Avoid

Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime

by Tastykake, Tasty Baking Company

Scores 30/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 4 flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0025600091395 · Serving size 2 ONZ (57 g)

The verdict

Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime by Tastykake, Tasty Baking Company scores 30/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 55 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 4 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.

30/100
Avoid safety score
4
flagged ingredients of 55 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
E
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 Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime

Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime by Tastykake, Tasty Baking Company carries a composite safety score of 30/100, 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 4 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, Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime 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 Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 30/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 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.

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. Tastykake, kandy kakes, key lime scores 57.4 points below that category average (30/100 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

1
Confectionery Coating
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Palm Kernel And Palm Oil
4
Nonfat Dry Milk
5
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
6
Color
7
Soy Lecithin
8
Nonfat Milk
9
Vegetable Shortening
10
Soybean Oil
11
Palm Oil
12
And Cottonseed Oil
13
Enriched Bleached Flour
14
Wheat Flour
15
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
16
Reduced Iron
17
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
19
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
20
Whole Wheat Flour
21
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
22
Eggs
23
Or Less Of Each Of The Following: High Fructose Corn Syrup
24
Water
25
Corn Starch
26
Egg Yolks
27
Glycerine
28
Molasses
29
Corn Starch
30
Leavening
31
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
32
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
33
Monocalcium Phosphate
34
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
35
Butter
36
Made From Milk
37
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
38
Key Lime Concentrate
39
Mono - And Diglycerides
40
Natural And Artificial Flavor
41
Milk Ingredients
42
Distilled Monoglycerides
43
Lime Pulp Cells
44
Propylene Glycol Mono - And Diesters Of Fats And Fatty Acids
45
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
46
Lactylic Esters Of Fatty Acids
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Approved
47
Calcium Sulfate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
48
Lime Oil
49
Cinnamon
50
Nutmeg
51
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
52
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
53
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
54
Sorbic Acid And Potassium Sorbate
55
To Retard Spoilage

Full Ingredient List

Confectionery coating (sugar, palm kernel and palm oil, nonfat dry milk, titanium dioxide [color], soy lecithin), sugar, nonfat milk, vegetable shortening (soybean oil, palm oil, and hydrogenated cottonseed oil), enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), whole wheat flour, corn syrup, eggs, contains 2% or less of each of the following: high fructose corn syrup, water, corn starch, egg yolks, glycerine, molasses, modified corn starch, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), salt, butter (made from milk), soy lecithin, caramel color, key lime concentrate, mono - and diglycerides, natural and artificial flavor (contains milk ingredients), distilled monoglycerides, lime pulp cells, propylene glycol mono - and diesters of fats and fatty acids, xanthan gum, lactylic esters of fatty acids, calcium sulfate, lime oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, fd&c blue #1, fd&c yellow #5, lactic acid, sorbic acid and potassium sorbate (to retard spoilage).

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes

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.

Product data from Open Food Facts; additive safety from the FDA SAFFA inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details. Compiled by PlainFoodSafe

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.