About Huxley

The problem

Most grocery brands don't publish test results for things like heavy metals, pesticides or PFAS in their products. That data mostly doesn't exist publicly. When independent testing does happen, the results are scattered. Some come from apps that scrape and aggregate data already published elsewhere. Some come from one-off tests run by individuals and dropped into a database with no context on methodology or sourcing. The coverage is sporadic. You might find a batch of results for products you've never heard of but nothing for the ones you actually buy.

And you have no say in any of it. You can't request a test. You can't choose the product. You just wait and hope someone eventually gets around to testing the things you care about.

What Huxley does

Huxley gives you a direct line to the same accredited laboratories that major food companies and government agencies use, except you're the one in charge. You choose the product. You choose the panel: heavy metals, pesticides, PFAS, nutritional accuracy, whatever matters to you. Then you and other consumers pool your money to fund the test. The lab buys three samples from three different stores, runs the analysis and publishes every result. Pass or fail, no exceptions.

Why it exists

Huxley started because I wanted these results for myself. As a parent and a consumer paying attention to what's in everyday products, the heavy metals in baby food, the PFAS in packaging, the gap between what's on the label and what's actually inside, I couldn't find a service that let me test the specific products I buy. The existing options are either focused on supplements, funded by the brands they review, relying on aggregated secondhand data or priced out of reach. So I built Huxley to fill that gap.

The bigger idea

I believe that when consumers are in charge of what gets tested, we move faster than any single organization could. Instead of waiting for someone to decide your favorite chocolate bar is worth testing, you can fund it yourself and have results in weeks. When enough people care about the same product, the cost per person drops to a few dollars. And when results get outdated, the community can fund a retest. You want this product tested and you want it now. That's it. That's how it should work.

The long-term goal is to drive testing costs down as far as possible through lab partnerships and volume and to put money back into the community wherever we can. The credit system is a first step. Campaign starters earn credits when their campaigns succeed. As Huxley grows I want to find more ways to return value to the people who make the platform work. This isn't something I'm trying to get rich from. I want these results to exist and I think you do too.

How it works

  • Find a product by name or barcode
  • Fund a test by pledging as little as $1 toward any testing panel. You're not charged unless the campaign reaches its goal.
  • Lab testing begins when the campaign is funded. ISO 17025 accredited labs purchase 3 samples from different stores and run the analysis. No cherry-picking.
  • Results published with substance-by-substance breakdowns compared against EPA and FDA tolerance levels. Every result made available, pass or fail.

Pricing

Free users get access to a selection of free results as a preview of the platform plus full results for any panels they personally helped fund. A $3/month subscription unlocks full detailed results and downloadable PDF reports for everything on the platform. We intentionally keep the subscription price low. The goal is access, not exclusivity.

Huxley is built and operated by VizCreator LLC. Questions or ideas? Reach out at hello@huxleyapp.com.

Crowdfund lab tests for the food you buy.

Choose the products and panels you care about. Pool your money with others. See what independent labs actually find.

Huxley web app
Huxley iOS app

How We Test Products Together

Find & Fund

Search any grocery product on the web or scan its barcode on the iOS app. Pick the test panels you care about and pledge toward the ones you want funded.

Independent Lab Testing

Once a panel is funded, we purchase 3 samples from different stores and send them to an ISO 17025 accredited lab for independent analysis.

Results You Can Trust

See exactly what the lab found, substance by substance. Every backer gets full access to the results they helped fund. Pass or fail, everything gets published.

Earn rewards for going first

See a product that hasn’t been tested yet? Be the first to pledge and kick off the campaign. When it gets funded, you earn credits back on the platform fee plus a free month of Huxley Pro.

  • Credits back on every campaign you start
  • One free month of Huxley Pro
  • Credits may convert to real dividends as Huxley grows

What Our Lab Tests Reveal

Every product has four independent lab panels. You pick which ones matter to you and contribute toward getting them funded.

Download for iOS

Heavy Metals Testing

  • Screens for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, the four most common toxic heavy metals found in everyday food products like chocolate, rice, baby food, and protein powders.
  • Even at levels technically within FDA limits, long-term exposure adds up. Our lab reports show exact concentrations so you can make informed decisions for yourself and your family.
  • Independent testing catches what brands won't disclose. See substance-by-substance breakdowns with clear pass/fail indicators against established safety thresholds.

Pesticide Residue Analysis

  • Screens for dozens of common pesticides including glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, and neonicotinoids found on produce, grains, cereals, and packaged foods.
  • Every result is compared against EPA tolerance levels and international safety thresholds so you can see exactly where a product stands.
  • Organic or not, you deserve to know what's on your food. Our lab panels reveal what washing alone can't remove.

PFAS Contamination Screening

  • Screens for PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These "forever chemicals" don't break down in the environment or in your body.
  • PFAS leach from food packaging, nonstick coatings, and contaminated water supplies. They've been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and immune suppression.
  • Regulations are tightening fast. The EPA now considers any detectable level in drinking water a concern. Our panels show exactly what's in your food at parts-per-trillion sensitivity.

Nutritional Accuracy Verification

  • Lab analysis measures actual protein, fat, sugar, fiber, calories, and key micronutrients, then compares every value against what the packaging claims.
  • FDA allows up to a 20% margin of error on nutrition labels. Our tests reveal exactly where products fall, and some are way further off than you'd expect.
  • When a product says 24g of sugar but the lab finds 31g, that's a 29% discrepancy you'd never know about without independent testing.

Why Huxley

Our goal is to democratize testing and lower the cost as much as possible

We give you the power to choose the products and panels you want tested and the social tools to coordinate with others to get them funded. We want testing to be as financially accessible as possible, which is why initial funders earn credits and free months when campaigns complete. We're also building long-term relationships with labs to negotiate better rates and pass those savings directly to you.

Unlock the full picture

Huxley Pro gives you complete access to every lab result on the platform. Full substance-by-substance breakdowns, downloadable PDF reports, and more.

  • Full detailed results for every product
  • Downloadable PDF lab reports
  • Support independent food testing

$3/mo

Free users see pass/fail summaries. Pledgers see full results for panels they funded. Subscribers see everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a campaign doesn’t reach its goal?

All pledges are released and no one is charged. Pledges are authorization holds, so your card isn’t charged until the campaign is fully funded. You can restart the campaign anytime.

How are labs chosen?

We work with ISO 17025 accredited laboratories with decades of food safety experience. These are the same labs trusted by major food brands. We select based on panel expertise, accreditation scope and turnaround time.

Is my payment safe?

Yes. Pledges are authorization holds, not charges. Your card is only charged if and when the campaign reaches its funding goal. If it doesn’t fund, you pay nothing.

What does a subscription include?

Huxley Pro ($3/month) gives you full detailed results for every tested product on the platform, plus downloadable PDF lab reports. Cancel anytime.

Do I need a subscription to see results I helped fund?

No. If you pledged toward a campaign, you get full access to those results without a subscription. Subscriptions are for people who want to see full results across every product without pledging on each one individually.

How are the 3 samples collected?

We purchase samples from 3 different retail locations to control for batch variation. This ensures the results represent what’s actually on store shelves, not a single batch that might be an outlier.

What does “All Clear” vs “Concerns Found” mean?

“All Clear” means all detected levels are below established safety thresholds. “Concerns Found” means at least one substance exceeded or approached a recognized threshold. The detailed breakdown shows exactly which substances and by how much.

How do I access Huxley?

Huxley is available on the web and as an iOS app. You can browse products, fund campaigns and view results from either platform. The iOS app also includes a barcode scanner for quick product lookups in store.

What is the long-term vision for Huxley?

Our goal is to become a community-owned cooperative. As Huxley grows, your contributions will earn real patronage dividends. The people who fund the testing should own the platform.

Ready to know what’s in your food?

Join Huxley and help fund independent testing for the products you buy every day.