What's really in your food?
Search U.S. food labels to compare ingredient flags, source ratings and state restrictions.
Each record keeps its ingredient flags apart from processing class and regulatory sources.
of 382,974 classified products are ultra-processed
- 894,137
- Products
- 407,933
- Labels scored
- 26
- Flagged additives
Screen 894,137 US packaged-food labels against FDA SAFFA, CSPI ratings, and 26 flagged additives
PlainFoodSafe indexes 894,137 US packaged-food records and scores 407,933 labels with usable ingredient lists. Among 382,974 NOVA-classified products, 70% are Group 4 ultra-processed, and 26 additives carry a separately sourced dye, preservative, or ban flag. Counts come from Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; they describe coverage, not healthfulness, allergy suitability, or official approval.
- 894,137 products indexed
- 407,933 labels scored
- 26 flagged additives
- 70% NOVA Group 4 share
The short answer
PlainFoodSafe contains 894,137 US packaged-food records. Among the 382,974 products with a NOVA classification, 70% are Group 4; 26 additives carry a separately sourced flag. These figures describe label and source coverage, not general healthfulness, allergy suitability, or official FDA approval.
- 70%
- of NOVA-classified products are ultra-processed (Group 4)
- 26
- additives flagged for dye, preservative, or ban concerns
- 23,161
- products contain Caramel Coloring, the most common flagged additive
- 407,933
- US food products scored on FDA SAFFA + CSPI
Every figure is computed live from our database of Open Food Facts products cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings.
Need reusable denominators and source notes? Open the US packaged-food statistics page for stable section anchors, cohort definitions, and a citation-ready figure.
How processed is the US food supply?
Share of the 382,974 NOVA-classified products in each processing level. NOVA (Monteiro et al.) groups foods from minimally processed to ultra-processed.
Which flagged additives appear in the most products?
Number of indexed products containing each additive PlainFoodSafe flags for synthetic dye, preservative, or banned-substance concerns.
Brand evidence map
How large brands’ label evidence differs
Each point is one of the 12 brands with at least 100 scored products. The axes show two separate source fields: the share of scored products containing a flagged ingredient and the share of NOVA-classified products in Group 4. Neither measure is a health verdict.
Flagged-ingredient prevalence and NOVA Group 4 share
Explore the full brand comparison for each brand’s product count, source fields, and the distinctions between label coverage, processing classification, and product-specific information.
FDA Food Dye Phase-Out
FDA revoked Red 3's food authorization in January 2025, effective January 15, 2027. It is separately working with industry to remove six remaining petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2027. 0 of 0 major food companies have active removal pledges.
Most Common Concerning Ingredients
All ingredients →Flagged ingredients found in the most products across the database.
Products with Most Concerns
Full rankings →Products containing the highest number of flagged ingredients.
Safest Brands
View all brands →Across the 407,933 products we score, the average safety score is 92.8/100. The ten brands below average 100.0, 7.2 points above that fleet-wide average - none of their scored products have triggered an FDA SAFFA or CSPI caution flag.
Guides & Analysis
FDA Food Dye Ban
Complete timeline of the dye phase-out, company pledges, and affected products.
Reading Food Labels
Decode ingredient lists using FDA status, CSPI ratings, and safety scores.
Safest Brands in America
Data-driven ranking of 35,235 brands by ingredient safety scores.
State Ingredient Bans
Complete tracker of state-level food additive bans and pending legislation.
Explore the database
Choose a source-backed next step
Choose a source-backed next step
Start with the label or product record, then use the same source fields to compare like-for-like options.
- Have a product name or barcode? Open its record to see which listed ingredients matched the FDA SAFFA and CSPI source fields. Search the product catalogue
- Comparing products in one food type? Use the ranked views to inspect recorded flags and coverage before treating a score as a conclusion. Browse the rankings
- Need the dataset-level picture first? Review coverage, score distributions, and known source-field gaps. Explore the analysis
PlainFoodSafe summarizes named source records for informational use. It does not provide medical, dietary, allergy, or product-suitability advice.
Product data from OpenFoodFacts (Open Database License). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) and CSPI Chemical Cuisine database. Safety scores are algorithmic assessments and should not replace professional medical or dietary advice. This site is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the FDA, USDA, or any food company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does PlainFoodSafe get its data?
Data comes from Open Food Facts (a collaborative food database), FDA SAFFA (Substances Added to Food), and CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) additive assessments. Open Food Facts product and label records are crowdsourced, so completeness and accuracy vary by record.
How many products are in the PlainFoodSafe database?
PlainFoodSafe includes 894,137 US food product records, including 407,933 with ingredient lists, 251,493 parsed ingredient names, and data from 35,235 brands.
Is PlainFoodSafe free?
Yes, PlainFoodSafe is completely free. You can search products, check ingredient safety, and compare brands without any account or subscription.
How are ingredient safety ratings determined?
Ingredient source fields come from FDA SAFFA status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine evaluations. They are source-specific classifications, not a claim of scientific consensus and not a product-, dose-, allergy-, or person-specific safety determination.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial process, every statistic derived from our own database of 894,137 US food product records. See all research.
About this data
How PlainFoodSafe works, and why you can trust these scores
What PlainFoodSafe can answer
PlainFoodSafe is a plain-language ingredient safety reference for 894,137 U.S. food product records. We cross-reference the FDA's Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) inventory, CSPI Chemical Cuisine safety ratings, state additive-restriction records, and the Open Food Facts product catalogue to generate transparent, reproducible safety scores; every product page traces back to its original sources.
How food labels become scores
- Source. Download the latest structured exports from Open Food Facts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine, plus state additive-restriction records compiled from official legislative sources.
- Verify. Cross-reference each normalized ingredient against the FDA SAFFA regulatory status and CSPI safety rating, flagging ingredients with documented safety concerns from FDA enforcement actions or state bans.
- Publish. Calculate each safety score with a transparent, deterministic formula, and link every ingredient back to its source database so readers can check our rating against the original record.
Independent sourcing and corrections
The PlainFoodSafe editorial process is independent and accepts no payment or sponsorship from any food brand or manufacturer. Found an error or a stale rating? File a correction via the contact page. See our methodology for the full scoring formula and source list.
Frequently asked
Where does PlainFoodSafe get its data?
Data comes from Open Food Facts (a collaborative food database), FDA SAFFA (Substances Added to Food), and CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) additive assessments. Open Food Facts product and label records are crowdsourced, so completeness and accuracy vary by record.
How many products are in the PlainFoodSafe database?
PlainFoodSafe includes 894,137 US food product records, including 407,933 with ingredient lists, 251,493 parsed ingredient names, and data from 35,235 brands.
Is PlainFoodSafe free?
Yes, PlainFoodSafe is completely free. You can search products, check ingredient safety, and compare brands without any account or subscription.
How are ingredient safety ratings determined?
Ingredient source fields come from FDA SAFFA status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine evaluations. They are source-specific classifications, not a claim of scientific consensus and not a product-, dose-, allergy-, or person-specific safety determination.
Download the grocery-category safety extract used on this site: category-safety.csv (average ingredient-flag scores by aisle). More tables live on Open Data Downloads and statistics.