Avoid

Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's

by Duncan Hines

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0644209404001 · Duncan Hines · Snacks. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0644209404001 · Serving size 0.2 PACKAGE (53 g)

The verdict

Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's by Duncan Hines scores 0/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 38 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 5 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 38-component record, beginning with Cake Mix, Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour. 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.

0/100
Avoid safety score
5
Many flagged · of 38 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0644209404001
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

3/100

Grade F

Ingredient Safety

0/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

N/A

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

09404001 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's label screening desk

SCORE-AVOID 0/100 FLAG-MANY 5 flagged LEN-DENSE 38 ing. REG-PART 45% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-UNK Nutri n/a RANK-SHORT Len top 11% LEAD-FLAG Blue 2 PHOTO-FINISH Chuckles, Assorted Flavors · ±0 BOOK-OFF …404001 · July 2026

17 of 38 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Blue 2). Source sheet 09404001 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Chuckles, Assorted Flavors Of Mini Jelly Candies · Nearest score peer is Chuckles, Assorted Flavors Of Mini Jelly Candies at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

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.

No Nutri-Score grade is present for this record in the OpenFoodFacts snapshot this page is built from. The nutritional dimension is absent rather than assessed and withheld: the grade depends on a complete declared nutrition panel, and community-contributed records vary in how much of that panel they carry. Nothing about the missing grade implies anything either way about the panel itself. The screen below covers additive ratings only and does not depend on the nutrition figures.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #11. Duncan hines, chocolate c…0/1002. Chuckles, Assorted Flavors Of Mini Jelly Candies: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #22. Chuckles, Assorted Flavor…0/1003. Sugar Babies: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #33. Sugar Babies0/1004. Delicious Candy Coated Milk Caramels: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #44. Delicious Candy Coated Mi…0/1005. Tgf, Holiday Sweet Tooth, Sweet & Nuts Blend: 0/100 · 0% of the leader · rank #55. Tgf, Holiday Sweet Tooth,…0/100
Nearest cross-brand screening scores for Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's (0/100 on 38 parsed ingredients).
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's
0/100
Chuckles, Assorted Flavors Of Mini Jelly Candies
0/100
Sugar Babies
0/100
Delicious Candy Coated Milk Caramels
0/100
Tgf, Holiday Sweet Tooth, Sweet & Nuts Blend
0/100

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. Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's scores 86.1 points below that category average (0/100 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

Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's lists 38 ingredients on its label

38 89th percentile a longer ingredient list than 89% of the 81,477 products we track

0–2: 275 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,901 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 4,248 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 5,408 products (7%). Below this entry. 8–10: 5,486 products (7%). Below this entry. 10–12: 5,840 products (7%). Below this entry. 12–14: 6,252 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 6,724 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 6,221 products (8%). Below this entry. 18–20: 5,168 products (6%). Below this entry. 20–22: 4,508 products (6%). Below this entry. 22–24: 3,809 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 3,567 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 2,829 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 2,282 products (3%). Below this entry. 30–32: 1,905 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 1,715 products (2%). Below this entry. 34–36: 1,572 products (2%). Below this entry. 36–38: 1,417 products (2%). Below this entry. 38–40: 1,284 products (2%). This entry sits in this band. 40–42: 8,066 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: 38 (89th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
275 products (0%)
2–4
2,901 products (4%)
4–6
4,248 products (5%)
6–8
5,408 products (7%)
8–10
5,486 products (7%)
10–12
5,840 products (7%)
12–14
6,252 products (8%)
14–16
6,724 products (8%)
16–18
6,221 products (8%)
18–20
5,168 products (6%)
20–22
4,508 products (6%)
22–24
3,809 products (5%)
24–26
3,567 products (4%)
26–28
2,829 products (3%)
28–30
2,282 products (3%)
30–32
1,905 products (2%)
32–34
1,715 products (2%)
34–36
1,572 products (2%)
36–38
1,417 products (2%)
38–40
1,284 products (2%)
40 and above
8,066 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

How the 0/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (5 flagged of 38 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Cake Mix
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
4
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
Vegetable Oil Shortening
11
Palm Oil
12
Cocoa Powder Processed With Alkali
13
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
14
Leavening
15
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
16
Dicalcium Phosphate
17
Monocalcium Phosphate
18
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
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
Emulsifier
21
Propylene Esters
22
Mono And Diglycerides
23
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
24
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
25
Color
26
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
27
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
28
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
29
Soy Lecithin
30
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
31
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
32
Cellulose Gum
33
Natural And Artificial Flavors
34
Frosting Mix
35
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
36
Corn Starch
37
Blue 2
Avoid Approved (certified color)
38
Natural And Artificial Flavor

Full Ingredient List

Cake mix (sugar, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil shortening (palm oil), cocoa powder processed with alkali, wheat starch, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate), dextrose, emulsifier (propylene esters, mono and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate), salt, color [yellow 6 lake, red 40 lake, blue 1 lake, soy lecithin, yellow 5 lake], xanthan gum, cellulose gum, natural and artificial flavors), frosting mix (powdered sugar [sugar, corn starch], cocoa powder processed with alkali, color [red 40 lake, blue 2 lake, yellow 5 lake], natural and artificial flavor).

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes Cooking helpers Dessert mixes Pastry helpers Baking Mixes Cake mixes

Lower-score cross-brand comparables for Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's

Neighbours outside Duncan Hines in the same lower screening band as Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's (0/100). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Duncan Hines; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Blue 2 is the first flagged ingredient selected from Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 38-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Blue 2. Open Blue 2
  • Compare Duncan hines, chocolate cake & frosting mix, chocolate lover's's 5 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0644209404001: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.