Meal Bar
Contains 2 flagged ingredients
Meal Bar by Atkins Nutritionals Inc. receives a safety score of 70/100 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.
What the Data Says About
Meal Bar by Atkins Nutritionals Inc. carries a composite safety score of 70/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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, Meal Bar 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 D 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 70/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 2 | 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.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Chocolate flavored coating [polydextrose, palm kernel and palm oil, whey protein isolate, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), soy lecithin, artificial flavor, sucralose, acesulfame potassium], peanut butter flavored layer [maltitol, palm kernel and palm oil, peanut butter, partially defatted peanut flour, nonfat dry milk, whey powder, peanuts, salt, soy lecithin, anhydrous milk fat, cocoa powder (processed with alkali)], glycerin, protein blend (soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, sodium caseinate), peanuts, hydrolyzed gelatin, water, polydextrose, peanut butter (ground, roasted peanuts), cellulose, natural and artificial flavors, palm kernel oil, olive oil, clarified butter, soy lecithin, guar gum, vitamin mineral mix [dicalcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), sodium ascorbate, vitamin e acetate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin (vitamin b2), vitamin a palmitate, folic acid, biotin, chromium amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, phylloquinone (vitamin k1), cyanocobalamin (vitamin b12)], salt, maltodextrin, citric acid, sucralose, mono and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate.
Categories
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.
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