Belgian chocolate

0
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 9 flagged ingredients

Belgian chocolate receives a safety score of 0/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 9 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
0680196644471
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
4 PIECES (40 g)

What the Data Says About

Belgian chocolate carries a composite safety score of 0/100, 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 9 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, Belgian chocolate 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 Belgian chocolate
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 0/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 9 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
Dark Chocolate
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Chocolate Liquor
4
Cocoa Butter
5
Whole And Nonfat Milk Solids
6
Lecithin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
7
An Emulsifier
8
Pure Vanilla Extract And Other Natural Flavors
9
Candy Coated Chocolate
10
Milk Chocolate
11
Natural Chocolate
12
Skim Milk
13
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
14
Milkfat
15
Soy Lecithin
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Artificial Flavor
18
Less Than 2% - Coloring
19
Includes Blue 1 Lake
20
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
21
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
22
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
23
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
24
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
25
Blue 2
Avoid Approved (certified color)
26
Yellow 6
Avoid Approved (certified color)
27
Blue 2
Avoid Approved (certified color)
28
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
29
Dextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Safe GRAS
30
Corn Starch
31
Peanut Butter Chips
32
Partially Defatted Peanut Flour
33
Palm Kernel Oil
34
Nonfat Dry Milk
35
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
36
And Salt
37
Mini Chocolate Chips
38
Semi-sweet Chocolate
39
Vanillin - An Artificial Flavor
40
Natural Flavor
41
Assorted Nonpariels
42
Confectioners' Glaze
43
Carnauba Wax
44
Red 3
Avoid Banned (FDA revoked Jan 2025)
45
Yellow 6 And Blue 2

Full Ingredient List

Dark chocolate (dark chocolate, sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, whole and nonfat milk solids, lecithin (an emulsifier), pure vanilla extract and other natural flavors), candy coated chocolate (milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, skim milk, cocoa butter, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavor), sugar, less than 2% - coloring (includes blue 1 lake, yellow 6, red 40, yellow 5, blue 1, red 40 lake, blue 2 lake, yellow 6 lake, blue 2) corn syrup, dextrin, corn starch), peanut butter chips (sugar, partially defatted peanut flour, sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, nonfat dry milk, dextrose, soy lecithin, and salt), mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet chocolate [sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanillin - an artificial flavor, natural flavor]), assorted nonpariels (sugar, corn starch, confectioners' glaze, carnauba wax, yellow 5, red 3, blue 1, red 40, yellow 6 and blue 2).

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Cocoa and its products Confectioneries Chocolate candies

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