Including Red Pepper

Including Red Pepper carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 150 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Including Red Pepper highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Including Red Pepper150
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Including Red Pepper has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Including Red Pepper currently appears in 150 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Including Red Pepper serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Including Red Pepper in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Including Red Pepper
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 150 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 150 products

All-purpose bbq seasoning, all-purpose bbq
Unknown
100/100
Baja citrus marinade, baja citrus
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
100/100
Bake & Crisp Seafood
Zatarain's
95/100
Bake and Crisp
Zatarain's
95/100
Baken-Ets Sweet Southern Heat
Baken-Ets
25/100
Baken-Ets, Chicharrones Fried Pork Skins, Sweet Southern Heat Bbq
Frito-Lay Company
100/100
Baken-Ets, Fried Pork Skins Chicharrones
Baken-ets
25/100
Barbecue seasoning specialty blends, barbecue seasoning
Unknown
100/100
Beef marinade mix soy, garlic & red pepper
Stubb's, Mccormick & Company Inc.
95/100
Black Beans & Rice
Zatarain's
100/100
Black Beans And Rice
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co Inc.
100/100
Black-eyed peas & rice long grain white rice, black-eyed peas and bell peppers with mild seasonings dinner mix, black-eyed peas & rice
Zatarain's
100/100
Blackened Seasoning
Zatarain's
100/100
Brim's Snack Foods, Potato Chips, Smokin Hot Flavored
Brimhall Foods Company Inc.
25/100
Brown sugar bourbon
Unknown
95/100
Brown sugar bourbon marinade oz
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
95/100
Brown sugar bourbon seasoning
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
95/100
Brown sugar bourbon seasoning
Unknown
95/100
Brown sugar bourbon seasoning, brown sugar bourbon
Mccormick
95/100
Cajun style andouille sausage links
Unknown
70/100
Caribbean jerk seasoning
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
95/100
Case of grill mates peppercorn garlic marinade
Mccormick
95/100
Chicharrones Fried Pork Skins
Frito-Lay Company
100/100
Chicharrones Sweet Southern Heat Fried Pork Skins
Baken-Ets
100/100
Chicken Fry Mix
Unknown
100/100
Chicken sausages
Man Cave
100/100
Chili & lime veggie marinade mix
Unknown
100/100
Chili powder
Unknown
100/100
Chili powder
Unknown
100/100
Chili, lime & ginger pork marinade mix, chili, lime & ginger
Stubb's, Mccormick & Company Inc.
100/100
Coating mix fish fry seasoned
Zatarain's
100/100
Crab cake mix
Zatarain's
95/100
Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil
Zatarain's
100/100
Crawfish, shrimp & crab boil
Zatarain's
100/100
Crispy seasoned new orleans style all purpose batter seasoned breading mix, crispy seasoned
Zatarain's
100/100
Curry Cauliflower Wrap, Curry Cauliflower
Taylor farms
100/100
Dirty rice mix
Zatarain's
100/100
Etouffee base mix
Zatarain's
100/100
Extra Spicy Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil
Zatarain's
100/100
Fish Fri Crispy Southern Seafood Breading Mix
Zatarain's
100/100
Fish Fri, Seafood Breading Mix, Crispy Cajun
Zatarain's, Zatarain's Inc.
100/100
Fish fry lemon pepper
Zatarain's
100/100
Fried Prok Skins Chicharrones
Baken-Ets
25/100
Garlic new orleans style fish fri seafood breading mix, garlic new orleans style fish fri
Zatarain's
100/100
Grill mates brown sugar bourbon seasoning
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
95/100
Grill mates brown sugar bourbon seasoning
Mccormick
95/100
Grill Mates Garlic Butter
McCormick
100/100
Grill mates less sodium montreal chicken seasoning
Mccormick
100/100
Grill mates mesquite marinade
Mccormick, Mccormick & Co. Inc.
100/100
grill mates peppercorn &garlic marinade mix
Mccormick
95/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Including Red Pepper safe to eat?

Including Red Pepper has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Including Red Pepper?

Including Red Pepper is found in 150 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Including Red Pepper do in food?

Including Red Pepper serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.