Packaged food checks
Food label scanner app
Use BiteOrNot to scan packaged-food barcodes and compare available ingredients, allergens and nutrition data with your selected restrictions. Get a PASS, CHECK or AVOID result, with label scanning available when barcode information is insufficient.
From a barcode to a product check
A barcode identifies a product so BiteOrNot can look up its available information. The barcode itself does not contain a complete ingredient list. What the app can check depends on the product record, including whether the ingredients, allergens and nutrition information needed for your selected restriction are present.
As an ingredient scanner, BiteOrNot connects that information to the restriction you choose. Instead of leaving you with only raw ingredient text, it returns a simple decision. PASS means the available data did not conflict with the selected restriction. AVOID means the product appears to conflict with it. CHECK means the information needs a closer look.
For a product that is missing from the database, or a record without enough detail, you can photograph the physical label. Capture the ingredients or nutrition table relevant to the check. This gives the app another source of product information, although a photograph cannot fill in details that are absent from the packaging itself.
How to check a product
Select relevant restrictions
Choose the restriction or restrictions you want to check. The result relates to your active selections rather than every possible concern about the product.
Scan the packaged-food barcode
Let BiteOrNot find the product and check its available data. Compare the returned product details with the package in your hand.
Read PASS, CHECK or AVOID
Use the decision as a starting point for reviewing the product. PASS applies to the information checked and is not a guarantee.
Scan the label when needed
If barcode information is missing or insufficient, photograph the relevant label text clearly, with the full list or table in view.
Keep uncertainty visible
When information is incomplete or unclear, BiteOrNot shows CHECK. Review the physical label instead of treating missing data as a positive result.
How BiteOrNot works explains the full barcode and label scanning flow.
Keep the physical label in view
Product databases can be incomplete or out of date, and manufacturers can change formulations. A familiar package or previously scanned barcode does not establish that the ingredients are unchanged.
OCR, the process that reads text from a photograph, can misread small print, glare or curved packaging. Check extracted details against the original. Always check the physical product label when it matters for your health or allergy.