Food scanner app
Food Scanner App: Check Ingredients for Allergies and Intolerances
ClearaScan is a food scanner app for iPhone that reads the ingredient label on the pack you're holding and checks it against what you, or the people you shop for, need to avoid.
Try everything free for 7 days, with up to 40 scans. No card needed.
How it works
- Set up an Ingredient Guard for yourself and anyone you shop for: the ingredients each person needs or prefers to avoid.
- Photograph the ingredient list on the product in your hand. A long list or curved bottle? Add another photo and ClearaScan combines them.
- See the result for each person. Matches are highlighted, "may contain" warnings are shown separately, and if the whole label couldn't be read, ClearaScan asks for another photo instead of giving a result.
Made for the weekly shop
Check a new snack, a reformulated favourite or an own-label pack in the aisle. ClearaScan flags matches, shows "may contain" warnings separately, and catches common alternative names, such as whey and casein for milk.
Save products that work in Trusted Products, ready for next time, with a reminder to check the label again because recipes change.
What to look for on a food label
Read the whole ingredients list and any "may contain" line. ClearaScan does the same and shows "may contain" lines separately from the ingredients.
How labels show allergens. In the UK, the 14 major allergens must be emphasised in the ingredients list, for example in bold. In the US, the nine major allergens must be named on the label, in the ingredients or in a "Contains" statement. "May contain" warnings are voluntary in both countries.
Not just food
The same app checks skincare, cosmetics and personal care, against the same list. See the skincare ingredient checker. Wondering how this differs from a barcode app? Barcode scanner vs ingredient label scanner.
Questions
Can I check for more than one person?
Yes. Each person has their own Ingredient Guard. Photograph the label once, then check it for anyone else without another photo or scan.
Does it check "may contain" warnings?
Yes. ClearaScan reads "may contain" and "made in a facility" lines and shows them separately from the ingredients, so you can decide.
Is it free?
Try everything free for 7 days, with up to 40 scans. No card needed. ClearaScan Pro is $3.99 or £3.99 a month, or $29 or £29 a year (or the local price your store shows), with 150 scans a month.
Sources
- Food Standards Agency: Food allergy and intolerance advice for consumers
- US Food and Drug Administration: Food Allergies
Links go to independent organisations and to each app's own pages, for the facts on this page. They have not reviewed or endorsed ClearaScan.
Check what's actually on the label.
Try everything free for 7 days, with up to 40 scans. No card needed.
ClearaScan is a reference tool, not a medical service. It doesn't diagnose or give medical advice, and it can't promise a product is suitable for you. Always check the label yourself.