Red Velvet Dream Cake Mix & Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet Dream

by Duncan hines

75
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Red Velvet Dream Cake Mix & Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet Dream by Duncan hines receives a safety score of 75/100 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
0644209425389
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
0.25 PACKAGE DRY MIX & FROSTING (60 g)

What the Data Says About

Red Velvet Dream Cake Mix & Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet Dream by Duncan hines carries a composite safety score of 75/100, 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 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, Red Velvet Dream Cake Mix & Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet Dream 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 Red Velvet Dream Cake Mix & Cream Cheese Frosting, Red Velvet Dream
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 75/100 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
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
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
Baking Soda
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
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
26
Artificial Flavor
27
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
28
Cellulose Gum
29
. Frosting
30
Shortening
31
Canola Oil
32
Mono - And Diglycerides
33
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
34
Water
35
Or Less Of: Corn Syrup
36
Corn Starch
37
Modified Food Starch
38
Natural Flavor
39
Preservative
40
Rosemary Extract
41
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
42
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Cake Mix (Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil Shortening (Palm Oil), Cocoa Powder Processed With Alkali, Wheat Starch, Leavening (Baking Soda, Dicalcium Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Dextrose, Emulsifier (Propylene Esters, Mono And Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate), Salt, Red 40, Artificial Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum). Frosting (Sugar, Shortening (Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Mono - And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60), Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Natural Flavor, Salt, Preservative (Rosemary Extract, Potassium Sorbate), Citric Acid).

Categories

Cooking helpers Baking Mixes Dessert mixes Pastry helpers 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