Pound Cake

by Bon Appetit

50
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Pound Cake by Bon Appetit 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
0035751114263
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 serving (113.398 g)

What the Data Says About

Pound Cake by Bon Appetit 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, Pound Cake 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 Pound Cake
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
Granulated Sugar
2
Bleached Wheat Flour Enriched
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Reduced Iron
5
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Malted Barley Flour
8
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Eggs
11
Palm Oil
12
With Mono & Diglycerides
13
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
14
Citric Acid Added As A Preservative
15
Water
16
Soybean Oil
17
Egg Whites
18
Invert Sugar
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Cut Back GRAS
19
Dry Milk
20
Baking Powder
21
Modified Food Starch
22
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
23
Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Propionate
24
Added To Preserve Freshness
25
Gloucono-1
26
Lactone
27
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
28
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
29
Guar Gum
30
Natural & Artificial Flavors
31
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
32
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)

Full Ingredient List

GRANULATED SUGAR, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR ENRICHED (NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, ASCORBIC ACID, FOLIC ACID), EGGS, PALM OIL (WITH MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 60, CITRIC ACID ADDED AS A PRESERVATIVE), WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, EGG WHITES, INVERT SUGAR, DRY MILK, BAKING POWDER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE & SODIUM PROPIONATE (ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), GLOUCONO-1, 5, LACTONE, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, XANTHAN GUM, GUAR GUM, SALT, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, FD&C YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6.

Categories

Undefined

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