Lemon zest filled cupcake

by Sweet Sam's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Lemon zest filled cupcake by Sweet Sam's receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0833282008712
Nutri-Score
e
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
3 ONZ (85 g)

What the Data Says About

Lemon zest filled cupcake by Sweet Sam's carries a composite safety score of 100/100, 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 did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Lemon zest filled cupcake 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 Lemon zest filled cupcake
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 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
Cake Base
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Enriched Flour
4
Wheat Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Iron
7
Thiamin Mononitrate
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Soybean Oil
11
Corn Starch
12
Or Less Of: Whey
13
Leavening
14
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
15
Baking Soda
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Sorbitan Monostearate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe Approved
18
Nonfat Milk
19
Vital Wheat Gluten
20
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
21
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
22
Guar Gum
23
Mono And Diglycerides
24
Natural Flavor
25
Soy Flour
26
Egg
27
Lemon Filling
28
Water
29
Modified Food Starch
30
Palm & Soybean Oil
31
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
32
Natural Flavors
33
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
34
Turmeric
35
Sodium Citrate
36
Gellan Gum
STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Approved
37
Agar-agar
38
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
39
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
40
Unsalted Butter
41
Whole Eggs
42
Dried Cream Cheese
43
Pasteurized Cultured Milk And Cream
44
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
45
Tara Gum And Guar Gum
46
Canola Oil
47
Lemon Zest
48
Yellow Curls
49
Cocoa Butter
50
Whole Milk Powder
51
Whey Powder
52
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
53
Soy Lecithin
54
Vanilla
55
Carrot Oil
56
Lemon Juice
57
Lemon Oil
58
Corn Starch
59
Vanilla Extract

Full Ingredient List

Cake base (sugar, enriched flour [wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], soybean oil, modified corn starch. contains 2% or less of: whey, leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda], salt, sorbitan monostearate, nonfat milk, vital wheat gluten, polysorbate 60, xanthan gum, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, natural flavor, soy flour, egg), lemon filling (water, sugar, modified food starch, palm & soybean oil, dextrose, natural flavors, citric acid, turmeric, sodium citrate, gellan gum, agar-agar, salt), powdered sugar (sugar, cornstarch), unsalted butter, whole eggs, water, cream cheese (pasteurized cultured milk and cream, whey, salt, tara gum and guar gum), canola oil, lemon zest, yellow curls (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, whey powder, lactose, soy lecithin, natural vanilla, carrot oil), lemon juice, natural flavor, lemon oil, corn starch, natural vanilla extract.

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