Safe

Breakfast essentials

by Carnation

Scores 100/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis , with no flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0050000706365

The verdict

Breakfast essentials by Carnation scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 31 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 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.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
flagged ingredients of 31 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0050000706365
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

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 Breakfast essentials

Breakfast essentials by Carnation carries a composite safety score of 100/100, 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. 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 did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Breakfast essentials 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 Breakfast essentials
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 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
Nonfat Milk
2
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
3
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
5
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
6
Vitamins And Minerals
7
And Less Than 2% Of: Soy Lecithin
8
Cellulose Gum
9
Natural Flavor
10
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
11
Calcium Phosphate
12
Magnesium Hydroxide
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
13
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
14
Choline Bitartrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
15
Dl-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate
16
Ferric Phosphate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
17
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
Manganese Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
19
Copper Gluconate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SYNERGIST
GRAS
20
Zinc Oxide
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
21
Calcium Pantothenate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
22
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
23
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
24
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
25
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
26
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
27
Vitamin K1
28
Chromium Chloride
29
Sodium Molybdate
30
Vitamin D3
31
Biotin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

NONFAT MILK, MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, LACTOSE, VITAMINS AND MINERALS, AND LESS THAN 2% OF: SOY LECITHIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, CHOLINE BITARTRATE, DL-ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, FERRIC PHOSPHATE, NIACINAMIDE, MANGANESE SULFATE, COPPER GLUCONATE, ZINC OXIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN K1, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, VITAMIN D3, BIOTIN

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.