U.S. food-additive safety data
Is that additive safe?
Look up any of 4,516 food additives in the U.S. supply: its FDA status, EU restrictions, state bans, and a plain-English safety score — one searchable dossier per ingredient, built only from official regulatory data.
Color-coded safety scores for 4,516 food additives with FDA status, EU restrictions, state bans, and regulatory timelines for wary shoppers.
- 4,516
- Additives tracked
- 5
- FDA-banned
- 48
- Flagged caution / avoid
- 10
- States regulating
FDA Update: Red 3 (erythrosine) was banned in January 2025, and the FDA has moved to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes.
The national picture
Of 4,516 food additives in the U.S. supply, only 5 are outright FDA-banned — but 48 carry health-concern flags, and 10 states now regulate additives the FDA still allows.
- 4,516
- additives with safety data
- 5
- banned outright by the FDA
- 48
- flagged Caution or Avoid
- 10
- states with their own bans
Every figure is rendered live from FDA SAFFA, EU additive regulations and state law — no AI summaries, no synthetic statistics.
The flagged additives you'll actually encounter
Additives scored Caution or Avoid (safety score 1–2), ranked by how many of our 100,000 tracked products list them on the label.
Most widely-used flagged additives
Product counts from the PlainIngredients label database · safety scores from FDA & state regulatory status.
Safety Score Guide
Most Controversial Ingredients
Ingredients with safety scores of 1-2 based on FDA actions, scientific evidence, and state bans.
Browse by Category
Frequently Asked Questions
What are food additives?
Food additives are substances added to food during processing to preserve freshness, enhance flavor, improve texture, or add color. They include preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and color additives. The FDA regulates food additives in the United States.
How are safety scores calculated?
Safety scores range from 1 (Banned/Avoid) to 5 (Generally Safe). They are based on FDA regulatory status, EU regulatory status, state-level bans, and published scientific research on health effects. A score of 1 means the ingredient is banned by the FDA, while a score of 5 indicates general recognition as safe (GRAS).
Why are some FDA-approved ingredients scored as 'Caution'?
Some ingredients are FDA-approved but have a safety score of 2 (Caution) because scientific studies have raised health concerns, they are banned or restricted in the EU, or multiple US states have enacted bans. FDA approval does not mean zero risk — it means the FDA considers the ingredient safe at typical consumption levels.
Which states have banned food additives?
California was the first state to ban specific food additives with the California Food Safety Act (AB 418) in 2023. Since then, several other states including New York, Illinois, and others have introduced or passed similar legislation targeting artificial dyes, preservatives, and other controversial additives.
Where does PlainIngredients data come from?
Our data comes from the FDA's Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) inventory, EU food additive regulations, state-level food safety legislation, and peer-reviewed scientific research. We update our database as new regulations and scientific findings emerge.
Food Safety Guides
Understand how the FDA evaluates additives, why states ban what the FDA allows, and how to read safety scores.
Understanding Food Additive Safety
How the FDA evaluates GRAS status, petitions, and SAFFA data — and how US rules compare to the EU.
State Ingredient Regulations Explained
Why states ban what the FDA allows, California AB 418, and Proposition 65 explained.
How to Read Safety Scores
What the 1–5 scale means, how scores are calculated, and how to use them when shopping.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial team, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
Top 10 Food Additives by FDA Enforcement-Action Volume
Which additives draw the most FDA enforcement activity, ranked by recorded action volume across the SAFFA enforcement record set.
ResearchTop 10 Food Additives by International Restriction Coverage
Additives the US permits that face the widest restrictions abroad, ranked by how many international jurisdictions limit or ban them.
ResearchTop 10 Substances by FDA GRAS Notice Volume
The substances with the most FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe" notices on file, ranked by GRAS notice count.
How to use PlainIngredients
FDA approval is not the same as no risk — use the score, then check the detail.
- Search any additive to see its FDA status, EU restrictions, state bans and a plain 1–5 safety score. Browse all additives
- See which additives the most states have moved to ban — the divergence from FDA policy. View rankings
- Paste a full ingredient label to flag the concerning entries at once. Label checker
Safety scores summarise regulatory status and published concerns; they are not medical or dietary advice.