Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars
Scores 80/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 2 flagged ingredients identified.
The verdict
Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars scores 80/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 95 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 2 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.
- 80/100
- Caution safety score
- 2
- flagged ingredients of 95 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 Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars
Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars carries a composite safety score of 80/100, 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. 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 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, Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 80/100 | 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.
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. Dark chocolate fruit & nut bars scores 7.4 points below that category average (80/100 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
Full Ingredient List
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk, soy lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla), dark confection (sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa processed with alkali, lactose (from milk), soy lecithin, sorbitan tristearate, natural vanilla extract), corn syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar, skim milk), cream, roasted almonds, water, caramel sauce (corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, skim milk, palm oil, butter, cornstarch, salt, mono-and diglycerides, potassium sorbate {to preserve freshness}, soy lecithin, caramel color, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, artificial flavor, natural flavor), pecans, soft dark confection (sugar, soybean oil, coconut oil, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), distilled monoglycerides, soy lecithin, salt, vanilla), salted butter (cream, salt), chocolate liquor, 70% dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla), dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor {processed with alkali}, cocoa butter, milk, butterfat, soy lecithin, vanilla), invert sugar, raisins (raisins, sunflower oil), palm oil, milk confection (sugar, palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, whole milk, cocoa powder, hydrogenated palm oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), sorbitan tristearate (an emulsifier), soy lecithin and natural vanilla), dextrose, salt, brown sugar, roasted spanish peanuts (spanish peanuts, vegetable oil (peanut, cottonseed, soybean and/or sunflower seed), salt), unsalted butter (cream, natural flavorings), raspberry nuggets (raspberry puree, sucrose, apple, dextrose, pineapple fibers, sodium alginate (thickener), di-calcium phosphate, natural flavor, elderberry juice concentrate, citric acid), gelatin, pure vanilla extract (water, ethyl alcohol, vanilla bean extractives), egg whites, natural and artificial vanilla flavor (glycerine, propylene glycol, water, sugar, caramel color (sulfites), alcohol, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate), raspberry flavor (soybean oil, natural flavors and mixed tocopherols), artificial vanilla flavor (water, ethyl alcohol, natural and artificial flavor), raspberry flavor, invertase (food enzyme derived from saccharomyces cerevisiae), an antioxidant (propylene glycol, tbhq, citric acid).
Categories
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.
Related
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.