About Canopy
What's in your food that isn't on the label?
Food labels list ingredients—not contaminants. Lead, arsenic, PFAS, and pesticide residues end up in products because of how they're grown, processed, and packaged. The only way to know is to test.
The problem
Nobody is checking independently.
Today, manufacturers test their own products and don't publish the results. There's no independent check. Labels like “organic” or country of origin don't reliably predict contaminant levels.
When independent labs do test, they consistently find that contaminant levels vary widely between brands—and lower-contamination options usually exist. The data is actionable. It just doesn't exist for most products yet. That's the gap Canopy is designed to close.
Lead & Chromium in Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches
In late 2023, the FDA investigated cinnamon applesauce and fruit-purée pouches found to contain extremely high levels of lead, along with chromium.
Read source →What they found
- FDA traced hundreds of illness reports to cinnamon applesauce and fruit-purée pouches contaminated with lead and chromium.
- The contamination was linked to elevated blood-lead levels in young children, and lead is unsafe for kids at any level.
- The cinnamon in the recalled pouches carried extremely high lead concentrations—consistent with lead chromate added to the spice.
Regulations not being met
- Lead far exceeded FDA's interim reference levels for products intended for babies and young children.
- The contamination went undetected until state and independent testing flagged it—no manufacturer disclosure caught it.
None of these findings came from the manufacturers.
What Canopy does
Crowdfunded testing by independent, third-party labs.
You tell us what you buy, we send it to an accredited lab, and the results are published for everyone.
Some level of contamination is unavoidable—but what's safe for one person isn't necessarily safe for another. A pregnant woman, a toddler, and a healthy adult all have different thresholds. Canopy gives you the actual numbers so you can decide what's acceptable for you and your family.
- 01
Tell us what you buy
Submit a product and choose which contaminants to test for.
- 02
Fund it together
Others who buy the same product pledge alongside you, splitting the cost.
- 03
Get your results
An accredited lab tests the product and publishes the results—with “lines of concern” to understand what’s acceptable for you and your family.
Funding goals
What goes into a test campaign's funding goal?
Every goal is based on the actual costs of running that specific test. No markup beyond what it takes to get the test done and keep Canopy running.
What we test
Food today, everything else next.
We currently test food products, with plans to expand into toiletries, cosmetics, clothing, and cleaning supplies.
Heavy Metals Panel
Tests for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury — metals that build up in the body rather than clearing quickly. Health agencies set intake limits for each, and for lead, both U.S. and European agencies identify no safe level of exposure for children. None of it appears on the label, and levels differ from one product to the next.
How the test is performed
The food sample is broken down with acid, then heated into a plasma (an extremely hot gas) that strips the metals into individual atoms. A detector (ICP-MS) then counts each type of metal atom, identifying exactly how much lead, arsenic, cadmium, or mercury is present — even at parts-per-billion levels.
Good foods to test
Heavy Metals Panel
Tests for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury — metals that build up in the body rather than clearing quickly. Health agencies set intake limits for each, and for lead, both U.S. and European agencies identify no safe level of exposure for children. None of it appears on the label, and levels differ from one product to the next.
How the test is performed
The food sample is broken down with acid, then heated into a plasma (an extremely hot gas) that strips the metals into individual atoms. A detector (ICP-MS) then counts each type of metal atom, identifying exactly how much lead, arsenic, cadmium, or mercury is present — even at parts-per-billion levels.
Good foods to test
FAQ
Common questions.
What is Canopy?
Canopy is a crowdfunding platform for independent contaminant testing of everyday products. You tell us what you buy, we send it to an accredited third-party lab, and the results are published for everyone — the actual measured levels, compared against regulatory daily-intake limits.
How does crowdfunded testing work?
Anyone can start a test request for a specific product and choose which contaminants to test for. Others who buy the same product pledge toward its funding goal, splitting the cost. Once the goal is met, Canopy buys the product and sends it to an independent lab. Results are typically published about 6 weeks after a request is fully funded.
What contaminants does Canopy test for?
Canopy currently offers a Heavy Metals Panel (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury), Arsenic Speciation (which separates toxic inorganic arsenic from less harmful forms), a Pesticide Screen covering hundreds of pesticide residues, and Glyphosate + AMPA. Tests for PFAS, phthalates, bisphenols, and residual solvents are coming soon.
What kinds of products can be tested?
Canopy currently tests food products, with plans to expand into toiletries, cosmetics, clothing, and cleaning supplies.
Who performs the lab testing?
Accredited, independent third-party laboratories — not Canopy, and not the brands being tested. Each results page lists the lot number and expiration date of the exact sample that was tested and, where available, the lab and its analysis method.
How much does a test cost?
Every funding goal is based on the actual costs of that specific test: lab testing fees, buying the product, shipping it to the lab, payment processing, and a platform fee. There's no markup beyond what it takes to get the test done and keep Canopy running. Backers can pledge as little as $1, and starting a request takes an initial pledge of at least $10.
What happens if a test request isn't fully funded?
If a test request doesn't reach its funding goal within its 30-day campaign window, pledges are refunded. Once testing has started, contributions are non-refundable.
What does “not detected” mean?
“Not detected” means the amount was below the lab's limit of detection — the lowest level its method can reliably distinguish from zero. It doesn't necessarily mean zero. Every results page lists the detection limit for each substance screened.
How are results compared to safety limits?
Canopy converts each measured concentration into the amount in a single serving (the lab's concentration × the labeled serving size) and compares it against daily-intake guidance from several organizations — such as the U.S. EPA, FDA, California's Prop 65, EFSA, and EWG — each shown separately. Some limits scale with body weight, so you can enter your own to see what applies to you and your family.
Do results apply to every package of a product?
Results describe the specific lot that was tested. Contaminant levels can vary from batch to batch, so each results page lists the sample's lot number and expiration date, and anyone can request a new test of the same product.
Is Canopy affiliated with the brands it tests?
No. Canopy isn't endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the brands whose products appear on the site, and it doesn't sell the products it tests.
Ready to find out?
Back an open test request, or start one for a product on your own shelf.
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