Birthday cake bar

by General Mills

50
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Birthday cake bar 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
0016000308145
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Birthday cake bar 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, Birthday cake bar 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 E 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

Composite safety metrics for Birthday cake bar
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 E OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Confectionary Coating
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Palm Kemel Oi
4
Whey Powde
5
Soy Lecithin Con Syrup
6
Cereal
7
Corn Meal
8
Palm Oil
9
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
10
Balig Soda
11
Comfourt
12
Crisp Rice
13
Rice Flour
14
Barley Malt Extract
15
Refinetssop
16
Pretzels
17
Eniched Flour 3533832101 See Ingredients Below Flap Con Syrup
18
Baling Soda
19
Com Fourtcr Rice
20
Rice Filour
21
Refinerssupl
22
Pretzely Ennchedf
23
Wheat Flour
24
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
25
Iron
26
Thiamin Mononitrate
27
Ribofilavin
28
I Aidl
29
Mat Sat
30
Soydean Oil
31
Canola Oil
32
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
33
Sprinkles
34
Corn Starch
35
Vertle Oi Palmand Palm Kernel
36
Dextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Safe GRAS
37
Soy Lecithin
38
Confectioner's Glaze
39
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
40
Lake
41
Elow 6 Lake Blue 1 Lake
42
Carnauba Wax
43
Natural And Artificial Flavor
44
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
45
Bhet
46
Ad 40
47
161 Glycerin
48
% Or Less Of: Maltodextrin
49
Calcium Caturie Hgh Fructose Corn Syrup
50
Sorbitol
Sweetener
Cut Back
51
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
52
Natural Andatical Facr. S000 30814 5
53
Milk
54
Soy And Wheat Ingredients

Full Ingredient List

confectionary coating (sugar, palm kemel oi, whey powde, soy lecithin con syrup, cereal (corn meal, sugar, palm oil, salt, balig soda, comfourt, crisp rice (rice flour, sugar, barley malt extract, salt, refinetssop), pretzels (eniched flour 3533832101 see ingredients below flap con syrup, cereal (corn meal, sugar, palm oil, salt, baling soda, com fourtcr rice (rice filour, sugar, barley malt extract, salt, refinerssupl, pretzely ennchedf [wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, ribofilavin, i aidl, mat sat, soydean oil), canola oil, fructose, sprinkles (sugar, corn starch, vertle oi palmand palm kernel), dextrin, soy lecithin, confectioner's glaze, red 40 lake, lake, elow 6 lake blue 1 lake, carnauba wax, natural and artificial flavor, red 3, bhet, ad 40), sugar, 161 glycerin. contains 2 % or less of: maltodextrin, calcium caturie hgh fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, gelatin, salt, soy lecithin, natural andatical facr. s000 30814 5 contains milk, soy and wheat ingredients.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks 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