Mini Cupcakes

by Trader joe's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Mini Cupcakes by Trader joe's receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
00542333
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
3 cupcakes (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Mini Cupcakes by Trader joe's 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.

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, Mini Cupcakes 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 Mini Cupcakes
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
Cane Sugar
2
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
3
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
4
Water
5
Rice Flour
6
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Egg
8
Canola Oil
9
Modified Food Starch
10
Corn
11
Tapioca
12
Mono - And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acids
13
Whey Protein
14
Sunflower Lecithin
15
Buckwheat Flour
16
Baking Powder
17
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
18
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
19
Monocalcium Phosphate
20
Egg Whites
21
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
22
Guar Gum
23
Natural Flavor
24
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
25
Cocoa Powder
26
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
27
Butter
28
Cream
29
Milk
30
Flavoring
31
Heavy Cream
32
Vanilla Extract
33
Ethyl Alcohol
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
34
Vanilla Bean Extractives

Full Ingredient List

(CANE SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, TAPIOCA STARCH, WATER, RICE FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, EGG, CANOLA OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH [CORN, TAPIOCA], MONO - AND DIGLYCERIDES OF FATTY ACIDS, WHEY PROTEIN [WHEY PROTEIN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN], BUCKWHEAT FLOUR, BAKING POWDER [SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CORNSTARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DRIED EGG WHITES, SALT, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM), (CANE SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, TAPIOCA STARCH, WATER, COCOA POWDER, RICE FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, EGG, CANOLA OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH [CORN, TAPIOCA], WHEY PROTEIN [WHEY PROTEIN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN], BUCKWHEAT FLOUR, BAKING POWDER [SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CORNSTARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE], DRIED EGG WHITES, SALT, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM), (POWDERED SUGAR [CANE SUGAR, CORNSTARCH), BUTTER [CREAM [MILK), NATURAL FLAVORING), HEAVY CREAM, COCOA POWDER, VANILLA EXTRACT (WATER, ETHYL ALCOHOL, VANILLA BEAN EXTRACTIVES)

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