Original data research from the PlainIngredients editorial team, built on the FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) inventory, EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, and US state food-safety legislation. Every page is rendered server-side from a live SELECT against the portal database — no numbers are hardcoded — and the query is visible in each page's source. See our methodology.
PlainIngredients ranks food additives by the number of FDA enforcement actions recorded against products containing each substance. Live SSR query against fda_enforcement joined on slug to the ingredients reference table.
PlainIngredients ranks additives by the count of distinct countries that record a restriction, ban, or non-approval status. Live SSR query against international_status joined to the ingredients reference table.
PlainIngredients ranks substances by the number of FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) notice filings recorded against each substance name. Live SSR query against gras_notices grouped by substance.