Avoid

Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate

Scores 25/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 3 flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0085239035528 · Serving size 3 CUPCAKES (71 g)

The verdict

Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate scores 25/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 53 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 3 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.

25/100
Avoid safety score
3
flagged ingredients of 53 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 Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate

Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate carries a composite safety score of 25/100, 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 3 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, Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate 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 Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 25/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 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. Chocolate mini cupcakes, chocolate scores 62.4 points below that category average (25/100 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
Cupcake:
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Water
4
Egg
5
Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour
6
Wheat Flour
7
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Reduced Iron
9
Thiamin Mononitrate
10
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
11
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
12
Soybean Oil
13
Canola Oil
14
Cocoa Powder Processed With Alkali
15
Corn Starch
16
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
17
Leavening Blend
18
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
19
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
20
Corn Starch
21
Monocalcium Phosphate
22
Calcium Sulfate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
23
Mono - And Diglycerides
24
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
25
Emulsifier
26
Propylene Glycol Mono - And Diesters Of Fats And Fatty Acids
27
Soy Lecithin
28
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
29
Natural Flavor
30
. Icing:
31
Icing Sugar
32
Vegetable Oil Shortening
33
Palm Oil
34
Fractionated Palm Oil
35
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
36
Monoglycerides
37
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
38
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
39
Margarine
40
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
41
Vitamin D3
42
Nonfat Dry Milk
43
Butter
44
Cream
45
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
46
Beet Powder
47
Color
48
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
49
. Sprinkles:
50
Palm Kernel Oil
51
Shellac
52
Sunflower Lecithin
53
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)

Full Ingredient List

Cupcake: (sugar, water, egg, bleached enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], soybean oil, canola oil, cocoa powder processed with alkali, modified corn starch, whey, leavening blend [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate], mono - and diglycerides, salt, emulsifier [propylene glycol mono - and diesters of fats and fatty acids, mono - and diglycerides, soy lecithin, citric acid], soy lecithin, natural flavor). icing: (icing sugar [sugar, corn starch], vegetable oil shortening [canola oil, palm oil, fractionated palm oil, fractionated palm kernel oil, monoglycerides, polysorbate 60], corn syrup, margarine [soybean oil, palm oil, water, salt, whey, soy lecithin, monoglycerides, natural flavor, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3], water, nonfat dry milk, butter [cream, salt], modified corn starch, mono - and diglycerides, natural flavor, salt, red 40 lake, beet powder [color], red 3). sprinkles: (icing sugar [sugar, corn starch], palm kernel oil, modified corn starch, corn starch, shellac, sunflower lecithin, red 40, red 3, polysorbate 60).

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes

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.