |
| Acesulfame Potassium | 2 | 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 25 concern-sorted Stephen's 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 95/100) 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
- 25
- Median label
- 14 ingredients
- Median score
- 95/100
The outlined point is Candycane cocoa, 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
- Candycane cocoa: 23 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Candycane Cocoa: 23 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- Candycane cocoa: 22 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 6 flagged.
- S'mores cocoa: 23 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, pumpkin: 17 resolved ingredients, 45/100, 3 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, chocolate mint truffle: 16 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, milk chocolate: 16 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa, Peppermint: 15 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Candycane cocoa: 15 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Stephen's, drink mix, mexican chocolate: 14 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme: 33 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Toasted coconut: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Milk chocolate marshmallow: 20 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, chocolate mint truffle: 12 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, chocolate raspberry: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Gourmet hot cocoa: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Milk chocolate gourmet hot cocoa: 12 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Milk Chocolate: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Stephen's, gourmet hot cocoa, chocolate mint: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Stephen's, dark chocolate hot cocoa: 13 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Mexican Hot Chocolate: 14 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Dark Hot Cocoa: 14 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- White chocolate: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- White chocolate: 14 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic Hot Cocoa: 8 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Stephen's
Showing 44 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first).
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Stephen's: closest on tracked product count (44 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (75.6/100 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 Stephen's food safe? ▼
Stephen's has an average safety score of 76/100 across the 25 of 44 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 88.0% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Stephen's products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 44 Stephen's products. 25 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 19 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Stephen's catalog? ▼
Stephen's has 25 NOVA-classified products; 100% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 25 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Stephen's catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Stephen's concentrates in Beverages (19, 86% of this top-five); Baking-decorations (1); Beverages and beverages preparations (1); Snacks (1).
Does Stephen's use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Stephen's 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 Stephen's 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 Candycane cocoa, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (6) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Carrageenan appears in 16 scored Stephen's products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Stephen's's 75.6/100 average and 88.0% 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.
