App Offers Alternative To Reading Food Labels

  • September 23, 2011
With front-of-packaging labeling systems the hot topic in the food/beverage industries, a new smartphone app that claims to enable users to simply scan/take a snapshot of product barcodes to get all of the (customizable) nutritional information they want seems noteworthy.

According to its developer/marketer, Honest Label Foods, LLC, the "Honest Label Foods Scanner" lets users (including those on restricted or specialized diets) select ingredients they want to avoid, which are flagged by a warning system. It also lets the user customize calorie and other nutrient parameters based on their own needs, rather than the serving size used on the product label (daily values can be viewed in a simple bar chart format).

Also in the works as the app is continued to be developed: The ability to access information about ingredients' origin, if pesticides are used in producing them, and genetic modifications, if any.

Once the barcode is snapped, the app (which works on both iOS and Android mobile devices) instantly generates an easy-to-read digital readout or "label."

The app's customizable dietary needs profiling system is patent-pending, according to the company's site.--Karlene Lukovitz

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