Red, White and Blue Brownies

by Little Debbie

0
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 7 flagged ingredients

Red, White and Blue Brownies by Little Debbie receives a safety score of 0/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 7 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
0024300045059
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 BROWNIE (62 g)

What the Data Says About

Red, White and Blue Brownies by Little Debbie carries a composite safety score of 0/100, 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.

Our scan identified 7 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, Red, White and Blue Brownies 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 Red, White and Blue Brownies
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 0/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 7 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
Enriched Bleached Flour
2
Wheat Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Reduced Iron
5
Thiamin Mononitrate
6
Vitamin B1
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Vitamin B2
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
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
11
Palm And Soybean Oils With Tbhq And Citric Acid To Protect Flavor
12
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
13
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
14
Water
15
Organic Cocoa
16
Or Less Of Each Of The Following: Soy Lecithin
17
Toppers
18
Rice Flour
19
Palm
20
Palm Kernel Oil
21
Confectioner's Glaze
22
Gum Arabic
23
Cellulose Gum
24
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
25
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
26
Blue 2
Avoid Approved (certified color)
27
Soy Lecithin
28
Artificial Flavor
29
Palm And Palm Kernel Oil
30
Corn Starch
31
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
32
Leavening
33
Baking Soda
34
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
35
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
36
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
37
Corn Starch
38
Natural And Artificial Flavors
39
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
40
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
41
Mono-and Diglycerides
42
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
43
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
44
Milk
45
Soy Flour
46
Egg Whites
47
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
48
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
49
To Preserve Freshness
50
Eggs
51
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back

Full Ingredient List

Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin b1], riboflavin [vitamin b2], folic acid), corn syrup, palm and soybean oils with tbhq and citric acid to protect flavor, sugar, dextrose, water, cocoa. contains 2% or less of each of the following: soy lecithin, toppers (sugar, rice flour, palm and/or palm kernel oil, confectioner's glaze, gum arabic, cellulose gum, carrageenan, blue 1, blue 2 lake, soy lecithin, artificial flavor), palm and palm kernel oil, corn starch, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), titanium dioxide, caramel color, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, red 40 lake, polysorbate 60, mono-and diglycerides, red 40, whey (milk), soy flour, egg whites, citric acid, sorbic acid (to preserve freshness), eggs, high fructose corn syrup.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Biscuits Cakes

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