Metrics & Scoring

This page explains every score and metric in the Food Additives platform — what it measures, how it’s calculated, and how to interpret it.

Ingredient Metrics

These metrics describe individual ingredients across all their permitted food categories.

Metric	What it measures	How to interpret
Category Reach	Number of food categories where this ingredient is permitted	Higher = more versatile ingredient. Top ingredients span 100+ categories.
Condition Burden	Average conditions per food category for this ingredient	Higher = more regulatory qualifications per use. Above 2.0 means expect conditions on most uses.
Average Difficulty	Average difficulty score (0-5) across all rules for this ingredient	Below 1.0 = generally straightforward. Above 3.0 = expect complexity in most categories.
Open-Dose Percentage	Share of categories where no numeric limit is set (GMP applies)	Higher = more categories without a specific number. Manufacturer uses minimum needed for effect.
Family Breadth	Number of top-level food families the ingredient spans	Max is 15. Higher = ingredient crosses more diverse food types (dairy, bakery, beverages, etc.).

Food Category Metrics

These metrics describe individual food categories across all their permitted ingredients.

Metric	What it measures	How to interpret
Formulation Flexibility	Number of ingredients permitted in this category	Higher = more formulation options. Top categories have 70+ permitted ingredients.
Condition Density	Average conditions per ingredient in this category	Higher = more conditional category. Above 2.0 means most ingredients come with conditions.
Average Difficulty	Average difficulty score (0-5) across all rules in this category	Below 1.0 = straightforward category. Above 3.0 = regulatory “hard zone.”
Expert Review Rate	Percentage of rules with 3+ conditions requiring specialist review	Above 20% means a significant share of ingredients need careful interpretation.
Difficulty Tier	Categorical band based on average difficulty	Low (avg < 1.5), Medium (1.5-3.0), High (avg >= 3.0)

Difficulty Score (0-5)

Every permission rule is scored for regulatory difficulty. The score is the sum of five binary conditions:

Condition	Points	What it detects
No recognizable limit type	+1	The usage limit couldn’t be classified — ambiguous
Non-numeric limit (GMP/QS)	+1	No specific number — “use minimum needed” (vague)
Category on GMP exclusion list	+1	Contradictory signal — GMP permitted but category excluded
Has any conditions	+1	At least one regulatory note qualifies the permission
Has 3+ conditions	+1	Heavily conditional — many qualifications on one rule

Difficulty Labels

Label	Score	Guidance
Easy	0	Clear permission with a specific numeric limit and no conditions
Standard	1-2	Some nuance — a non-numeric limit or a condition to review
Complex	3	Multiple factors complicate interpretation. Review carefully.
Expert Required	4-5	Significant regulatory complexity. Consult a specialist before proceeding.

A difficulty score is not a safety rating. It measures how complex the regulatory permission is to interpret, not how safe the ingredient is to use.

Commercial Opportunity Score (0-100)

Available on Premium and Enterprise tiers only.

The opportunity score identifies food categories where regulatory complexity creates competitive barriers — categories where manufacturers who invest in regulatory understanding gain an advantage.

Weighting

Factor	Weight	Logic
Regulatory Difficulty	30%	Higher average difficulty = harder for competitors to navigate
Expert Review Rate	25%	Higher share of rules needing specialist review = higher barrier
Category Reach	20%	More ingredients available = more formulation possibilities
Condition Burden	15%	More conditions = more regulatory nuance to master
Standards Coverage	10%	More Codex commodity standards referencing this category = more regulatory context

Opportunity Tiers

Tier	Score Range	What it means
High	67-100	Strong commercial opportunity — regulatory complexity creates competitive moat
Medium	34-66	Moderate opportunity — some regulatory barriers but not extreme
Low	0-33	Low barriers — easier for competitors to enter

Ingredient Function Metrics

These metrics describe functional classes (e.g., Preservative, Emulsifier, Color).

Metric	What it measures	How to interpret
Ingredient Count	Number of distinct ingredients serving this function	Higher = more options when selecting an ingredient for this function
Category Coverage	Number of food categories reached by ingredients in this class	Higher = broader applicability across the food industry
Rules per Ingredient	Average permission rules per ingredient in this class	Higher = ingredients in this class tend to be more versatile

Regulatory Change Metrics

These metrics track how the standard has evolved over time.

Metric	What it measures	How to interpret
Adoption Year	Year a permission rule was adopted into the standard	More recent = newer addition, potentially less established in industry practice
Change Risk Score	Composite score (40% recency + 35% complexity + 25% standards coverage)	Higher = category may see future regulatory changes. Useful for monitoring.

Understanding “Open Dose (GMP)”

When a usage limit shows “Open dose (GMP)” or “GMP”, it means:

There is no fixed maximum level for this ingredient in this category
The ingredient should be used at the minimum quantity needed to achieve its intended technological effect
This follows Good Manufacturing Practice — a principle, not a number

Open-dose permissions give manufacturers flexibility, but also require judgment. Document your rationale for the level you choose.

Getting Started

Platform

Reference

Ingredient Metrics

Food Category Metrics

Difficulty Score (0-5)

Difficulty Labels

Commercial Opportunity Score (0-100)

Weighting

Opportunity Tiers

Ingredient Function Metrics

Regulatory Change Metrics

Understanding “Open Dose (GMP)”

​Ingredient Metrics

​Food Category Metrics

​Difficulty Score (0-5)

​Difficulty Labels

​Commercial Opportunity Score (0-100)

​Weighting

​Opportunity Tiers

​Ingredient Function Metrics

​Regulatory Change Metrics

​Understanding “Open Dose (GMP)”

Ingredient Metrics

Food Category Metrics

Difficulty Score (0-5)

Difficulty Labels

Commercial Opportunity Score (0-100)

Weighting

Opportunity Tiers

Ingredient Function Metrics

Regulatory Change Metrics

Understanding “Open Dose (GMP)”