Fruit & grain cereal bars
by Spartan
Scores 35/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 3 flagged ingredients identified.
The verdict
Fruit & grain cereal bars by Spartan scores 35/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 58 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 3 ingredients are flagged for caution. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination; check official notices and the product label for current decisions.
- 35/100
- Avoid safety score
- 3
- flagged ingredients of 58 analyzed
- Group 4
- Ultra-processed
- D
- Nutri-Score nutrition grade
Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.
What the Data Says About Fruit & grain cereal bars
Fruit & grain cereal bars by Spartan carries a composite safety score of 35/100, which we classify as "Avoid" on our four-tier shelf-label framework.
The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This score is a transparent derived index we compute from that public data, not an official FDA rating or endorsement; see the Methodology page for the exact weighting.
Our scan identified 3 flagged ingredients in this product, components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.
On the NOVA processing scale, Fruit & grain cereal bars is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone. The Nutri-Score grade of D reflects nutritional balance, calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content, which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.
Safety Profile at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 35/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 3 | CSPI/FDA review |
| NOVA processing group | Group 4 | OpenFoodFacts |
| Nutri-Score | D | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
How It Compares to Its Category
Among the 94,909 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 87.4/100. Fruit & grain cereal bars scores 52.4 points below that category average (35/100 vs. 87.4/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Filling (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, glycerin, blueberry puree concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate, strawberry puree concentrate, maltodextrin, sodium alginate, apple puree concentrate, modified corn starch, citric acid, methylcellulose, monocalcium phosphate, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavor, malic acid, red 40, blue 1), whole wheat flour, whole grain rolled oats, enriched wheat flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil blend (canola, palm and palm kernel oils, tbhq), high fructose corn syrup, sugar, glycerin, contains less than 2% of the following: nonfat dry milk, calcium carbonate, soluble corn fiber, honey, wheat bran, salt, sorbitan monostearate, leavening (potassium bicarbonate), wheat gluten, natural and artificial vanilla flavor, xanthan gum, reduced iron, vitamin a palmitate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), dicalcium phosphate, zinc oxide, riboflavin (vitamin b2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin b1), cyanocobalamin (vitamin b12), folic acid, soy lecithin.
Categories
Data Sources
Data as of May 2026. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.
This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.
Related
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Product figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine 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 May 2026.