Examine the Content of the Product on the Market Shelf with Your Phone: Open Food Facts

Application: Open Food Facts

• Open Food Facts official site
• Google Play — Open Food Facts
• Apple App Store — Open Food Facts
• Source code and version records

When you are stuck between two products on the grocery store shelf, which one do you really know about? The big print on the front of the packaging or the small ingredient list on the back of the product?
Today I will show you an application called Open Food Facts. This application allows you to review the nutritional and content information in the database by scanning the product barcode with your phone's camera.
For example, you are stuck between two different cereals, yoghurts or snacks. You can compare the sugar, salt, protein and other nutritional values ​​of the products. The app can also show information about the product's processing level and environmental impact, if records are available.
The good thing is that the app is free and available on both Android and iPhone.
But remember one important point: Not every product's registration may be complete. Do not accept the information shown by the application as sufficient on its own, especially regarding allergies; Be sure to check the packaging.
If you are curious about product ingredients while grocery shopping, you can try Open Food Facts and start by comparing a few products on your shopping list.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

It is not always easy to understand all the ingredients of a product by looking at its packaging when grocery shopping.

Open Food Facts helps you view records in the database by scanning the product's barcode. You can examine details such as the product's nutritional values, content information, allergens and environmental impact.

For example, you are stuck between two different breakfast cereals. The packaging of both gives the impression of a healthy product. You can compare sugar, salt, fiber and other nutritional values by scanning their barcodes.

The app also offers the NOVA classification, which helps understand the extent to which foods have been processed, and indicators of nutritional quality, such as the Nutri-Score. App Store

HIGHLIGHTS

Barcode scanning: You can access the registered information by scanning the product's barcode with your phone's camera.

Nutritional values: You can examine values such as energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat, protein, fiber and salt.

NOVA classification: You can get an idea about the processing level of the product.

Allergen information: The product registration may contain information regarding dairy, gluten, egg, nuts and other allergens.

Environmental indicators: If data is available, you can review information on packaging, source and environmental impact.

Adding missing product: You can add photos and information about products that are not in the database as a contribution to the community.

Price contributions: You can share data about product prices through supported features. App Store

WHY IS IT WORTH EXPLORING?

Open Food Facts should not be thought of as just a barcode reader. Its main purpose is to create a clear source of information about the content and features of the products.

Using this, you can compare two products not only according to their packaging design or advertising slogan, but also according to the nutritional values ​​in the database.

Another difference is that it is open to community contribution. If the product record is missing, you can help improve the database by contributing.

It may be especially useful for people who like to examine food labels and want to make more informed choices when shopping.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages

• Free.
• Android and iOS support.
• Product information can be accessed quickly via the barcode.
• Provides different information such as nutritional values and processing level.
• Supports the open data approach developed by the community.
• Can be used without creating an account.

Disadvantages

• Not all information for each product may be complete.
• Some local products in Türkiye may not be available in the database.
• Product registration may be incorrect or outdated.
• Some features require an internet connection.
• Nutrition scores alone do not prove that a product is healthy or unhealthy for everyone.

Important notice: If allergies are a concern, do not rely on the information in the application alone. Be sure to check the current allergen and ingredient information on the product's packaging. The application itself also warns that the information may not always be 100% accurate. Google Play

WHO IS IT SUITABLE FOR?

Suitable for:

• Those who examine product contents while grocery shopping.
• Those who want to compare nutritional values.
• Those who are curious about the processing level of the products.
• Users who are vegan, vegetarian, or have certain content preferences.
• Those who want to contribute to open data projects.

Not so suitable:

• Those who expect the application to fully recognize every Turkish product.
• Those who wish to make medical nutrition or allergy decisions based solely on practice.
• Those who want to access all product information without an internet connection.

STARTER GUIDE

1. Install Open Food Facts from Google Play or App Store.
2. Open the app and find the barcode scanning section.
3. Show the barcode of a product to the camera.
4. Review the nutritional values, ingredient list and current classifications when the product registration is opened.
5. When comparing two products, look for the details you need, not just a single score.
6. If the product cannot be found, first check that the barcode is read correctly. Then, if possible, add the product information as a contribution to the community.

Hint: Make your first attempt with a known product at home. This way, you can more easily understand how it works by comparing the information in the application with the packaging.

PRIVACY AND RELIABILITY

Open Food Facts supports anonymous use and states in the store description that browsing history can be exported. However, it is necessary to make a distinction here.

The application can connect to an online database to find which product a barcode belongs to. Therefore, product searches and barcode queries should not be considered the same as storing the scanning history in the application.

Apple's App Store statement states that usage and diagnostic data not associated with the user may be collected. Google Play also reports that some personal information, application activity and application performance data may be processed. These are the statements made by the developers to the stores; As Apple notes, such statements are not an independently verified guarantee of security. App Store

For reliable use:

• Compare product information with packaging if possible.
• Don't leave allergen and health decisions to practice alone.
• Review privacy policy and store data disclosures.
• If there is missing information in the database, do not assume this is a feature of the product.