Food barcode scanner for iPhone and web

How to use it

1. Open food tracking or Add food and choose Scan food barcode.
2. Allow camera access, hold the barcode in view and check the product name and pack size returned.
3. Compare the calories and macros with the packet. Choose your serving, bottle fraction, grams or millilitres as appropriate.
4. Confirm the food and portion. If the product is missing or the numbers disagree, use its label or enter the food manually.

The barcode identifies a product; the label is the check

Packaged-food databases can contain an older recipe, a different pack size or a mistaken energy unit. A scan is a shortcut to finding a record, not proof that every number is correct. Compare the returned name, flavour, serving and nutrition with the food in your hand. If they differ, use the packet’s values rather than logging a result that looks wrong.

A bottle is a volume, not a weight

For a liquid labelled per 100 mL, choose a volume portion. For a solid labelled per 100 g, choose a mass portion. Pocket Nutrition Coach preserves those units rather than assuming one gram equals one millilitre. If a bottle provides explicit per-bottle nutrition, that serving can be more precise than multiplying its rounded per-100-mL label values.

What to do when the camera cannot read it

Keep the printed bars in focus, avoid glare and use a little distance so the camera can focus. You can enter the barcode digits instead. A damaged or missing barcode does not stop you adding the food: the alternative is a nutrition-panel photo, screenshot or manual entry. AI label reading is a separate Pro feature that uses photo credits.

Find it again when planning meals

Food creation is separate from logging a meal. Save the reviewed food, then choose a portion in your diary or use it as a recipe ingredient. This keeps the product’s reference serving distinct from what you ate. User-created foods are unverified, so a shared record should still be checked against the current packet.

Common questions