Or Less: Glycerin

Or Less: Glycerin carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 68 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 — Or Less: Glycerin highlighted.

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

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Or Less: Glycerin68
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Or Less: Glycerin 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

Or Less: Glycerin currently appears in 68 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.

Or Less: Glycerin 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 Or Less: Glycerin 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 Or Less: Glycerin
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 68 products OpenFoodFacts

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

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 68 products

3 Mini Donuts
Hostess donettes
100/100
Birthday cake mini muffins, birthday cake
Unknown
85/100
Brownies
Hostess
0/100
Brownies
Unknown
100/100
Brownies
Unknown
10/100
Cake donuts
Unknown
100/100
Chocolate Cake Layers With Creamy Filling
Hostess Brands Llc
100/100
Chocolate cake with creamy filling
Unknown
100/100
Chocolate cake with creamy filling, chocolate
Unknown
100/100
Chocolate Cupcakes
hostess
85/100
Cup cakes
Unknown
0/100
Cup cakes
Hostess
35/100
Cup cakes
Unknown
60/100
CupCakes
Dolly Madison Bakery
85/100
Ding Dongs Chocolate Cake with creamy filling
Hostess
100/100
donettes fROSTED
Hostess
100/100
Donettes powdered mini donuts
Hostess
100/100
Donettes powdered mini donuts
Hostess
85/100
Double Chocolate Mini Donuts
Hostess
100/100
Double chocolate pound cake slices
Unknown
95/100
Frosted Chocolate
Unknown
0/100
Frosted Chocolate Cake with creamy filling
Hostess cupcakes
85/100
Frosted chocolate cake with creamy filling baseball cupcakes, frosted chocolate cake
Unknown
60/100
Frosted chocolate with creamy filling cupcakes
Unknown
60/100
Frosted Mini Donuts
Hostess
100/100
Frosted mini donuts, frosted
Unknown
100/100
Frosted mini donuts, frosted
Unknown
100/100
Frosted mini donuts, frosted
Unknown
100/100
Frosted strawberry cake with creamy filling cupcakes, strawberry
Unknown
60/100
Frosted strawberry cupcakes with creamy filling
Unknown
60/100
Frosted yellow cake with creamy filling
Unknown
10/100
Glazed blueberry donuts, blueberry
Hostess
45/100
Glazed Blueberry Flavored Donuts, Glazed Blueberry
Hostess
60/100
Glazed cake donuts
Unknown
100/100
Glazed Mini Donuts, Glazed
Hostess
100/100
Glazed Mini Donuts, Glazed
Hostess
100/100
Glazed strawberry donuts, glazed strawberry
Unknown
75/100
Glazed strawberry donuts, glazed strawberry
Unknown
100/100
hostess double chocolate
Unknown
100/100
Hostess Glazed Strawberry
Hostess
75/100
Hostess, birthday cake mini muffins
Hostess
0/100
Hostess, suzy q's, layer cake with creamy filling, chocolate, chocolate
Hostess, Hostess Brands Llc
100/100
Hot Cocoa & Marshmallow Donettes
Unknown
85/100
Hot cocoa & marshmallow mini donuts, hot cocoa & marshmallow
Unknown
85/100
Iced Devil'S Food Cake With Creamy Filling
Hostess
100/100
Iced Devil's Food Zingers
Hostess
100/100
Jumbo Glazed Blueberry Donettes
Hostess
60/100
Limited edition scarycakes
Hostess
10/100
Melt amors, Hostess
Hostess
100/100
Milk chocolate candies
Unknown
0/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Or Less: Glycerin safe to eat?

Or Less: Glycerin has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Or Less: Glycerin?

Or Less: Glycerin is found in 68 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Or Less: Glycerin do in food?

Or Less: Glycerin 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.