Uncertainty is part of the result
A popular dish is not automatically a good dietary fit, and a confident answer is not automatically correct. hello.food keeps recommendation, dietary concerns, and evidence quality separate. Missing information makes the answer more cautious.
heyfood item "pad thai at Pismo's"A small safety vocabulary
The terminal and JSON use the same four statuses. Even the best one is guidance, not a guarantee.
- generally_safer
- The available evidence suggests this is a better fit.
- risky
- There is a meaningful concern or something you should verify.
- avoid
- The item conflicts with the dietary profile being checked.
- unable_to_evaluate
- There is not enough information for a useful conclusion.
Answers show why
- Recommendation rank never substitutes for a safety evaluation.
- Household output preserves which member each concern applies to.
- Confidence, unknowns, questions, and possible modifications remain visible.
- Menu and product claims are limited by the source and how recently it was checked.
- Missing or conflicting information makes the result more cautious instead of being ignored.
An ingredient is not a product label
Grocery screening can check a known ingredient against household profiles. It cannot know the recipe, factory, cross-contact practices, or current label for every product that contains that ingredient. The result says so and asks you to check the package.
Suggestions are not saved changes
A conversation can prepare a meal log, profile update, household change, or grocery-list update. Nothing is saved just because the agent suggested it. You review and confirm the change first.