Avoid

Reese's cookies

Scores 0/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 4 flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0078742039411 · Serving size 1 COOKIE (31 g)

The verdict

Reese's cookies scores 0/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 56 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 4 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.

0/100
Avoid safety score
4
flagged ingredients of 56 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 Reese's cookies

Reese's cookies carries a composite safety score of 0/100, 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. 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 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, Reese's cookies 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

Composite safety metrics for Reese's cookies
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 0/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 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. Reese's cookies scores 87.4 points below that category average (0/100 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

1
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
2
Flour
3
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
4
Reduced Iron
5
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
8
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
9
Peanut Butter
10
Roasted Peanuts
11
Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
12
Rapeseed
13
Cottonseed
14
Soybean
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
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
17
Brown Sugar
18
Invert Sugar
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Cut Back GRAS
19
Cane Molasses
20
Margarine
21
Palm Oil
22
Water
23
Soybean Oil
24
Mono - & Diglycerides
25
Annatto Extract Color
26
Calcium Disodium Edta
27
Preservative
28
Artificial Flavor
29
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
30
Mini Reese's
31
Pieces
32
Partially Defatted Peanuts
33
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
34
Palm Kernel Oil
35
And Soybean Oil
36
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
37
Or Less Of: Artificial Color
38
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
39
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
40
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
41
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
42
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
43
Soy Lecithin
44
Resinous Glaze
45
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
46
Vanillin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
47
Carnauba Wax
48
And Reduced Minerals Whey
49
Milk
50
Eggs
51
Or Less Of: Peanuts
52
Food Starch - Modified
53
Leavening
54
Baking Soda
55
Sodium Aluminum Sulfate
56
Monocalcium Phosphate

Full Ingredient List

Enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, peanut butter (roasted peanuts, sugar, contains less than 2% of: fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean, salt, corn syrup), brown sugar (sugar, invert sugar, cane molasses), margarine (palm oil, water, soybean oil, salt, mono - & diglycerides, annatto extract color, calcium disodium edta (preservative), artificial flavor, vitamin a palmitate, mini reese's, pieces (sugar, partially defatted peanuts, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (palm kernel oil, and soybean oil, corn syrup, dextrose, contains 2% or less of: artificial color (blue 1 lake, red 40 lake, yellow 5 lake,yellow 6 lake), cornstarch, salt, soy lecithin, resinous glaze, modified cornstarch, vanillin, artificial flavor, carnauba wax, and reduced minerals whey(milk)), eggs, invert sugar, contains 2% or less of: peanuts, food starch - modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum sulfate, monocalcium phosphate), cornstarch.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Biscuits

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.