Ingredient Safety Ratings

According to data current to September 2026, PlainFoodSafe lists 12 food ingredients with Center for Science in the Public Interest Chemical Cuisine ratings and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Substances Added to Food status, based on Open Food Facts product labels documented in our methodology.

12 ingredients with CSPI safety ratings filtered to “Caution”

Each row links a normalized ingredient name to its CSPI Chemical Cuisine rating and FDA Substances Added to Food status, plus how many indexed products list that ingredient. The 12 count is the current filtered set for “Caution”. Ratings summarize published source classifications; they are not allergy diagnoses or medical guidance.

  • 12 Caution rows
  • CSPI Chemical Cuisine
  • FDA SAFFA status
Ingredient CSPI Rating Products
Artificial sweeteners
Sweetener
Caution 37
BHT Caution 4,542
Blue 1 Caution 17,024
Carboxymethyl Cellulose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, HUMECTANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution 163
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution 18,307
Diacetyl
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Caution 10
Green 3 Caution 135
Monk fruit extract
Sweetener
Caution 1,951
Polysorbate 60
BOILER WATER ADDITIVE, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution 5,786
Polysorbate 65
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Caution 64
Polysorbate 80
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Caution 5,341
Transglutaminase
Other
Caution 15
Download these 12 ingredient rows (CSV) 12 rows PlainFoodSafe selection: CC BY 4.0. Underlying Open Food Facts data: ODbL 1.0.

What to do with these ingredient ratings

Start with a source-backed ingredient record, then compare the product-label context that gives the rating its limits.

Ratings summarize published source classifications and catalog coverage; they are not product, allergy, or medical advice.