Avoid

Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint

by Hostess

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0888109111571 · Hostess · Snacks. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0888109111571 · Serving size 1 CAKE (41 g)

The verdict

Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint by Hostess scores 10/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 51 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 4 ingredients are flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 51-component record, beginning with Coating, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

10/100
Avoid safety score
4
Many flagged · of 51 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
E
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

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

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

13/100

Grade F

Ingredient Safety

10/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

E

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

09111571 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint label screening desk

SCORE-AVOID 10/100 FLAG-MANY 4 flagged LEN-DENSE 51 ing. REG-PART 39% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-E Nutri-E RANK-SHORT Len top 4% LEAD-FLAG Polysorbate 60 PHOTO-FINISH Iced pumpkin cake · ±0 BOOK-OFF …111571 · July 2026

20 of 51 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Polysorbate 60). Source sheet 09111571 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology · Read with nearest score peer: Iced pumpkin cake with creamy filling cupcakes · Nearest score peer is Iced pumpkin cake with creamy filling cupcakes at the same screening score.

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

The composite for this product falls in the lowest of the four bands. That is where labels land when registry-rated components drive the greater part of the deduction from the index. The band name is drawn from the framework's own scale and is distinct from the ratings the registries themselves assign to individual substances, which are shown per component below. A single heavily rated component and several lightly rated ones can produce the same band, so the component table is the more precise reading of the two.

Nutri-Score assigned its lowest band to this label. The algorithm reserves that grade for nutrition panels where the values it penalises sit well above the components it credits. The two systems on this page measure genuinely different things: a product can hold this grade while carrying no additive flagged by the registries screened below, and a product graded well can carry several. Neither reading substitutes for the other, and the per-component table is where the additive picture is set out.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

Cross-brand screening score neighbourhood

1. Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint: 10/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #11. Hostess, twinkies, covere…10/1002. Iced pumpkin cake with creamy filling cupcakes: 10/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #22. Iced pumpkin cake with cr…10/1003. Blueberry mini bagels, blueberry: 10/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #33. Blueberry mini bagels, bl…10/1004. Sugar Wafers Strawberry: 10/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #44. Sugar Wafers Strawberry10/1005. Giant eagle, glazed decorated cookie: 10/100 · 100% of the leader · rank #55. Giant eagle, glazed decor…10/100
Nearest cross-brand screening scores for Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint (10/100 on 51 parsed ingredients).
Chart values as text

Unit: PlainFoodSafe screening score out of 100. Data current as of July 2026.

Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint
10/100
Iced pumpkin cake with creamy filling cupcakes
10/100
Blueberry mini bagels, blueberry
10/100
Sugar Wafers Strawberry
10/100
Giant eagle, glazed decorated cookie
10/100

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 88,006 products we've scored in the Snacks category, the average safety score is 86.1/100. Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint scores 76.1 points below that category average (10/100 vs. 86.1/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Snacks products

Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint lists 51 ingredients on its label

51 96th percentile a longer ingredient list than 96% of the 81,477 products we track

0–2: 275 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 2,901 products (4%). Below this entry. 4–6: 4,248 products (5%). Below this entry. 6–8: 5,408 products (7%). Below this entry. 8–10: 5,486 products (7%). Below this entry. 10–12: 5,840 products (7%). Below this entry. 12–14: 6,252 products (8%). Below this entry. 14–16: 6,724 products (8%). Below this entry. 16–18: 6,221 products (8%). Below this entry. 18–20: 5,168 products (6%). Below this entry. 20–22: 4,508 products (6%). Below this entry. 22–24: 3,809 products (5%). Below this entry. 24–26: 3,567 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 2,829 products (3%). Below this entry. 28–30: 2,282 products (3%). Below this entry. 30–32: 1,905 products (2%). Below this entry. 32–34: 1,715 products (2%). Below this entry. 34–36: 1,572 products (2%). Below this entry. 36–38: 1,417 products (2%). Below this entry. 38–40: 1,284 products (2%). Below this entry. 40–42: 8,066 products (10%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Snacks product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

81,477 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 51 (96th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
275 products (0%)
2–4
2,901 products (4%)
4–6
4,248 products (5%)
6–8
5,408 products (7%)
8–10
5,486 products (7%)
10–12
5,840 products (7%)
12–14
6,252 products (8%)
14–16
6,724 products (8%)
16–18
6,221 products (8%)
18–20
5,168 products (6%)
20–22
4,508 products (6%)
22–24
3,809 products (5%)
24–26
3,567 products (4%)
26–28
2,829 products (3%)
28–30
2,282 products (3%)
30–32
1,905 products (2%)
32–34
1,715 products (2%)
34–36
1,572 products (2%)
36–38
1,417 products (2%)
38–40
1,284 products (2%)
40 and above
8,066 products (10%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 81,477 Snacks products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 10/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (4 flagged of 51 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Coating
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Palm Kernel Oil
4
Nonfat Milk
5
Powder
6
Titanium Dioxide
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TRACER
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
7
Soy Lecithin
8
Monoglycerides
9
Natural And Artificial Flavor
10
Water
11
Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour
12
Wheat Flour
13
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
14
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
15
Iron
16
Thiamin Mononitrate
17
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
19
High-fructose corn syrup
Sweetener
Cut Back
20
Animal And Vegetable Shortening
21
Tallow
22
Tallow
23
Cottonseed Oil
24
Mono And Diglycerides
25
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution Approved
26
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
27
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
28
Eggs
29
Sucrose
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
GRAS
30
Sugar Topping
31
Confectioner's Glaze
32
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
33
Carnauba Wax
34
Corn Starch
35
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
36
Glycerin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
37
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
38
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
39
Baking Soda
40
Sorbic Acid Potassium Sorbate
41
Cellulose Gum
42
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
43
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
44
Monocalcium Phosphate
45
Enzymes
46
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
47
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
48
Grains
49
Barley
50
Malt Extract
51
Corn Grits

Full Ingredient List

Coating (sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, powder, titanium dioxide, soy lecithin, monoglycerides, natural and artificial flavor), water, sugar, bleached enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate (iron), thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], high fructose corn syrup, animal and vegetable shortening (tallow, hydrogenated tallow, cottonseed oil, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, soy lecithin), corn syrup, dextrose, contains 2% or less: soy lecithin, eggs, sucrose, sugar topping (sugar, confectioner's glaze, red 40 lake, carnauba wax), modified corn starch, whey, glycerin, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sorbic acid potassium sorbate (to retain freshness), cellulose gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, xanthan gum, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, natural and artificial flavor, yellow 5, red 40, grains, barley, malt extract, corn grits.

Categories

Snacks Sweet snacks Biscuits and cakes Cakes

Lower-score cross-brand comparables for Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint

Neighbours outside Hostess in the same lower screening band as Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint (10/100). The 5 same-brand links above stay within Hostess; these peers cross brands.

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Polysorbate 60 is the first flagged ingredient selected from Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 51-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Polysorbate 60. Open Polysorbate 60
  • Compare Hostess, twinkies, covered sponge cake with filling, white peppermint's 4 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0888109111571: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.