Foodswitch - an app to help you make healthier choices
FoodSwitch is a free smartphone app that enables people in the UK to make healthier and smarter food and drink choices. It’s now been updated with a SaltSwitch filter, new design and nutrition information given per portion – helping to put you in control to put whilst you’re out shopping.
FoodSwitch UK allows you to scan the barcodes of over 100,000 packaged foods and drinks sold in major UK supermarkets using your smartphone camera to receive the product's nutrition information instantly, along with suggestions for similar but healthier products.
When the barcode of a food or drink product is scanned by a smartphone, FoodSwitch UK instantly searches its database and identifies healthier products by comparing the overall nutritional value of the product with other similar products. The nutritional rating of a product takes into account a range of different nutrients that are important for general health – including fats, sugars, salt, protein and fibre.
The app was developed by leading UK nutrition research experts and led by The George Institute for Global Health in partnership with CASH. It carries no advertising and is supported by 16 health and charitable organisations including Public Health England, Stroke Association and Heart UK.
Over half of the UK population agree that having an app that tells you how much salt is in your food would be useful (58%), according to the Opinion Matters poll.
Bruce Neal, Senior Director at The George Institute for Global Health and inventor of FoodSwitch says:
“FoodSwitch is all about putting power back into the hands of the community. At the same time as recommending healthier alternatives to shoppers, the photographs of missing products sent in by users give us a complete picture of what’s in the food supply. This is information that used to be the preserve of industry - we can now use it to hold big businesses directly accountable for what they are putting on the shelves.”
How can I get FoodSwitch UK?
Get the app from iTunes or Google Play
FoodSwitch UK is available as a free, UK-only download from iTunes and Google Play. FoodSwitch UK is compatible with Apple mobile devices that have a camera with auto-focus running iOS 7.1 or later, and Android phones running versions 4.0 & above. Apple, iPhone and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.