Lucky Charms Treats

by General Mills

50
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Lucky Charms Treats by General Mills receives a safety score of 50/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0016000146419
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Lucky Charms Treats by General Mills carries a composite safety score of 50/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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.

Our scan identified 2 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, Lucky Charms Treats 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Lucky Charms Treats
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 50/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Cereal
2
Whole Grain Oats
3
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Whole Grain Corn
5
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
6
Corn Starch
7
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
8
Trisodium Phosphate
9
Natural And Artificial Flavor. Vitamin E
10
Mixed Tocopherols
11
Added To Preserve Freshness. Vitamins And Minerals: Calcium Carbonate
12
Vitamin C
13
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
14
Iron And Zinc
15
Mineral Nutrients
16
A B Vitamin
17
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
Vitamin B6
19
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
20
Vitamin B₁
21
Thiamin Mononitrate
22
Vitamin A
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
23
Palmitate
24
Vitamin B₂
25
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
26
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
27
Vitamin B12
28
Vitamin D3
29
Vegetable Oil
30
Canola
31
Palm Kernel
32
Marshmallows
33
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
34
Gelatin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
35
Color
36
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
37
Yellow 5 & 6
38
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
39
Artificial Flavor
40
Crisp Rice
41
Rice Flour
42
Barley Malt Extract
43
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
44
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
45
Calcium Carbonate. Contain 2% Or Less Of: Vegetable Glycerin
46
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
47
Whey Powder
48
Sorbitol
Sweetener
Cut Back
49
Soy Lecithin
50
Milk And Soy Ingredients

Full Ingredient List

cereal (whole grain oats, sugar, whole grain corn, corn syrup, corn starch, salt, trisodium phosphate, natural and artificial flavor. vitamin e [mixed tocopherols] added to preserve freshness. vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, vitamin c [sodium ascorbate], iron and zinc [mineral nutrients], a b vitamin [niacinamide], vitamin b6 [pyridoxine hydrochloride], vitamin b₁ [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin a [palmitate], vitamin b₂ [riboflavin], a b vitamin [folic acid], vitamin b12, vitamin d3), corn syrup, vegetable oil (canola, palm kernel), marshmallows (sugar, corn starch, corn syrup, dextrose, gelatin, color [red 40, yellow 5 & 6, blue 1], artificial flavor), sugar, crisp rice (rice flour, barley malt extract, salt), fructose, high fructose corn syrup, calcium carbonate. contain 2% or less of: vegetable glycerin, maltodextrin, whey powder, sorbitol, gelatin, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavor. contains milk and soy ingredients.

Categories

Plant-based foods and beverages Plant-based foods Snacks Breakfasts Cereals and potatoes Sweet snacks Cereals and their products Bars Breakfast cereals Cereal bars

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. 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

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial