Avoid

Cupcake Kit

by Monsters University

Scores 35/100 on FDA SAFFA + CSPI ingredient analysis - 3 flagged ingredients identified.

Barcode 0844527029133 · Serving size 1 CUPCAKE OR 1/8 OF PACKAGE (30 g)

The verdict

Cupcake Kit by Monsters University scores 35/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 30 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 3 ingredients are flagged for caution. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination; check official notices and the product label for current decisions.

35/100
Avoid safety score
3
flagged ingredients of 30 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
0844527029133
Barcode (UPC/EAN)

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

What the Data Says About Cupcake Kit

Cupcake Kit by Monsters University carries a composite safety score of 35/100, 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. This score is a transparent derived index we compute from that public data, not an official FDA rating or endorsement; see the Methodology page for the exact weighting.

Our scan identified 3 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, Cupcake Kit 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 Cupcake Kit
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 35/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 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.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 94,909 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 87.4/100. Cupcake Kit scores 52.4 points below that category average (35/100 vs. 87.4/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Vanilla Cupcake Mix: Sugar
2
Enriched Wheat Flour
3
Wheat Flour
4
Malted Barley Flour
5
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
6
Reduced Iron
7
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
9
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
10
Shortening
11
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And Cottonseed Oil
12
Mono And Diglycerides
13
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
14
Baking Powder
15
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
16
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
17
Corn Starch
18
Monocalcium Phosphate
19
Skim Milk Solids
20
Food Starch-modified
21
Ascorbiac Acid
22
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
23
Natural And Artificial Flavors. Green Frosting Mix: Sugar
24
Natural And Artificial Flavors
25
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
26
Blue 1. Blue Frosting Mix: Sugar
27
Blue 2
Avoid Approved (certified color)
28
Blue 1. Blue Sparkling Sugar: Sugar
29
Carnauba Wax
30
Blue 1
Caution Approved (certified color)

Full Ingredient List

Vanilla cupcake mix: sugar, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60), baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), skim milk solids, food starch-modified, mono and diglycerides, ascorbiac acid, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, natural and artificial flavors. green frosting mix: sugar, natural and artificial flavors, yellow 5, blue 1. blue frosting mix: sugar, natural and artificial flavors, blue 2, blue 1. blue sparkling sugar: sugar, carnauba wax, blue 1.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes Cooking helpers Dessert mixes Pastry helpers Baking Mixes Cake mixes

Data Sources

Data as of May 2026. 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.

Product data from Open Food Facts; additive safety from the FDA SAFFA inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details. Compiled by PlainFoodSafe

Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Product figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.