OVERVIEW: 4 most used food scanning apps in the UK. Which one to use?

Finding the right food in the jungle of grocery stores is tough. Unless you have handy tools that can turn shopping into a rather entertaining, not suffering experience.

With this in mind, we have explored and covered the 4 most popular food scanning apps that can turn your grocery shopping into a hassle-free experience.

Struggling to choose the one that fits your needs? In this article you will be introduced to the value proposition, technology used and what can you do with these most used grocery shopping apps in the UK. Take a closer look and choose the one that fits your needs.

MYFITNESSPAL

‘Fitness starts with what you eat.'

Value proposition: ‘Take control of your goals. Track calories, break down ingredients, and log activities with MyFitnessPal.'

Technology: Barcode scanning

What you can do:

• Keep a food diary that helps you understand and track habits and increase your likelihood of hitting your goals.

• Scan food barcodes and save meals or recipes.

• Join the World’s Largest Fitness Community for advice, tips, and support 24/7.

Product card screen:

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FOODVISOR

‘Healthy eating for a better life'

Value proposition: ‘The pocket nutritionist app that will help you reach your health and weight goals.'.

Technology: Take a photo of your plate, the Foodvisor application is able to recognize the food items.

What you can do:

Take a photo of a meal plate and the app will:

• Estimate the quantity and provide nutritional information about the meal.
• Communicate with professional dietitians by chat.
• Get daily inspiration with balanced recipes developed by nutritionists.

Product card screen:

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YUKA

‘Yuka deciphers product labels and analyzes the health impact of food products and cosmetics.'

Value proposition: ‘Make the right choices for your health'.

Technology: Barcode scanning.

What you can do:

Take the product, scan the barcode and the app will:

• Evaluate the quality of your foods — you are informed about the number of additives, sugar, calories, etc. that the product contains.

• Check the quality of your cosmetics — you are informed about harmful ingredients that your cosmetic products contain.

• Get recommendations for healthier products — you are offered a better product alternative.

Product card screen:

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JOLLYGUT

‘Ignore the 'noise' provoked by powerful marketing messages and go beyond the information provided on the food labels. Using quantitative measures of products and baskets, JollyGut will help you make informed and easier choices in-store and online.'

Value proposition: See your food for what it really is!

Technology: AI-based product recognition technology. This means that the app scans the package of the product, so you do not need to pick and touch it to perform the scanning process.

Funding: 100Nuts' sole source of funding comes from the equity investments made by its shareholders. The 33 of them are all individual investors.

What you can do:

Point your camera at any food item and JollyGut will instantly:

• Tell you how healthy it is — how many additives, sugars, salts, saturated fats, etc. the product contains.

• Let you compare and choose a better alternative product based on quality and price.

• Warn you when a product is not compatible with your dietary preferences (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, low fodmap, warns you whether it’s not compatible with your chosen allergies and food intolerances).

On the whole, all 4 apps will tell you the relevant nutritional information of food products or meals using slightly different technologies and designs. The contradictory part is that some apps use more advanced food scanning technologies and might save your time and effort for daily grocery shopping as they are able to provide relevant nutritional information within seconds. All the cards are in your hands, so it’s up to you to choose which app matches your personal food shopping needs!