Red velvet cupcake

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Red velvet cupcake 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
0855307001676
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 CUPCAKE (79 g)

What the Data Says About

Red velvet cupcake 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, Red velvet 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 D 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 Red velvet 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 D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Water
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Sugra
5
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
6
Cake Mix
7
Rice Flour
8
Rice Starch
STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Listed
9
Egg Whites
10
Cocoa Processes With Alkali
11
Natural And Artificial Flavor
12
Leavening
13
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
14
Sodium Acid Oyrophosphate
15
Monocalcium Phosphate
16
Corn Starch
17
Or Less Of: Corn Starch
18
Soluble Corn Syrup Fiber
19
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
20
Potato Starch
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
21
Polyglyceril Esters
22
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
23
Mono & Diglycerides
24
Dried Cream Cheese
25
Pasteurized Milk And Cream
26
Cheese Culture
27
Stabilizers
28
Carob Bean
29
Xanthan
30
Guar Gums
31
Canola Oil
32
Egg
33
Butter
34
Red Food Color
35
Fd&c Colors
36
Red #40
37
Red #3
38
Yellow #6
39
Corn Starch
40
Modified Vegetable Gum
41
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
42
Les Than 1/10 Of 1% Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate
43
Vanilla

Full Ingredient List

Water, powdered sugar (sugar, sugra, cornstarch), cake mix (sugar, rice flour, modified rice starch, egg whites, cocoa processes with alkali, natural and artificial flavor, leavening [sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid oyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate, corn starch], contains 2% or less of: modified corn starch, soluble corn syrup fiber, salt, potato starch, polyglyceril esters, xanthan gum, mono & diglycerides), cream cheese (pasteurized milk and cream, cheese culture, salt, stabilizers [carob bean and/or xanthan and/or guar gums]), canola oil, egg, butter, red food color (water, sugar, fd&c colors [red #40, red #3, yellow #6], modified corn starch, vegetable gum, citric acid, les than 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate), vanilla

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