Whoopie Pies

by Shirley's

20
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 4 flagged ingredients

Whoopie Pies by Shirley's receives a safety score of 20/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 4 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
0725526047482
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 WHOOPIE PIE (113 g)

What the Data Says About

Whoopie Pies by Shirley's carries a composite safety score of 20/100, 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 4 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, Whoopie Pies 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 Whoopie Pies
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 20/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 4 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
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
Water
3
Soybean Oil
4
Eggs
5
Enriched Flour Bleached
6
Wheat Flour
7
Malted Barley Flour
8
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Reduced Iron
10
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
11
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
12
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
13
Vegetable Shortening
14
Interesterified Soybean Oil
15
Palm Oil
16
Mono - And Diglycerides
17
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
18
Tbhq Preservative
19
Citric Acid Preservative
20
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
21
Palm Oil
22
Each Of The Following: Whey
23
Food Starch-modified
24
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
25
Leavening
26
Baking Soda
27
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
28
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
29
Monocalcium Phosphate
30
Corn Starch
31
Emulsifier Blend
32
Propylene Glycol Monoesters Of Fats And Fatty Acids
33
Soy Lecithin
34
Bht Preservative
35
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
36
Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour
37
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
38
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
39
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
40
Natural And Artificial Flavors
41
Cellulose Gum
42
Propylene Glycol
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
43
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
44
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
45
Egg Yolks
46
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
47
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
48
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)
49
Beta-carotene Color

Full Ingredient List

Sugar, water, soybean oil, eggs, enriched flour bleached (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable shortening (interesterified soybean oil, hydrogenated palm oil, mono - and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, tbhq preservative, citric acid preservative), cocoa processed with alkali, palm oil, contains less than 2% of each of the following: whey, food starch-modified, wheat starch, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), corn starch, emulsifier blend (propylene glycol monoesters of fats and fatty acids, mono - and diglycerides, soy lecithin, bht preservative, citric acid preservative), salt, degerminated yellow corn flour, wheat gluten, dextrose, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, cellulose gum, propylene glycol, sodium stearoyl lactylate, red 40, egg yolks, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, yellow 5, blue 1, wheat flour, beta-carotene color.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes

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