Occasionally, a user will find a local or unique item not found in our food database. No need to worry, we’ve got you covered! Users can utilize our Label Scanner feature to nutritional labels and add custom foods directly in the app.
You can access the label scanner from two places: the Create/Modify Food page or the Add Food Scanner function.
Here's how to use it from each place:
Using the label scanner from the Create/Modify Food page
If you want to create a new custom food or modify an existing one, you can use the label scanner to scan the nutrition facts and fill in the fields automatically. Here's how to do it:
To create a food, go to the Create Food page by tapping on the floating menu on the Diary page selecting Create Food.
To modify an item, tap the floating menu on the Diary page, then My Foods. From there you can tap the three dots in the upper right hand corner and select Modify Item.
Tap on the blue “Scan Nutritional Label >” text in the middle of the screen.
Hold your phone over the nutrition label and wait for the scanner to detect the text. You can move your phone closer or farther away to adjust the focus, or utilize the pinch (to zoom) and/or tap (to focus) functions when scanning the label.
The scanner will highlight the text it recognizes and fill in the fields accordingly.
Tap Update food to add the ingredients to your new or modified food item and return to the Create/Modify Food page.
Scroll down to edit any missing or incorrect information.
Add a barcode to the food by tapping on the Barcode field and scanning the barcode.
Tap on Create to create your new food item or Save to modify the custom food.
Using the label scanner from the Add Food Scanner function
If you want to quickly add a custom food to your diary without creating it first, you can use the label scanner from the Add Food Scanner function. Here's how to do it:
Go to the Add Food Scanner function by tapping on the + icon on next to a meal on your diary page and tapping the Scan Food icon in the search bar.
Tap on the Label button at the top of the screen.
Follow the same steps as above to scan the nutrition label, Create Food, and fill in the fields.
If you scan a barcode first and it's not found in our database, then scan the label, we will automatically add the barcode to your My Foods page, so that next time you scan the barcode the custom food will come up.
When you are done scanning, tap on the Add Food button to add the custom food to your diary.
Tips and tricks for using the label scanner
The label scanner is a powerful tool that can save you time when creating custom foods. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the best results from the label scanner:
Try to hold the phone as close as you can to the nutrition facts label (while still in focus) so that it doesn't pick up other text.
If it's picking up other text, try covering it with your hand when scanning.
For irregular shaped labels, you can scan them in sections and it will keep collecting data.
The longer you scan the label, the better the accuracy should be.
Use the Clear button to reset when switching labels, or to start over.
We hope you enjoy using this feature and find it useful for creating custom foods. Happy scanning!