Shortcake
Contains 2 flagged ingredients
Shortcake 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
Shortcake 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, Shortcake 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
| 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 | E | OpenFoodFacts |
Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.
Ingredient Safety Analysis
Full Ingredient List
Cake base (sugar, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, soybean oil, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, natural and artificial flavor, whey, soy flour, salt, wheat gluten, propylene glycol monoester, monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate), strawberries, soybean oil, eggs, sugar, topping (water, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, sugar, corn syrup, polysorbate 60, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, artificial flavor, salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sorbitan monostearate, sodium citrate, soy lecithin, xanthan gum, annatto extract color), white compound (sugar, palm kernel oil, nonfat dry milk, dry whole milk, whey, palm oil, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor), palm oil, sour cream (cultured pasteurized cream, nonfat milk, enzymes), fondant (sugar, corn syrup). contains 2% or less of: evaporated milk (milk, dipotassium phosphate, carrageenan, vitamin d3), dairy blend (nonfat dry milk, whey solids, milk protein concentrate), potato starch, food starch-modified, invert sugar, artificial flavor and color, creme base (modified tapioca starch, dextrose, salt, titanium dioxide color, carrageenan, glucono delta-lactone, potassium sorbate [preservative], sodium benzoate [preservative], artificial flavor, cornstarch, silicon dioxide, yellow #5, yellow #6), strawberry filling (strawberry, sugar, water, dextrose, citric acid, pectin, ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, artificial flavor, sodium benzoate [preservative], mono - and diglycerides, red #40), soy lecithin, unsalted butter (cream, natural flavor), red 40 lake, citric acid, salt.
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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