Most food standards are designed to be the floor — the minimum a brand has to hit to say it's "clean." Ours are designed to be the ceiling. Every product on None of the Bad is individually reviewed. Not the brand. Not the founder's story. Not the packaging. The actual ingredients, sourced with documented evidence. We say no more than we say yes.
None of the Bad is currently accepting its first vendors. Every product submitted will be individually reviewed against the standards below before being listed.
Most clean food certifiers tell you what you can't do. None of the Bad tells you what to change, and walks alongside you until you qualify. If your product doesn't pass, you get a real ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown — not a form rejection. Reformulate, resubmit, get listed. Because our goal isn't a small marketplace of perfect products. It's better products on every shelf.
Apply to Sell — We'll Tell You How to Get There →Minimum NOTB Score of 75 Required
Every product must achieve an NOTB Score of 75 or higher to be listed on None of the Bad. Products scoring below 75 are automatically rejected, regardless of certifications or brand reputation — any banned ingredient means rejection, and a product with an incomplete label is not scored at all. Listing at 75 is the floor, not the goal: we work with every brand to reach 85. The NOTB Score is calculated based on the factors below.
The NOTB Score is a single 0–100 rating assigned to each individual product. It starts at 85 and moves from there: points come off for banned and flagged ingredients, sugar per serving, and undisclosed inputs; points go back on for verified organic certification, published lot testing, and clean sourcing. Every product card on None of the Bad displays that one score, plus decals explaining anything that pulled it down:
Elite Clean
Top-tier ingredients, premium sourcing, verified
Verified Clean
Clean label with third-party verification
Clean
Meets our standard comfortably — the number we coach brands to
Approved
Listed. We work with the brand to reach 85
Rejected
Below the listing threshold — cannot be sold here
The Natural Flavors Rule
"Natural flavors" isn't banned, but it caps the score. A product with an undisclosed natural flavor or natural color is capped at 75 — it can still be listed, but it can never earn a VERIFIED or ELITE badge while part of its formula is unnamed. The cap catches qualifier wording too: "natural fruit flavor" and "natural food color" both trigger it.
See exactly how we score →🔴 Red Flags — Disqualifying or Score-Penalizing
🟡 Amber Flags — Acceptable but Not Premium
🟢 Green Flags — Premium Indicators (Score Boosters)
🫙 Packaging Bonus
Glass or metal packaging earns a +4 credit. Other packaging loses nothing — it just doesn't earn the credit.
🍬 Sugar Penalty
Added sugar costs 1.6 points per gram per serving, weighted by category, regardless of source (cane, coconut, honey, date syrup). 8+ points triggers a HIGH SUGAR decal.
Any product containing a banned ingredient is automatically rejected from None of the Bad — no exceptions, regardless of quantity, trace amounts, or certification status.
Auto-Generated from NOTB Score Engine — any one means rejection
🛢️ Rapeseed & Canola Oil — Processing Matters
All Seed Oils — Canola, Soybean, Corn, Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed, Grapeseed, Rice Bran
High omega-6, pro-inflammatory; includes expeller-pressed versions
Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils
Trans fats strongly linked to heart disease and systemic inflammation
Adulterated Oils
Oils cut with undisclosed cheaper or solvent-processed oils
Maltodextrin
Gut-disrupting filler with higher glycemic index than table sugar
Modified Food Starch
Chemically processed thickener, often GMO-derived
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Linked to obesity, insulin resistance & fatty liver disease
Artificial Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, etc.)
Petroleum-derived dyes linked to hyperactivity in children
Artificial Flavors
Synthetic chemical compounds that mask real ingredient quality
Natural Flavors (chemically extracted)
Umbrella term used to disguise synthetic-derived or solvent-extracted compounds
Artificial Preservatives
Chemicals added to extend shelf life beyond natural limits
Aspartame
Converts to methanol; classified as possible carcinogen by WHO (2023)
Sucralose
Alters gut microbiome composition, may trigger insulin response
Acesulfame-K (Acesulfame Potassium)
Disrupts gut microbiome; stimulates insulin without caloric intake
Stevia Extract (highly refined)
Chemically extracted; highly processed isolate, not whole-leaf stevia
Monk Fruit Extract (highly refined)
Chemically isolated sweetener — not equivalent to whole monk fruit
Sodium Nitrite
Forms carcinogenic nitrosamines when cooked at high heat
BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)
Possible carcinogen, endocrine disruptor
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
Potential carcinogen, liver/kidney toxicity
TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone)
Liver toxicity at elevated doses; oxidative stress marker
Carrageenan
Causes intestinal inflammation and gut barrier disruption
Sodium Benzoate
Forms benzene (carcinogen) when combined with vitamin C
Titanium Dioxide
Genotoxin — banned in EU food products since 2022
Potassium Bromate
Banned in EU & Canada; possible carcinogen (IARC Group 2B)
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
Banned by FDA in 2024 due to toxicity concerns
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
Synthetic flavor enhancer; reported neurological sensitivity effects
Lecithin of Any Kind (Soy, Sunflower, or Otherwise)
Common allergen and processing byproduct; source and purity rarely disclosed
Cellulose (Anti-Caking Fillers)
Industrial wood-pulp-derived filler used to bulk out products
Emulsifying Salts
Phosphate-based chemical emulsifiers that disrupt gut barrier integrity
Protein Isolates or Concentrates
Highly processed extracts stripped of natural co-factors and often hexane-treated
Enriched or Refined Flour
Chemically whitened, nutrient-stripped; synthetic vitamins added back
Synthetic Iodine Fortification
Added inorganic iodine (potassium iodide) not from whole food sources
Synthetic Vitamin Fortification
Inorganic/isolated synthetic vitamins added to compensate for processing losses
Celery Powder as Nitrate Delivery Mechanism
Used to technically avoid 'added nitrates' labeling while still adding them
rBGH / rBST Dairy Hormones
Recombinant bovine growth hormones linked to elevated IGF-1 levels
Antibiotics in Animal Products
Sub-therapeutic antibiotic use drives antimicrobial resistance
GMO Ingredients
Genetically engineered crops not permitted unless Non-GMO verified
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Used to treat scallops and seafood to inflate water weight; processing chemical
Distilled White Vinegar (GMO corn or chemically processed sources)
Petrochemical or GMO-derived acetic acid; must disclose non-GMO, natural source