Disclaimer & Responsible Use

PlainFoodSafe is a free informational resource that makes public food-additive data easier to read. It is not medical, dietary, nutritional, or health advice, and it does not certify any product as safe or unsafe to eat. Use it as a starting point for your own research, not as the final word on what to buy or consume.

Informational only, not professional advice

Nothing on PlainFoodSafe constitutes medical, dietary, nutritional, or health advice, and using the site does not create any professional relationship. Decisions about what to eat — especially with allergies, sensitivities, pregnancy, medication interactions, or a medical condition — can have real health consequences. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian.

What the safety score is, and is not

The composite safety score is an algorithmic assessment derived from the regulatory status of a product's labeled ingredients — the FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) inventory and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. It is not a laboratory test of the physical product, a measure of nutritional quality, or a verdict on whether a food is "good" or "bad" for you. An additive being flagged means it has drawn regulatory or independent-expert scrutiny — not that a product containing it is unsafe in any given amount. The score does not account for dose, your individual health, allergies, or how much of a product you eat.

Data freshness and accuracy

Product and ingredient data comes from Open Food Facts, a community-maintained catalogue, so an ingredient list reflects what a contributor last recorded and may not match the current physical label. Product formulations change frequently. Additive regulatory status and ratings also change as regulators and CSPI revise them. We work to keep the data accurate and aligned with the source, but we cannot guarantee it is complete, current, or free of upstream limitations. Always read the physical product label, which is authoritative for what a product actually contains. If you spot a figure that looks wrong, please report it through our corrections process.

For recalls and urgent safety alerts

PlainFoodSafe is an additive-safety reference, not a recall database. For official recall notices and food-safety alerts, rely on the FDA recalls list, USDA FSIS recalls, and FoodSafety.gov directly.

Independence and affiliation

PlainFoodSafe is an independent data publisher operated by Kiznis Studio. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the FDA, CSPI, Open Food Facts, or any food manufacturer or retailer. Named datasets and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are referenced for identification and attribution only.

Questions

Questions about how to interpret the data are welcome at hello@plainfoodsafe.com. For how the data is sourced and processed, see our methodology and editorial & corrections policy.