Duncan hines, german chocolate cake mix

by Duncan Hines

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Duncan hines, german chocolate cake mix by Duncan Hines receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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
0644209413409
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.083 CACKE (50 g)

What the Data Says About

Duncan hines, german chocolate cake mix by Duncan Hines carries a composite safety score of 95/100, which we classify as "Safe" 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 1 flagged ingredient 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, Duncan hines, german chocolate cake mix 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 Duncan hines, german chocolate cake mix
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 95/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
Cake Mix:
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Bleached Wheat Flour
4
Wheat Flour
5
Enriched With Niacin
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
Malted Barley Flour
11
Cocoa Powder Processed With Alkali
12
Vegetable Oil Shortening
13
Palm Oil
14
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
15
Or Less Of: Leavening
16
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
17
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
18
Monocalcium Phosphate Monohydrate
19
Modified Food Starch
20
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
21
Emulsifier
22
Propylene Esters
23
Mono And Diglycerides
24
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
25
Natural And Artificial Flavor
26
Cocoa Butter
27
Cocoa Powder
28
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
29
German Chocolate Pouch
30
Coconut With Sodium Metabisulfite As A Preservative
31
Almonds
32
Pecans
33
Nonfat Dry Milk
34
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
35
Colored With
36
Guar Gum
37
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

Full Ingredient List

Cake mix: (sugar, bleached wheat flour (wheat flour [enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], malted barley flour), cocoa powder processed with alkali, vegetable oil shortening (palm oil), dextrose. contains 2% or less of: leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate monohydrate), modified food starch, salt, emulsifier (propylene esters, mono and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate), natural and artificial flavor (cocoa butter, cocoa powder, caramel color)), german chocolate pouch (sugar, coconut with sodium metabisulfite as a preservative, modified food starch, almonds, pecans, vegetable oil shortening (palm oil), nonfat dry milk, maltodextrin, salt, natural and artificial flavor, colored with (caramel color), guar gum, xanthan gum).

Categories

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

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