Product Insight: Cookies & Creme Cakes
Cookies & Creme Cakes by Little Debbie is tracked in PlainIngredients with 4 identified ingredients and carries an overall safety rating of 3.5 out of 5 — a Mixed-Evidence tier where the regulatory picture is still evolving. On the NOVA processing scale, this product falls into Group 4 (Ultra-processed foods), a standard framework for classifying how heavily food has been industrially modified before reaching the shelf, and Its Nutri-Score grade is E, the European front-of-pack nutritional label summarizing calories, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, protein, fiber, and produce content. Within the identified ingredient list, 1 ingredient is currently flagged as Caution or High Risk and warrant individual review via the linked ingredient pages, while 2 ingredients sit at the Low-Risk or Safe end of the scale.
Our composite score weighs each ingredient's U.S. FDA regulatory status (GRAS, Approved, or Banned), European Union food-additive status under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, any U.S. state-level restrictions, and signals drawn from peer-reviewed toxicology literature. The per-product score is the mean of the per-ingredient ratings and should be read as a structured summary rather than a clinical verdict; edge cases such as cumulative exposure, individual allergies, and dietary interactions are not captured by a single number and are better addressed by reading the individual ingredient pages linked below.
Sources: Open Food Facts (product + ingredient list, CC0 licensed) · FDA SAFFA · EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 · U.S. state food-safety statutes
- Sorbitan Monostearate — Safety score: 2/5
Ingredient Safety Breakdown
Processing Level
Ultra-processed products are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives. They typically contain ingredients not commonly used in home cooking.
Full Ingredients List
SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, WATER, ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, BARLEY MALT, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), PALM AND PALM KERNEL OIL, PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID TO PROTECT FLAVOR, SOYBEAN OIL, DEXTROSE CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SOY FLOUR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, COOKIE CRUMBS (ENRICHED FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], SUGAR, PALM AND PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN FLOUR, SALT, DEXTROSE, BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN), CORN STARCH, EGG WHITES, COCOA, EGGS, BAKING SODA, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARATE, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, POLYSORBATE 60,POLYSORBATE 80, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, WHEY (MILK), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE.
Data Sources
- Open Food Facts — Product data and ingredient lists
- FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) Inventory — Safety scores
- EU Food Additive Regulations (EC) No 1333/2008
Product Details
- Brand
- Little Debbie
- Barcode
- 0024300044762
- Nutri-Score
- Grade E
- NOVA Group
- 4 — Ultra-processed foods
- Available In
- United States
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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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