cupcakes

75
Caution
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 1 flagged ingredient

cupcakes receives a safety score of 75/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
17832120
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

cupcakes carries a composite safety score of 75/100, which we classify as "Caution" 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 identified 1 flagged ingredient 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, cupcakes 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 cupcakes
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 75/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 1 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
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
2
Bleached Wheat Flour
3
Enriched With Niacin
4
Reduced On Mononitrate And Riboflavin
5
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
6
Water
7
Eggs
8
Shortening
9
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean
10
Canola
11
Cottonseed Oil
12
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
13
Food Starch-modified
14
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
15
Leavening
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
Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
18
Aluminum Sulfate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FIRMING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
19
Wheat Gluten
FIRMING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
20
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
21
Propylene Glycol Imono And Diesters
22
Mono-and Diglycerides
23
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
24
Lecithin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
25
Artificial Flavor
26
Carmel Color
27
Sulfites
Preservative
Certain People Should Avoid
28
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
29
Calcium Propionate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT
Safe GRAS
30
Less Than 1/10th Of 1% As A Preservative. Icing: Sugar
31
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
32
Vegetable Shortening
33
Organic Cocoa
34
Organic Cocoa
35
Corn Oil
36
Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Benzoate
37
To Preserve Freshness
38
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
39
Distilled Mono And Diglycerides And Ascorbic Acid
40
Soy Lecithin And Chocolate Liquor
41
Artiifical Flavor. By: 2/15/2021 * Cottonwood
42
Ca 9 6022 Sel

Full Ingredient List

sugar, bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced on mononitrate and riboflavin, folic acid), water, eggs, shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean, canola and/or cottonseed oil), cocoa processed with alkali, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, aluminum sulfate), wheat gluten, whey, propylene glycol imono and diesters, mono-and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, lecithin, artificial flavor, carmel color (contains sulfites), red 40, calcium propionate (less than 1/10th of 1% as a preservative. icing: sugar, water, corn syrup, vegetable shortening, cocoa (processed with alkali), natural cocoa, corn oil, salt, potassium sorbate & sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), citric acid, distilled mono and diglycerides and ascorbic acid, soy lecithin and chocolate liquor, artiifical flavor. by: 2/15/2021 * cottonwood, ca 9 6022 sel

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