Red Velvet Filled Cupcake

by Arnie's

40
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Red Velvet Filled Cupcake by Arnie's receives a safety score of 40/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 4 ingredients 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
0076185005543
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
85 g (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Red Velvet Filled Cupcake by Arnie's carries a composite safety score of 40/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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 4 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, Red Velvet Filled Cupcake 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 Red Velvet Filled Cupcake
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 40/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 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
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
Enriched Wheat Flour Bleached
3
Flour
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Reduced Iron
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Soybean Oil
10
Leavening
11
Baking Soda
12
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
13
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
14
Mono Calcium Phosphate
15
Aluminum Sulfate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FIRMING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
16
Food Starch-modified Dextrose
17
Propylene Glycol Mono & Diesters Of Fatty Acids
18
Mono & Diglycerides With Bht & Citric Acid As Preservatives
19
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
20
Nonfat Milk Solids
21
Sorbitan Monostearate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe Approved
22
Artificial Flavor
23
Soy Lecithin
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
Cellulose Gum
26
Polysorbate 80
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
27
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
28
Propylene Glycol
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
29
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
30
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
31
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
32
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
33
Water
34
Natural And Artificial Flavor
35
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
36
Glycerin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
37
Sulfites
Preservative
Certain People Should Avoid
38
Dried Cream Cheese
39
Pasteurized Milk
40
Cream Cheese Culture
41
Carob Bean Gum
42
Margarine
43
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
44
Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil
45
Mono- And Diglycerides Colored With Annatto/turmeric
46
Calcium Edta Added As A Preservative
47
Vitamin A Palmitate Added
48
Egg Whites
49
Guar Gum
50
Triethyl Citrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Prior Sanctioned
51
Whole Eggs
52
Bourbonnais Vanilla
53
Natural And Artificial Flavors
54
Ethyl Alcohol
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
55
Partially Inverted Sugar
56
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
57
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
58
Glycerine
59
Modified Food Starch
60
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
61
Carrageenan Gum
62
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
63
Methyl Paraben And Propyl Paraben
64
Preservatives

Full Ingredient List

Sugar, enriched wheat flour bleached (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), soybean oil, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, mono calcium phosphate, aluminum sulfate), food starch-modified dextrose, propylene glycol mono & diesters of fatty acids, mono & diglycerides with bht & citric acid as preservatives, salt, nonfat milk solids, sorbitan monostearate, artificial flavor, soy lecithin, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, polysorbate 80, wheat starch, propylene glycol, citric acid, silicon dioxide, cocoa processed with alkali, sorbitan monostearate, nonfat milk solids, caramel color, polysorbate 80, water, natural and artificial flavor, corn syrup, polysorbate 80, glycerin, sulfites, silicon dioxide, cream cheese (pasteurized milk, cream cheese culture, carob bean gum), margarine (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, salt, mono- and diglycerides colored with annatto/turmeric, calcium edta added as a preservative, artificial flavor, vitamin a palmitate added), egg whites, guar gum, triethyl citrate, whole eggs, bourbonnais vanilla (natural and artificial flavors, water, ethyl alcohol, caramel color, partially inverted sugar, glycerin, citric acid), high fructose corn syrup, fd&c red 40, glycerine, modified food starch, fd&c red 3, carrageenan gum, potassium sorbate, methyl paraben and propyl paraben (preservatives)

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