dark chocolate sea salt caramels

by marketside

60
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

dark chocolate sea salt caramels by marketside receives a safety score of 60/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 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
0194346049691
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

dark chocolate sea salt caramels by marketside carries a composite safety score of 60/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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 2 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, dark chocolate sea salt caramels 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 dark chocolate sea salt caramels
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 60/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 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
Caramel Centers
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
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Water
5
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
6
Corn Starch
7
Palm Oil
8
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
9
Organic Invert Syrup
10
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
11
Artificial And Natural Vanilla Flavors
12
Egg Whites
13
Dark Chocolate
14
Chocolate Liquor
15
Cocoa Butter
16
Anhydrous Milk Fat
17
Soy Lecithin
18
Vanilla Flavor
19
Dark Confectionery Coating
20
Palm Kernel Oil
21
Organic Cocoa
22
Cocoa Powder
23
Artificial Vanilla Flavor
24
Pink Confectionery Coating
25
Palm Kernel Oil
26
Nonfat Dry Milk
27
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
28
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
29
Color
30
Distilled Monoglycerides
31
Fractionated Coconut Oil
32
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
33
Sea salt
Flavoring
Cut Back

Full Ingredient List

caramel centers (corn syrup, sugar, water, powdered sugar [sugar, corn starch], palm oil, whey, invert syrup, salt, artificial and natural vanilla flavors, egg whites), dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, anhydrous milk fat, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor), dark confectionery coating (sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, cocoa [processed with alkali], cocoa powder, whey, soy lecithin, salt, artificial vanilla flavor), pink confectionery coating (sugar, palm kernel oil, nonfat dry milk, lactose, titanium dioxide [color], soy lecithin, distilled monoglycerides, natural vanilla flavor, fractionated coconut oil, red 40 lake), sea salt.

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