Safe

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa

by Trader Joe's

Open Food Facts label for barcode 00615723 · Trader Joe's · Beverages. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 00615723 · Serving size 3 tbsp (35g)

The verdict

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa by Trader Joe's scores 100/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 23 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 0 ingredients are flagged for caution. The 23-component label is layered, beginning with Sugar, Added Sugar, Coconut Oil. Start with any flagged rows, then check the nutrition grade and serving size instead of treating one roll-up score as the whole decision. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

100/100
Safe safety score
0
None flagged · of 23 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
00615723
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.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

70/100

Grade B

Ingredient Safety

100/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

N/A

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

00615723 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa label screening desk

SCORE-SAFE 100/100 FLAG-CLEAN 0 flagged LEN-LAYERED 23 ing. REG-PART 48% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 8% LEAD-RARE Caramel PHOTO-FINISH Starbucks Mountain blend · ±0 BOOK-OFF …615723 · July 2026

11 of 23 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Caramel). Source sheet 00615723 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Starbucks Mountain blend · Nearest score peer is Starbucks Mountain blend at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

Within the four-tier shelf-label framework this site publishes, the composite for this product falls in the highest band. That band is defined by a threshold on the derived score alone: it is where labels land once components carrying caution-or-worse registry ratings contribute little or nothing to the deduction. The band is a summary of what the screened registries return for the components that were parsed, so it inherits their coverage gaps — a component absent from both registries neither raises nor lowers the figure. The threshold and the weighting behind it are set out on the methodology page.

No Nutri-Score grade is present for this record in the OpenFoodFacts snapshot this page is built from. The nutritional dimension is absent rather than assessed and withheld: the grade depends on a complete declared nutrition panel, and community-contributed records vary in how much of that panel they carry. Nothing about the missing grade implies anything either way about the panel itself. The screen below covers additive ratings only and does not depend on the nutrition figures.

This label parsed into a long component list. Where many entries are screened at once, the composite tends to reflect the overall mix of registry ratings returned rather than the rating of any one entry. Longer declarations also carry more sub-listed and compound entries, where a parenthetical group is resolved into its parts, so the parsed count can exceed what a reader counts on the packaging.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa100/1002. Starbucks Mountain blend: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Starbucks Mountain blend100/1003. Lavender Latte Oatmilk Creamer: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Lavender Latte Oatmilk Cr…100/1004. TWIX BASKET: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. TWIX BASKET100/1005. Chlorophyll water: 100/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Chlorophyll water100/100
High-band neighbours for Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa (100/100) outside Trader Joe's.
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa
100/100
Starbucks Mountain blend
100/100
Lavender Latte Oatmilk Creamer
100/100
TWIX BASKET
100/100
Chlorophyll water
100/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 32,623 products we've scored in the Beverages category, the average safety score is 90.5/100. Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa scores 9.5 points above that category average (100/100 vs. 90.5/100), so it is a comparatively strong pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Beverages products

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa lists 23 ingredients on its label

23 92nd percentile a longer ingredient list than 92% of the 16,917 products we track

0–2: 161 products (1%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,220 products (13%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,699 products (10%). Below this entry. 6–8: 2,564 products (15%). Below this entry. 8–10: 2,835 products (17%). Below this entry. 10–12: 2,099 products (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 1,442 products (9%). Below this entry. 14–16: 997 products (6%). Below this entry. 16–18: 595 products (4%). Below this entry. 18–20: 402 products (2%). Below this entry. 20–22: 347 products (2%). Below this entry. 22–24: 277 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. 24–26: 256 products (2%). Above this entry. 26–28: 216 products (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 131 products (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 66 products (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 51 products (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 47 products (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 43 products (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 51 products (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 418 products (2%). Above this entry. This product 0 42 every published Beverages product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

16,917 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 23 (92nd percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
161 products (1%)
2–4
2,220 products (13%)
4–6
1,699 products (10%)
6–8
2,564 products (15%)
8–10
2,835 products (17%)
10–12
2,099 products (12%)
12–14
1,442 products (9%)
14–16
997 products (6%)
16–18
595 products (4%)
18–20
402 products (2%)
20–22
347 products (2%)
22–24
277 products (2%)
24–26
256 products (2%)
26–28
216 products (1%)
28–30
131 products (1%)
30–32
66 products (0%)
32–34
51 products (0%)
34–36
47 products (0%)
36–38
43 products (0%)
38–40
51 products (0%)
40 and above
418 products (2%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 16,917 Beverages products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
Added Sugar
3
Coconut Oil
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Listed
4
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
5
Cocoa Butter
6
Sodium Caseinate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
7
Mono-and Diglycerides
8
Dipotassium Phosphate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
9
Natural Flavor
10
Proprietary Flavor With Affidavit
11
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
12
Anti-caking
13
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
14
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Guar Gum
17
Added Dietary Fiber
18
Gum Arabic
19
Not Dietary Fiber
20
Coffee Powder
21
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
22
Caramel
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
23
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

SUGAR, ADDED SUGAR, COCONUT OIL, CORN SYRUP, COCOA BUTTER, SODIUM CASEINATE, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, PROPRIETARY FLAVOR WITH AFFIDAVIT, SILICON DIOXIDE (ANTI-CAKING), MALTODEXTRIN, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SALT, GUAR GUM, ADDED DIETARY FIBER, GUM ARABIC, NOT DIETARY FIBER, COFFEE POWDER, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CARAMEL, CITRIC ACID

Categories

Beverages Dried products Dried products to be rehydrated Dehydrated beverages Hot-chocolate

High-score cross-brand comparables for Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa

Neighbours outside Trader Joe's with screening scores in the same high band as Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa (100/100 here). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Trader Joe's; these peers cross brands.

Read the longer label in layers

Read the longer label in layers

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa has a longer ingredient list than 92% of its Beverages category comparison set. Use the ingredient table before relying on its single screening score.

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 00615723: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.