Carrot Cake

by The Bakery

10
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Carrot Cake by The Bakery receives a safety score of 10/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 4 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
0605388664877
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.0146 CAKE (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Carrot Cake by The Bakery carries a composite safety score of 10/100, 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.

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, Carrot Cake 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 Carrot Cake
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 10/100 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.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
Carrots
3
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
4
Wheat Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Reduced Iron
7
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Soybean Oil
11
Dried Cream Cheese
12
Milk
13
Cream
14
From Milk
15
Cheese Culture
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Carob Bean Gum
18
Eggs
19
Vegetable Shortening
20
Palm And Soybean Oils
21
Mono - And Diglycerides
22
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
23
To Preserve Freshness
24
TBHQ
Preservative
Avoid Approved (preservative, 21 CFR 172.185)
25
Crushed Pineapple
26
Brown Sugar
27
Margarine
28
Palm Oil
29
Water
30
Artificial Flavor
31
Annatto Extract
32
For Color
33
Calcium Disodium Edta
34
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
35
Invert Sugar
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Cut Back GRAS
36
The Following: Leavening
37
Baking Soda
38
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
39
Monocalcium Phosphate
40
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
41
Cinnamon
42
Natural And Artificial Flavor
43
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
44
Soy Lecithin
45
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
46
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
47
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)

Full Ingredient List

Sugar, carrots, enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), soybean oil, cream cheese (milk, cream [from milk], cheese culture, salt, carob bean gum), eggs, vegetable shortening (palm and soybean oils, mono - and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, to preserve freshness [tbhq]), crushed pineapple, brown sugar, margarine (palm oil, water, soybean oil, salt, mono - and diglycerides, artificial flavor, annatto extract [for color], to preserve freshness [calcium disodium edta], vitamin a palmitate), invert sugar, contains less than 2% of the following: leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), modified cornstarch, cinnamon, natural and artificial flavor, salt, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, yellow 6, yellow 5, blue 1.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes

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