How we work
How a label gets built
SafeBite helps you check packaged foods sold in the United States. It looks at nine major food allergens, sometimes called the Big 9: milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. A barcode for a product sold outside the United States is not shown.
Where product information comes from
Open Food Facts
Open Food Facts is a public database of packaged foods. SafeBite keeps a copy of the US products in it and refreshes that copy regularly. A barcode already in that copy is shown from the copy. A barcode that is not there yet is asked of Open Food Facts right then, and kept only if the product is sold in the United States. When Open Food Facts says a product contains an allergen, SafeBite shows Contains. When it says there may be traces, SafeBite shows May contain. If both apply to the same allergen, Contains is what you see. If Open Food Facts names something SafeBite does not recognize as one of the nine, that name is shown on its own — SafeBite does not guess which allergen it is.
USDA FoodData Central
USDA FoodData Central is the US Department of Agriculture's food database. This check runs only when a barcode is looked up fresh, not when you search by product name. SafeBite reads only the manufacturer's "Contains:" line. If that line names an allergen still marked Unknown, that allergen becomes Contains. It leaves May contain as May contain, and it never removes a Contains or a May contain. It does not scan the full ingredient list for allergen words. If the USDA record says nothing about an allergen, that allergen stays as it was.
People
If a product is missing, or a label on SafeBite looks wrong, you can send photos of the package. A person reviews those photos and chooses each allergen, plus any note that the food was made in a place that also handles an allergen. The photos do not fill in the label by themselves. A computer suggestion can appear on the review form to save time, but nothing from that suggestion is published until a person confirms every choice. When a reviewer accepts a new package, those choices replace the older allergen information for that product.
What the three words mean
- Contains — the source says the allergen is in the food.
- May contain — the source says traces are possible, often from shared equipment.
- Unknown — SafeBite has no information for that allergen. Check the package. Unknown is never a promise that the allergen is absent.
Shared kitchens and factories
When a reviewer has recorded a facility note, SafeBite shows it beside the allergen. If that note is missing, SafeBite says it does not have one. A missing facility note is ordinary — it is not a sign that the factory is safe.
Allergens you avoid
If you tell SafeBite which allergens to watch for, those are highlighted so they are easier to spot. The highlight is a reminder. If you have not chosen any, SafeBite does not treat the food as fine for everyone.
Folic acid
Folic acid is separate from the nine allergens. SafeBite points it out when the product's vitamin list or ingredient list mentions it. If neither does, it stays unknown. SafeBite never says a food is free of folic acid, and reviewing package photos does not add a folic acid result from the pictures.
This is not medical advice. Product information can be incomplete or out of date. Always read the package in your hand before you buy or serve a food.