Gerber Good Start

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Gerber Good Start receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0050000353552
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Gerber Good Start carries a composite safety score of 95/100, which we classify as "Safe" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Gerber Good Start 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 Gerber Good Start
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
Water
2
Corn Maltodextrin
3
Vegetable Oils
4
Palm Olein
5
Soy
6
Organic Coconut
7
And High-oleic Safflower Or High-oleic Sunflower
8
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Soy Protein Isolate
9
And Less Than 1.5% Of: Sucrose
10
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
11
Calcium Phosphate
12
Potassium Citrate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
13
Sodium Citrate
14
Calcium Citrate
FIRMING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
15
M. Alpina Oil*
16
C. Cohnii Oil**
17
Magnesium Chloride
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
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
19
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
20
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
21
Zinc Sulfate
MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
22
Copper Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
23
Potassium Iodide
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, TRACER
GRAS
24
Sodium Selenate
25
Soy Lecithin
26
Monoglycerides
27
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
28
Choline Chloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
29
Inositol
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
30
Alpha-tocopheryl Acetate
31
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
32
Calcium Pantothenate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
33
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
34
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
35
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
36
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
37
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
38
Biotin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
39
Phylloquinone
40
Vitamin D3. Vitamin B12
41
L-methionine
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
42
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
43
Taurine
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe Listed
44
L-carnitine
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Listed

Full Ingredient List

water, corn maltodextrin, vegetable oils (palm olein, soy, coconut, and high-oleic safflower or high-oleic sunflower), enzymatically hydrolyzed soy protein isolate, and less than 1.5% of: sucrose, cornstarch, calcium phosphate, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, calcium citrate, m. alpina oil*, c. cohnii oil**, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, sodium selenate, soy lecithin, monoglycerides, sodium ascorbate, choline chloride, inositol, alpha-tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin a palmitate, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, phylloquinone, vitamin d3. vitamin b12, l-methionine, carrageenan, taurine, l-carnitine. contains: soy.

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