Resources
Don't take our word for it. These are the regulators, journals, and watchdogs we cite — plus toolkits and books for going deeper on your own.
Research sources
The primary sources behind our investigations. Start here to verify anything we publish.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Food additive rules, GRAS notices, and labeling requirements — the rulebook for what's allowed in American food.
Visit FDA →NIH PubMed
Millions of peer-reviewed study abstracts. Search any ingredient plus "safety", "review", or "meta-analysis" to see the science yourself.
Search PubMed →European Food Safety Authority
Europe's food safety opinions and re-evaluations — often stricter than the US, and a useful second opinion.
Visit EFSA →Center for Science in the Public Interest
Decades of petitions, reports, and Chemical Cuisine ratings on additives. One of the loudest independent voices on food chemicals.
Visit CSPI →Environmental Working Group
EWG's food scores, Dirty Dozen list, and additive guides — practical brand-by-brand comparisons.
Visit EWG →Consumer Reports
Independent lab testing of foods for heavy metals, PFAS, and contaminants — plus plain-word buying guides.
Visit CR →Free toolkits
Print-ready downloads for your fridge door, your wallet, and your next school meeting.
Label Reader Checklist
A one-page, wallet-size checklist: the 12 flagged ingredients, their aliases, and what to look for. PDF.
Smarter Shopping List Template
A weekly grocery template organized by store section, with swap suggestions built in. Spreadsheet.
Restaurant Guide
How to order cleaner when you eat out: questions to ask, red-flag menu words, safer bets by cuisine.
School Lunch Advocacy Toolkit
Talking points, letter templates, and data for asking your school to clean up its lunch program.
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Recommended reading
Three books that changed how we think about food. Find them at your library or local bookstore.
The Real Food Revolution
How whole food lost to processed food — and the quiet movement taking it back.
The Label Decoder
A field guide to ingredient panels: what every line means and which ones matter.
Salt, Sugar, Fat
The inside story of how the processed-food industry engineered cravings. Essential context.