Simply balanced, fruit & grain bars, strawberry

by Target Brands Inc.

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Simply balanced, fruit & grain bars, strawberry by Target Brands Inc. receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0085239207895
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 BAR (37 g)

What the Data Says About

Simply balanced, fruit & grain bars, strawberry by Target Brands Inc. carries a composite safety score of 95/100, 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 identified 1 flagged ingredient 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, Simply balanced, fruit & grain bars, strawberry 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 Simply balanced, fruit & grain bars, strawberry
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Strawberry Filling
2
Evaporated Cane Syrup
3
Strawberries
4
Apple Powder
5
Fruit Juice Concentrate
6
Pear
7
Pineapple
8
Apple
9
Peach
10
Tapioca Starch
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
11
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
12
Natural Flavor
13
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
14
Pectin
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
15
Locust Bean Gum
16
Red Cabbage And Annatto Extracts
17
For Color
18
Crust
19
Unbleached Wheat Flour
20
Invert Cane Syrup
21
Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
22
Oat Flour
23
Whole Grain Rolled Oats
24
Wheat Bran
25
Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil
26
Milk
27
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
28
Honey
29
Nonfat Dry Milk
30
Cream Of Tartar
31
Baking Soda
32
Soy Lecithin
33
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
34
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
35
Sodium Selenite
36
Thiamin Hydrochloride
37
Vitamin B1
38
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
39
Vitamin B2
40
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
41
Vitamin B6
42
Cyanocobalamin
43
Vitamin B12
44
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
45
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Strawberry filling (organic evaporated cane syrup, strawberries, apple powder, fruit juice concentrate [pear, pineapple, apple, peach], tapioca starch, glycerin, natural flavor, citric acid, pectin, locust bean gum, red cabbage and annatto extracts [for color]), crust (organic unbleached wheat flour, organic invert cane syrup, organic evaporated cane syrup, organic expeller pressed canola oil, organic oat flour, contains less than 2% of: organic whole grain rolled oats, organic wheat bran, natural flavor [organic expeller pressed soybean oil, milk], organic wheat gluten, organic honey, organic nonfat dry milk, cream of tartar, baking soda, soy lecithin, carrageenan, sea salt, sodium selenite, thiamin hydrochloride [vitamin b1], riboflavin [vitamin b2], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin b6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin b12], folic acid, niacinamide).

Categories

Snacks

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