By Allison Mars, Dietetics Student, Sargent College and Lisa Ferreira, Registered Dietitian, Sargent Choice Nutrition Center

We return to our Best of the Food Apps series with a review of the new Fooducate for Allergies. (Check out our review of the original Fooducate here.)

Navigating the grocery store aisles is difficult enough, but throw food allergies on top of that and the weekly trip to the store becomes an even bigger challenge.  Have no fear!  Fooducate is here to help…again.  The original app from Fooducate allows you to scan a product’s barcode and see a “grade” based on the nutrient content and ingredients.  The new Fooducate for Allergies does the same, but it also warns you if gluten or one of the eight most common food allergens are present in the product.  You can create a custom profile and check off which of the covered food allergens you are trying to avoid.  When you scan a product that contains one of your selected allergens, a red warning pops up on the screen, warning you to stay away.  Have a question about a particular food item?  The app includes a one touch dial to contact the product manufacturer directly.

Another feature of this app allows you to browse a database of products for the featured allergens without having to scan the barcode.  Looking for breakfast?  Check out cereals both hot and cold, pancake mixes, pastries, and prepared breakfasts.  The database contains thousands of products!

A few caveats to keep in mind:

Fooducate for Allergies only covers gluten and the eight most common food allergens – milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy.  If you have an allergy to another food such as sesame or corn, this app won’t be helpful.  Also, the app warns that “manufacturer information can change at any time; Fooducate’s data may be outdated, incomplete or erroneous; and content from other users may be erroneous. To verify a product’s fit for your consumption, you should ALWAYS READ THE PRODUCT’S LABELS, check with the manufacturer directly, and consult a qualified and licensed medical professional.  In short, this app can be useful in helping you determine whether a product might contain an allergen you are avoiding, but it should not be used as a substitute for reading the ingredient label.

Have an opinion of the app? We’d love to hear! Leave a comment below!

Disclaimer: The Sargent Choice blog includes links to other websites and apps only as information to consumers, not as medical advice. When you access an external website or app, keep in mind that Sargent Choice has no control over its content.  Sargent Choice is not responsible for the content found at any of the sites or apps, nor do any links imply endorsement or promotion of the company/organization, its content, services, therapeutic treatment options, or products. Accordingly, you visit any site or app at your own risk.  Sargent Choice is also not responsible for the policies and practices of these sites or apps, such as their Privacy Policy, use of “cookies”, etc. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each site or app that you visit through a link on our website