Our Standard
Why Us
Most food brands use the word "clean" as a marketing term. We use it as a standard.
At The Clean Label, every product has passed a rigorous ingredient review before it reaches you. We don't rely on certifications, marketing claims, or brand reputation. We read the label — every ingredient, every additive, every processing method. Most brands we evaluate don't make the cut.
Guiding Principles
What We Accept
Whole ingredients that are minimally processed and close to their natural state don't need to pass a checklist. They simply belong here.
If it grew in the ground, came from a clean animal source, or has been part of Indian food for generations — it's welcome. The rest of our criteria exist for everything that isn't real food.
These are sweeteners with nutritional context — not stripped, isolated sugar molecules.
Raw or unrefined cane sugar must be explicitly labelled as such — not just "cane sugar" or "brown sugar."
Cold pressed is our baseline. These are always accepted without conditions.
Selectively allowed oils pass only when no cold pressed alternative delivers equivalent performance and they meet all four exception criteria.
Extraction method matters as much as the protein source. We accept:
All proteins must be extracted via water, acid/alkali precipitation, CO₂, or mechanical methods. Hexane extraction is a hard no — regardless of whether residue is detectable in the final product.
Protein isolates (85%+ protein) require additional justification regardless of extraction method. Concentration that high almost always involves industrial processing we won't overlook.
A small set of additives are permitted selectively — only when genuinely needed, not as shortcuts.
Vinegar source must be declared. Citric acid and sodium citrate must appear near the bottom of the ingredient list.
Natural flavours are accepted only when the source is named on the label.
A label that just says "natural flavour" without naming the source doesn't pass. You should always know what you're tasting and where it came from.
Nutritionally justified fortification with a disclosed source is accepted — B12 in a vegan product, iron in a product designed for women.
What we reject is synthetic fortification added to ultra-processed products to compensate for nutrients destroyed during processing, or added purely to put a health claim on the front of the pack.
What We Say No To
These are the backbone of most Indian packaged food. They don't make it onto our platform.
Our Exception Policy
A selectively allowed ingredient passes only when all four conditions are met:
- 1.The ingredient is well-researched and considered safe for regular consumption.
- 2.There is no widely adopted natural alternative that delivers similar performance.
- 3.It genuinely improves the product — texture, stability, or shelf life.
- 4.It is not being used as a shortcut or cost-cutting substitute for a real ingredient.
Everything on The Clean Label has earned its place here — and we can tell you exactly why.
Questions about our standard →