King cake

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

King cake 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
0850646006023
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

King cake 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, King cake 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 King cake
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 Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Dough Base
2
Enriched Wheat Flour Bleached
3
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
Water
11
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
12
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
13
Soy Bean And Or Cottonseed Oil
14
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
15
Soy Flour
16
Mono & Diglycerides With Bhtas Preservative
17
Leavening
18
Baking Soda
19
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
20
Monocalcium Phosphate
21
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
22
Soybean Oil
23
Dry Whey
24
Corn Starch
25
Sodium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
26
Calcium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT
Safe GRAS
27
As Preservatives
28
Almonds
29
Bitter Almond Oil
30
Synthetic
31
Potassium Sorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT
Safe GRAS
32
To Preserve Freshness
33
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
34
Datem
Emulsifier
Safe
35
Natural And Artificial Flavors
36
Wheat Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
37
Corn Oil
38
Ascorbic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
39
Dough Conditioner
40
Beta Carotene As Color
41
Tricalcium Phosphate
42
Alphatocopherols As Preservative
43
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
44
Silicon Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT
Safe GRAS
45
Yeast. Flavors: Cinnamon
46
Butter Cream
47
Flavorings
48
Egg Whites
49
Sweet Potato
50
Dark Karo
51
Dark Chocolate Dough Conditioner
52
Wheat Flour Dextrose Enzyme

Full Ingredient List

Dough base (enriched wheat flour bleached (flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, dextrose, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soy bean and or cottonseed oil), sugar, soy flour, mono & diglycerides with bhtas preservative, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), salt, soybean oil, dry whey, corn starch, sodium propionate, calcium propionate (as preservatives), almonds, sugar, water, bitter almond oil (synthetic), potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness)sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, natural and artificial flavors, wheat starch, corn oil, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner), beta carotene as color, tricalcium phosphate, alphatocopherols as preservative, citric acid, silicon dioxide, yeast. flavors: cinnamon, butter cream, natural flavorings, egg whites, sweet potato, dark karo, dark chocolate dough conditioner (wheat flour dextrose enzyme.)

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