Avoid

Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy

by Monster

Scores 20/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis , with 4 flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0090272016502 · Serving size 9 PIECES (42 g)

The verdict

Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy by Monster scores 20/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 31 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 4 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 31-component record, beginning with Sugar, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

20/100
Avoid safety score
4
flagged ingredients of 31 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
D
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 Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy

Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy by Monster carries a composite safety score of 20/100, which we classify as "Avoid" on our four-tier shelf-label framework.

Of the 31 ingredients parsed from this label, 11 are covered by a regulator or watchdog we screen against (Beeswax, BHT, Red 3 and 8 others), with 9 carrying an FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) status and 10 a CSPI Chemical Cuisine rating. The remaining 20 ingredients appear in neither registry, so they neither raise nor lower the score. Each additive rated caution-or-worse penalizes the composite. 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, Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy 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.

How the three scores on this page were derived

The composite for this product falls in the lowest of the four bands. That is where labels land when registry-rated components drive the greater part of the deduction from the index. The band name is drawn from the framework's own scale and is distinct from the ratings the registries themselves assign to individual substances, which are shown per component below. A single heavily rated component and several lightly rated ones can produce the same band, so the component table is the more precise reading of the two.

This label falls in the fourth Nutri-Score band. The model arrives there when its penalty terms — energy density, sugars, saturated fat, sodium — carry more weight in the calculation than the fibre, protein and produce content it credits. The band covers a wide span of the points scale, so position within it is not visible from the letter alone. The grade reflects the declared nutrition panel and is unrelated to the additive ratings listed below, which come from different bodies applying different criteria.

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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 20/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score D OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 88,006 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 86.1/100. Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy scores 66.1 points below that category average (20/100 vs. 86.1/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Snacks products

Monster mercantile, mad scientist mix candy lists 31 ingredients on its label

31 82nd percentile a longer ingredient list than 82% of the 81,477 products we track

0–2: 272 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,904 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 4,228 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 5,399 products (7%). Below this entry. 8–10: 5,484 products (7%). Below this entry. 10–12: 5,797 products (7%). Below this entry. 12–14: 6,263 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 6,708 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 6,234 products (8%). Below this entry. 18–20: 5,191 products (6%). Below this entry. 20–22: 4,484 products (6%). Below this entry. 22–24: 3,818 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 3,579 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 2,824 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 2,271 products (3%). Below this entry. 30–32: 1,916 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. 32–34: 1,736 products (2%). Above this entry. 34–36: 1,564 products (2%). Above this entry. 36–38: 1,434 products (2%). Above this entry. 38–40: 1,291 products (2%). Above this entry. 40–42: 8,080 products (10%). Above this entry. This product 0 42 every published Snacks 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

81,477 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 31 (82nd percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
272 products (0%)
2–4
2,904 products (4%)
4–6
4,228 products (5%)
6–8
5,399 products (7%)
8–10
5,484 products (7%)
10–12
5,797 products (7%)
12–14
6,263 products (8%)
14–16
6,708 products (8%)
16–18
6,234 products (8%)
18–20
5,191 products (6%)
20–22
4,484 products (6%)
22–24
3,818 products (5%)
24–26
3,579 products (4%)
26–28
2,824 products (3%)
28–30
2,271 products (3%)
30–32
1,916 products (2%)
32–34
1,736 products (2%)
34–36
1,564 products (2%)
36–38
1,434 products (2%)
38–40
1,291 products (2%)
40 and above
8,080 products (10%)

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 81,477 Snacks 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
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
3
Corn Starch
4
Corn Starch
5
Confectioner's Glaze
6
Carnauba Wax
7
Beeswax
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
8
Malic Acid
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SYNERGIST
Safe GRAS
9
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
10
Mineral Oil
11
Vegetable Oil
12
Organic Coconut
13
Palm
14
Soybean Oil
15
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
16
Egg Whites
17
Honey
18
Tapioca Dextrin
19
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
20
Soy Lecithin
21
Emulsifier
22
Natural & Artificial Flavors
23
Red 3
Avoid FDA food listing remains in effect until Jan 15, 2027; revocation scheduled
24
40 & 40 Lake
25
And Yellow 5 & 6
26
Yellow 5 Lake & 6 Lake
27
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
28
2 & 2 Lake
29
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
30
Gum Base
31
BHT
Caution GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Sugar, corn syrup, modified corn starch, corn starch, confectioner's glaze, carnauba wax, beeswax, malic acid, citric acid, mineral oil, vegetable oil (coconut, palm, and/or soybean oil), salt, egg whites, honey, tapioca dextrin, dextrose, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural & artificial flavors, red 3, 40 & 40 lake, yellow 5 & 6, yellow 5 lake & 6 lake, blue 1, 2 & 2 lake, titanium dioxide, gum base, bht (to maintain freshness).

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Confectioneries

Data Sources

Data as of July 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 July 2026.

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