About PlainIngredients

Our Mission

We believe everyone deserves to understand what is in their food. Ingredient labels are written in chemical nomenclature that is meaningless to most consumers, and regulatory status is scattered across dozens of government databases, academic papers, and legislative records. PlainIngredients exists to close that gap.

Our mission is to translate complex food safety data into clear, actionable information. We aggregate regulatory decisions from the FDA, EU, and state legislatures alongside peer-reviewed safety research, then present it in a simple safety scoring system that anyone can understand at a glance.

PlainIngredients is free, ad-supported, and independent. We have no affiliation with food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, or lobbying organizations. Our safety scores reflect regulatory and scientific evidence, not commercial interests.

Data Sources

PlainIngredients draws from multiple official and scientific sources to build a comprehensive picture of food additive safety:

  • FDA SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) — The FDA's official inventory of food additives and their regulatory status, formerly known as EAFUS (Everything Added to Food in the United States). This database covers GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) substances, approved food additives, color additives, and banned substances.
  • EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 — The European Union's authoritative regulation on food additives, which lists all permitted additives by E-number with conditions of use. Where an ingredient is permitted in the US but banned or restricted in the EU, we note this discrepancy.
  • State Legislation — State-level food safety laws including California's AB 418 (California Food Safety Act), similar bills enacted or proposed in other states, and state-specific labeling requirements. We track enacted laws and pending legislation separately.
  • Open Food Facts — A collaborative open-data project providing product-level ingredient lists, Nutri-Score grades, and NOVA processing classifications for thousands of consumer food products. This data powers our brand and product analysis pages.
  • Peer-Reviewed Literature — Safety assessments from JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives), EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), and published toxicology studies. We reference specific studies in ingredient safety profiles where relevant.

How We Process the Data

Our methodology combines automated data collection with structured safety assessment. The process is designed to be transparent, reproducible, and conservative — when evidence is ambiguous, we err on the side of caution in scoring.

The pipeline works as follows:

First, we ingest the FDA SAFFA database and map each substance to its regulatory status (GRAS, approved additive, color additive, banned, or deferred/pending). Second, we cross-reference each substance against the EU additive register to identify regulatory discrepancies between US and EU jurisdictions.

Third, we apply our safety scoring algorithm. Each ingredient receives a score from 1 to 5 based on a weighted assessment of regulatory status, toxicology findings, and international regulatory consensus:

  • 1 — Banned/Avoid: FDA-banned substances or those with strong scientific evidence of harm at typical exposure levels
  • 2 — Caution: FDA-approved but with significant health concerns identified in peer-reviewed research, or banned in other major regulatory jurisdictions (EU, Canada, Japan)
  • 3 — Mixed Evidence: Some studies raise concerns but evidence is inconclusive or dose-dependent. Regulatory agencies have not taken action but continue monitoring
  • 4 — Low Risk: Generally considered safe with minimal concerns. Widely approved across jurisdictions with no significant adverse findings in recent literature
  • 5 — Generally Safe: GRAS with strong safety record. No regulatory concerns in any major jurisdiction. Long history of safe use

Fourth, we map product-level data from Open Food Facts to link ingredients to specific consumer products and brands. This enables our brand safety analysis pages, where you can see the average safety score across all products from a given manufacturer.

Finally, we aggregate scoring data at the brand level and generate rankings. Our brand rankings show which manufacturers consistently use safer ingredients and which have products with lower safety profiles. These rankings are updated automatically as new product data arrives.

For a deeper explanation of how to interpret safety scores, read our guide to understanding safety scores.

Data Currency

Food additive regulation is an evolving field. New safety studies are published regularly, states pass new food safety legislation, and the FDA periodically updates GRAS status determinations. We update our database on the following schedule:

  • FDA SAFFA: Refreshed quarterly. The FDA updates this database on a rolling basis as new GRAS notifications are reviewed.
  • EU Additive Register: Refreshed semi-annually. EU regulation changes are published in the Official Journal and we incorporate amendments within 60 days.
  • State Legislation: Monitored continuously. We track active bills in all 50 state legislatures and update within 7 days of enactment.
  • Open Food Facts: Product data refreshed monthly from the Open Food Facts API.
  • Safety Scores: Re-evaluated quarterly or immediately when significant new research is published (e.g., a major EFSA opinion or FDA regulatory action).

The "last updated" date shown on individual ingredient and brand pages reflects when that specific record was last reviewed or modified.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainIngredients is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from USDA, FDA, and related food-safety agencies is transformed into readable profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, validated against the source before publication. The PlainIngredients editorial team, operating under Kiznis Studio, is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from manufacturers, brands, retailers, or any food industry entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense — advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations and Disclaimers

PlainIngredients provides informational data only and does not constitute medical, dietary, or legal advice. Our safety scores reflect regulatory status and published research at the time of assessment but should not be the sole basis for dietary decisions.

Important limitations to understand:

  • Safety scores are assessments based on available evidence, not definitive safety verdicts. Scientific understanding of food additives continues to evolve.
  • Individual sensitivity to ingredients varies. An ingredient scored as "Generally Safe" may still cause adverse reactions in sensitive individuals (e.g., sulfite sensitivity, food dye reactions).
  • Product data from Open Food Facts is community-contributed and may contain errors in ingredient listings or categorization.
  • Regulatory status differs by jurisdiction. An ingredient approved in the US but banned in the EU does not necessarily mean it is unsafe — regulatory frameworks use different risk assessment methodologies and precautionary standards.
  • Dose matters. Many ingredients are safe at typical dietary exposure but may pose risks at high concentrations. Our scores assess risk at typical consumer exposure levels.

Consult a healthcare provider or registered dietitian for personalized dietary guidance, especially regarding food allergies, sensitivities, or specific health conditions.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback? Email hello@plainingredients.com. We investigate reported data issues within 48 hours.

If you believe a safety score is inaccurate, please include the ingredient name, the score you believe is incorrect, and if possible a reference to the source that supports your assessment. Community feedback is essential for maintaining accuracy across 2,000+ ingredients.

For press inquiries, research collaborations, or data licensing questions, please use the same email address.

PlainIngredients is a project by ", a data intelligence company building free, open data tools powered by official government and public datasets. We build tools that make complex regulatory and scientific data accessible to everyone, not just industry professionals.