Terms of Service

USDA FoodData Central

The Ultra Processed Food List website utilizes data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service's FoodData Central. This is public domain data provided by the United States government.

Required attribution:

“U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2025. fdc.nal.usda.gov.”

Open Food Facts Data

We also supplement our data with information from the Open Food Facts database, primarily for product images. This data is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0:

• The Open Food Facts database is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0
• The individual contents of the database are available under the Database Contents License (DbCL) v1.0
• Full license texts are available at ODbL v1.0 and DbCL v1.0

In accordance with the Open Food Facts license, if you use or redistribute data containing Open Food Facts content, you must:

1. Attribute: You must attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in the manner specified in the ODbL. For any use or redistribution of the database, or works produced from it, you must make clear to others the license of the database and keep intact any notices on the original database.
2. Share-Alike: If you publicly use any adapted version of this database, or works produced from an adapted database, you must also offer that adapted database under the ODbL.
3. Keep open: If you redistribute the database, or an adapted version of it, then you may use technological measures that restrict the work (such as DRM) as long as you also redistribute a version without such measures.

Derived Data and Two-Score System

The Processing Scores, Nutrition Scores, and other derived data elements found on this website are our own interpretations and calculations based on the USDA and Open Food Facts data. These derived elements represent our analysis and are provided for informational purposes only.

Ultra Processed Food List and the Ketzal app are operated by Workhorse Labs, LLC (“we”, “us”). When you send us a label photo or a product correction through the Ketzal app, you keep ownership of your photo. You give us permission to use it, and this section says how.

The permission you give us. You grant Workhorse Labs, LLC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual and irrevocable licence to store, copy, edit, publish and otherwise use the photos and product information you submit, for any purpose. That includes showing them on our website and in the Ketzal app, in link previews and search results for our pages, and in our marketing. Editing means things like cropping to the product, adjusting brightness and removing the background. We may let companies that host or process photos for us handle them for that work, and this permission passes to anyone who takes over the business. It continues after you stop using the app or delete your account.

What you confirm when you submit. You took the photo yourself. You did not copy it from a website, including a brand’s own site or an online store. It shows a product’s packaging. It does not show anyone’s face or anyone’s personal information. A hand or fingertips holding the product are fine.

Brands keep their own rights. Package designs, logos and brand names belong to the companies that own them. Your permission covers only your own rights in the photo you took.

What we may do. We review every submission. We may decline it, use only part of it, or edit it before it appears. We do not pay for submissions, and we do not publish your name or account details beside them.

If you want a photo removed. Write to us at contact@ultraprocessedfoodlist.com. We will remove any photo that shows something personal. Other published photos may stay, as described above.

Ketzal Plus is an optional subscription sold through Apple in the Ketzal app. It adds unlimited instant scores and ingredients on the Avoid List. Scanning, both scores, search, allergens on the Avoid List, saved products, submissions and Community Challenges stay free.

Plans and renewal. Ketzal Plus is offered yearly or monthly at the price the app shows before you buy. Your Apple ID is charged when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the end of each period, at the same price unless Apple tells you of a change first, until you cancel.

Free trial. When the app offers a free trial, it says how long it lasts and what you will be charged after it. If you do not cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the subscription starts and your Apple ID is charged.

Cancelling. Cancel at any time in your Apple ID settings under Subscriptions, at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Ketzal Plus stays on until the end of the period you paid for. Deleting the app or your Ketzal account does not cancel the subscription.

Refunds. Apple handles all payments and refunds under its own terms. Ask Apple for a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Family Sharing. A yearly subscription can be shared with your Apple Family Sharing group. A monthly subscription cannot.

Instant scores are provisional. An instant score is read from your photos by an automated service before a person reviews them. It can be wrong, and it may change after review.

Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement also applies to your use of the Ketzal app.

Some Community Challenges offer a reward, such as a free month of Ketzal Plus. The challenge says what the reward is. It is earned only if the shared goal is reached by the challenge’s end date, and only by accounts with an approved photo counted toward that challenge.

We send the reward by email as an Apple offer code, which you redeem through Apple. Apple decides when the free period starts, and for a current subscriber it may start at your next renewal. A reward has no cash value and cannot be transferred. We may change or end a challenge, but we honor rewards already earned.

A reward code expires on the date the challenge states, and the email that sends it repeats that date.

From time to time we offer a free period of Ketzal Plus by Apple offer code, for example when you join our email list, as a thank-you, or as a Community Challenge reward. Each offer says what it gives, which plan it applies to and who can use it.

You redeem a code through Apple, in the App Store or from the link we send. It applies only to the plan the offer names; our current offers are for the yearly plan. When the free period ends, the subscription renews at the price the app shows unless you cancel at least 24 hours before, as described under Ketzal Plus Subscriptions.

Every code has an expiration date, which we state when we send it. Apple stops a code at midnight Pacific time on that date, and an expired code cannot be redeemed or replaced.

Apple allows one code per Apple ID for each offer and decides who is eligible, for example whether a current subscriber can use it. A code has no cash value and cannot be sold or transferred.

We may limit the number of codes, end an offer, or deactivate a code that has been shared publicly or obtained by abuse. We honor codes we have sent, until their expiration date, unless they were obtained by abuse. Joining our email list never requires a purchase, and we never give a code in exchange for a review or rating.

If you believe a photo or anything else on this website or in the Ketzal app infringes your copyright, our Copyright page explains how to reach our designated agent and what a notice must include.

Data Accuracy

While we strive to provide accurate information, please be aware that:

• Food products and their formulations change frequently
• Regional variations of products may exist with different ingredients
• Data entry errors may occur in the original databases or in our processing
• Our Processing Scores are algorithmic interpretations and not definitive measures
• The Open Food Facts database is maintained by volunteers and may contain errors or omissions

Always refer to the product packaging for the most current and authoritative information.

Allergens and the Avoid List

Do not rely on Ketzal or this website to avoid an allergen. If you have a food allergy, especially a severe one, read the package every time and follow your doctor’s advice.

The Avoid List compares your choices with the ingredient list we have on file for a product. That list can be old, incomplete or wrong, and the product in your hand may have changed. We cannot see shared equipment or cross-contact, and “may contain” statements are often not in our data. Our matching is a word list and can miss an allergen or flag one that is not there.

When the Avoid List finds nothing, it means only that we found no match in the ingredient list we have. It does not mean a product is free of an allergen or safe for you. An instant score read from your photos can also misread a label.

Not Medical Advice

The information provided on this website and in the Ketzal app is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as:

• Medical advice
• Nutritional counseling
• Dietary recommendations
• Healthcare guidance

This website and the Ketzal app should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or dietary needs.

No Warranties

The website and the Ketzal app, including every score, match, alternative and instant score, are provided “as is” and “as available”. To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement. We do not promise that they will be accurate, complete, current or uninterrupted.

Limitation of Liability

The website and the Ketzal app are provided by Workhorse Labs, LLC. To the fullest extent the law allows, Workhorse Labs, LLC and its owners, employees and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, use or goodwill, arising from your use of the website or the app or your reliance on anything in them.

To the fullest extent the law allows, our total liability for all claims relating to the website or the app is limited to the greater of $100 or the amount you paid us for Ketzal Plus in the 12 months before the claim arose. Some places do not allow these limits, so they may not fully apply to you. Nothing in these terms limits liability that the law does not allow us to limit.

Two-Score System Limitations

Our two-score system is designed to give consumers a general understanding of food processing levels and nutritional quality, but has several limitations:

• It is based on available ingredient data which may be incomplete
• It uses algorithmic assessment which may not capture all nuances of food processing
• It does not account for quantity of ingredients (only presence)
• It may not reflect recent changes to products
• It is not endorsed by any regulatory body or academic institution

Our scores should be used as one of many tools in making informed food choices, not as the sole determining factor.

Third-Party Rights

Product names, brand names, logos, and other trademarks or intellectual property mentioned or displayed on this website belong to their respective owners. Their mention does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by these entities.

Product Classifications

Classification of products as “ultra-processed,” “highly processed,” “processed,” or “minimally processed” on this site is determined solely by our scoring algorithm, which analyzes ingredient composition data from publicly available databases. These classifications:

• Do not imply that any product is unsafe, unwholesome, or of poor quality
• Do not constitute a judgment about the business practices of any brand or manufacturer
• Are not equivalent to any regulatory classification by the FDA, USDA, or other government agency
• May differ from classifications produced by other systems, including the academic NOVA framework
• Reflect ingredient composition at a point in time and may not match current product formulations

This website is an independent educational resource and is not a regulatory body, standards organization, or certification authority. No product listing or classification should be interpreted as an endorsement, condemnation, or official designation.

Affiliate Relationships

This site participates in the Amazon Associates Program and may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links. Affiliate relationships do not influence our processing scores, nutrition scores, or editorial content. Products appear in “where to buy” sections based on search relevance, not commission structure.

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights. It applies to any dispute between you and Workhorse Labs, LLC relating to the website, the Ketzal app or these terms.

Talk to us first. Before starting a claim, write to contact@ultraprocessedfoodlist.com or Workhorse Labs, LLC, PO Box 201, Cary, NC 27512, and describe the dispute and what you want. We both agree to try in good faith to resolve it for 30 days.

Binding arbitration. If we cannot resolve it, the dispute will be decided by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, not in court. There is no judge or jury, and review of the result is limited. You may arbitrate by video or in the county where you live. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section.

Exceptions. Either of us may bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies. Either of us may ask a court to stop infringement or misuse of intellectual property.

Class action waiver. You and we may bring claims only as individuals, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective or representative action. If this waiver cannot be enforced against a particular claim, that claim goes to court and the rest of this section still applies.

Your right to opt out. You may opt out of arbitration and the class action waiver by emailing contact@ultraprocessedfoodlist.com within 30 days after you first accept these terms, with the subject “Arbitration opt out”. Opting out does not affect anything else in these terms.

Governing law and courts. North Carolina law governs these terms, without regard to its conflict of laws rules, except where the law of your home state must apply. Any dispute that is not arbitrated goes to the state or federal courts in Wake County, North Carolina, unless the law gives you the right to bring it where you live. If any part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest stays in effect.

We may change these Terms of Service. We will update the date at the top of this page, and changes take effect when posted. A change to the disputes section does not apply to a dispute that arose before the change. Your continued use of the website or the app after a change means you accept the new terms.

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service or the data on this website or in the Ketzal app, you can email us at contact@ultraprocessedfoodlist.com or use our Contact Page.