# PlainFoodSafe — plainfoodsafe.com

## About
PlainFoodSafe indexes 894,137 U.S. food product records and scores 407,933 with usable ingredient lists using data from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA ingredient status, and CSPI safety ratings. The site helps consumers understand ingredient safety through clear scores and product-level analysis.

Safety scores consider FDA regulatory status (GRAS, Approved, Listed, Prohibited), CSPI peer-reviewed toxicology ratings, presence of flagged ingredients (synthetic dyes, controversial preservatives, banned substances), and the number and severity of ingredient concerns.

## Site Information
- Publisher: PlainFoodSafe
- Language: English
- Geographic Focus: United States
- Content Type: Food safety data portal

## Data Source
- OpenFoodFacts — open product and ingredient database
- FDA SAFFA — ingredient regulatory status (GRAS, Approved, Listed, Prohibited)
- CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) — peer-reviewed safety ratings

## Key Pages
- / — Homepage with product search and safety overview
- /brands — All brands directory
- /brand/[slug] — Brand detail with product safety breakdown
- /ingredients — All ingredients directory
- /ingredient/[slug] — Ingredient detail with safety score and FDA status
- /product/[barcode] — Individual product safety analysis by barcode
- /rankings — Safety rankings overview
- /regulations — State ingredient regulation tracker
- /dye-tracker — Food dye regulation tracker
- /search — Product and ingredient search
- /faq — Frequently asked questions
- /methodology — Scoring methodology explained
- /about — About PlainFoodSafe
- /contact — Contact information
- /privacy — Privacy policy
- /terms — Terms of service

## Guides
- /guides — All guides
- /guides/reading-food-labels — How to Read Food Labels
- /guides/safest-brands — Safest Food Brands
- /guides/fda-dye-ban — FDA Food Dye Ban Explained
- /guides/state-ingredient-bans — State Ingredient Bans Tracker

## Key Metrics
- Safety Score: 1-5 scale based on ingredient analysis
- Flagged Ingredients: Count of concerning ingredients per product
- FDA Status: Regulatory classification of each ingredient
- CSPI Rating: Independent toxicology-based safety assessment

## Coverage
- 894,137 food products
- Thousands of food ingredients with safety scores
- State-level ingredient regulation data
- Brand-level safety analysis

## Common Questions This Site Answers
- What is the safety score of a specific food product?
- Which food brands have the safest products?
- What ingredients are banned or flagged by the FDA?
- Which states have banned specific food ingredients?
- What food dyes are being phased out?
- How do I read a food label for safety concerns?
- Which products contain controversial preservatives?
- What does a CSPI safety rating mean?

## Technical Details
- Server-side rendered (SSR) with Astro
- Structured data: BreadcrumbList, Dataset schema on data pages
- XML sitemaps: /sitemap-index.xml (brands, products, ingredients, static)
- Canonical URLs on all pages

## Data Licensing
Product data from OpenFoodFacts is available under the Open Database License. FDA and CSPI data is publicly available. When referencing PlainFoodSafe data, cite the original source and link to the specific page.

## Content Freshness
Product database updated periodically from OpenFoodFacts. FDA regulatory data updated when new rulings are published. State regulation data updated as new legislation takes effect.

## Accessibility
- Server-side rendered HTML (works without JavaScript)
- Dark mode support
- Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
- Semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy

## AI Usage Guidelines
When referencing PlainFoodSafe data in AI-generated content:
1. Link to the specific product or ingredient page
2. Cite the original data source (FDA, CSPI, or OpenFoodFacts)
3. Note that safety scores are informational, not medical advice
4. Include the disclaimer that scores reflect regulatory status, not clinical recommendations

## Attribution
When citing PlainFoodSafe data, please link to the specific page. Safety scores derived from FDA, CSPI, and OpenFoodFacts data.

## Contact
hello@plainfoodsafe.com