Why scan instead of snapping?
For anything that comes in a pack, the label is more exact than any photo estimate. A photo can show you a handful of chips; it can't tell you which brand they are or how much salt is in them. Scanning the barcode logs the manufacturer's numbers for the serving you choose.
Barcode scans don't use NutriPixel's AI, so they don't count towards the free plan's photo scan limit. You can scan as many products as you like, free, on every plan.
How it works
- Scan. Point your camera at the barcode on the pack.
- Pick a serving. Choose the serving size and quantity. Ate half the pack? Change the quantity.
- See what it means. NutriPixel shows the rating, any high-sugar, high-fat or high-salt flags, and what share of your daily calories, and of what's left today, the serving uses.
- Log it. Add it to a meal like any other food.
The health rating, explained
Every product gets one of three plain verdicts, worked out from its nutrition panel per 100 g (or per 100 ml for drinks):
- Everyday: nothing on the panel is high.
- Sometimes: one thing is high, like sugar or salt.
- Treat: several things are high.
The thresholds for sugar, total fat, saturated fat and sodium are based on FSSAI's front-of-pack proposals and the UK Food Standards Agency's traffic-light scheme, with separate limits for drinks. Good points like high fiber, high protein or low sugar are shown too. If the label is missing a nutrient, NutriPixel skips it rather than guessing, and if there isn't enough information to judge, it doesn't give a verdict at all.
The rating is a quick guide to help you compare products in the shop, not medical advice.
Tips that fit your goal
If you're trying to lose weight and a product is high in something, or would use up a big share of what's left of your day, NutriPixel suggests logging half instead and shows the calories you'd save. If you're building muscle and a product is high in protein, it tells you so.
When a product isn't found
No barcode database has every product, especially local brands and new launches. If a barcode isn't found, photograph the pack's nutrition label and NutriPixel reads the values from it. Label photos use the AI, so on the free plan they count towards the daily photo scan limit.
How it compares
On some popular calorie apps, barcode scanning is part of the paid plan. NutriPixel makes it free and unlimited because scanning packaged food is one of the simplest ways to log accurately. See how the free plans compare.
Packaged-food data Powered by fatsecret.