Evaluating a food's nutritional value through an app? Bear in mind the findings may not be entirely accurate.
Increasing Popularity of Food Scanner Apps — Helping Consumers Make Healthier Choices?
As more consumers seek to make informed decisions about their food choices, the usage of food scanner apps has surged in recent years. By simply scanning a food package with a smartphone camera, these apps provide a ranking of a product's nutritional content, flagging potential ingredients and additives of concern. However, the question remains whether they truly assist consumers in making healthier choices.
Experts in nutrition and public health policy echo a cautiously optimistic view, asserting that while food scanner apps can be beneficial, a certain level of skepticism and awareness of certain caveats should be applied when using these tools.
Jerold Mande, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard University and a former federal food policy official, often turns to food scanner apps when shopping for groceries. He utilizes both Open Food Facts and Yuka, a popular app that ranks food products based on nutritional content and the presence of additives. While these apps can nudge consumers towards healthier choices, Mande notes that sometimes the results can seem puzzling.
During a recent trip to the grocery store, for instance, Mande used an app to compare two versions of store-brand tortilla chips. The plain version received a high score, while the tequila lime-flavored variety scored poorly, resulting in an almost 80-point difference in their score. Mande pointed out that he was unsure whether the difference in score was justified by the ingredients, but acknowledged that such a comparison can help consumers question the contents of products they consume.
However, it's crucial to note that different apps may provide varying scores for the same product. For example, Lindsay Moyer, a registered dietitian from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, found that an organic almond butter was given a score of 78 out of 100 by the Yuka app, considered "excellent," despite containing cane sugar, which prompted the app Bobby Approved to flag it as not approved.
Moyer advises consumers to focus on the overall nutrient content of food, such as fiber, protein, sugar, and fat, instead of solely focusing on individual ingredients. She also recommends checking app transparency regarding the data sources they rely on and the methods used to reach their assessments.
It's a common misconception to eliminate foods with "unapproved" ingredients, leading some users to throw away their entire kitchen pantry after scanning their packaged goods. Moyer urges consumers not to panic, emphasizing that the app's assessments may sometimes be overblown and may not present a safety concern or reason not to consume the food.
Food labels have long been contested for their complexity and confusion, but the rise of food scanner apps raises a new question: should the government play a role in establishing standards for the data used in these apps, working towards a common database of food ingredients?
Jerold Mande believes that such standards could enhance the usefulness of food scanner apps and help consumers make more informed decisions. Conversely, Yuka's co-founder and CEO, Julie Chapon, expresses concerns that a common database could be subject to undue industry influence.
In summary, food scanner apps can be valuable tools for consumers seeking to make healthier choices by providing immediate, detailed nutritional information, thereby encouraging better eating habits and increasing consumer awareness. However, their effectiveness also depends on users' understanding of the technology's limitations, accuracy, and context behind the nutritional information. Consulting healthcare professionals for individualized advice remains advisable.
- Jerold Mande, a former federal food policy official and adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard University, uses food scanner apps such as Open Food Facts and Yuka during food shopping.
- Experts like Lindsay Moyer, a registered dietitian from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, recommend focusing on overall nutrient content of food instead of solely relying on individual ingredients scores provided by food scanner apps.
- Food scanner apps can nudge consumers towards healthier choices, as demonstrated by Mande's comparison of two tortilla chip varieties, but it's important to note that different apps may provide varying scores for the same product.
- The question of whether the government should establish standards for the data used in food scanner apps, working towards a common database of food ingredients, has been raised in discussions surrounding the increasing popularity of these apps.
