Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme

by Stephen's, Stephen's Gourmet

95
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme by Stephen's, Stephen's Gourmet 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
0729776413264
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
3 Tbsp (36 g)

What the Data Says About

Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme by Stephen's, Stephen's Gourmet 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, Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme 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 Gourmet Hot Cocoa, Cookies 'N' Creme
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
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
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
3
Dairy Product Solids
4
Coconut Oil
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Listed
5
Corn Syrup Solids
6
Cookies And Cream Droplet
7
Coating
8
Vegetable Oils {Palm Kernal And Palm}
9
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
10
Whole Milk
11
Soy Lecithin
12
Natural Flavor
13
Cookie
14
Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour {Wheat Flour
15
Malted Barley Flour
16
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
17
Reduced Iron
18
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
19
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
20
Folic Acid}
21
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
22
Canola Oil
23
Cocoa - Processed With Alkali
24
Unsweetened Chocolate
25
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
26
Baking Soda
27
Natural And Artificial Flavors
28
Sodium Caseinate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
29
A Milk Derivative
30
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
31
Mono And Diglycerides
32
Dipotassium Phosphate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
33
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

Sugar, maltodextrin, dairy product solids, coconut oil, corn syrup solids, cookies and cream droplet (coating [sugar, vegetable oils {palm kernal and palm}, whey, whole milk, soy lecithin, natural flavor], cookie [unbleached enriched wheat flour {wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}], organic sugar, canola oil, cocoa - processed with alkali, unsweetened chocolate, salt, baking soda, soy lecithin), natural and artificial flavors, sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), salt, carrageenan, mono and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate, xanthan gum.

Categories

Beverages Dried products Dried products to be rehydrated Dehydrated beverages

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