Bayou best pickles

70
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Bayou best pickles receives a safety score of 70/100 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
0040232151606
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1/4 cup (61 g)

What the Data Says About

Bayou best pickles carries a composite safety score of 70/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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, Bayou best pickles 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 Bayou best pickles
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 70/100 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
Pickles
2
Cucumbers
3
Water
4
Vinegar
5
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
6
Alum
7
Calcium Chloride
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, ENZYME, FIRMING AGENT, FREEZING OR COOLING AGENT, DIRECT CONTACT, FUMIGANT, HUMECTANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING
GRAS
8
Spices
9
Flavoring
10
Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate
11
Preservatives
12
Oleoresin Turmeric & Yellow 5
13
Colors
14
Polysorbate 80
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
15
Emulsifier
16
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
17
Sweet Jalapeno Slices
18
Jalapeno Peppers
19
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
20
Distilled Vinegar
21
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
22
Sodium Benzoate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
23
Natural Flavor
24
Banana Pepper Rings
25
Banana Peppers
26
0.1% Sodium Benzoate
27
Sodium Bisulfite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
28
Turmeric
29
Organic Onions
30
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
31
Minced Garlic
32
Phosphoric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
Cut Back GRAS
33
Pepperoncini
34
Fd&c Yellow No.5
35
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

Full Ingredient List

Pickles (cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, alum, calcium chloride, spices, natural flavoring, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), oleoresin turmeric & yellow 5 (colors), polysorbate 80 (emulsifier)), sugar, sweet jalapeno slices (jalapeno peppers, high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, water, salt, calcium chloride, fd&c yellow no. 5, sodium benzoate, natural flavor), banana pepper rings (banana peppers, water, vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, 0.1% sodium benzoate, polysorbate 80, sodium bisulfite, turmeric), jalapeno peppers (jalapeno peppers, water, vinegar, salt, onions, garlic, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate, fd&c yellow no. 5), minced garlic (garlic, water, phosphoric acid), pepperoncini (pepperoncini, water, vinegar, salt, fd&c yellow no.5, citric acid, sodium bisulfite, sodium benzoate), spices.

Categories

Salted-snacks

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