Today I’m reviewing a
free iPhone app FoodSwitch, which has been in the media lately and is marketed
to help people choose healthier food choices. Using your iPhone, you put the
barcode of your food item in the screen and the app captures the
barcode and then provides you with nutritional information (fat content, sugar,
salt, energy), then suggests other similar products which may be a healthier
option for you. Sounds good, right?
Whats good about this app? The ease of use and barcode capture technology is pretty good – my computer geek alter ego was impressed. It has a large number of foods on record (about 28,000) and gives similar alternatives. I scanned my organic sprouted spelt bread and got alternatives which were either spelt, rye, sprouted grain or organic. No tip top breads in the suggestions! And of course its great that its a free app!
What didn’t I like? All information given was in per 100g. Personally, I don’t eat 100g of butter at one time, so why should I see how much salt is in 100g? I want to know how much I would spread on my bread. Granted, the 100g measurement does give a standard across all products to make measuring easier.
Not all information was accurate – I don’t know how often they update their data, but the sodium content listed on my tuna tin per100g was 0.48g, but was in the program as 1.2g. thats quite a difference and cost my tuna the healthiest choice! FoodSwitch lists the total fat, but does not break down the omega-3 values – the program suggests lower fat options, but doesn’t account for important fats required in our diets. The app looks at sugars, but it doesn’t account whether the product is low or high GI.
Suggestions are not based on health – there is no mention of additives, preservatives or artificial colours or flavours. I scanned my organic dark drinking chocolate and got suggested to try the nestle low-fat drinking chocolate instead, as it had lower fat. Umm, no thank you.
So in summary, is this app worth the download? I found it interesting for comparison of foods but I wouldn’t change my shopping habits because of it. Use common sense when choosing packaged foods: If you read the back and need a science degree to decipher the numerous words and number codes, put the food back down, its not actually a food! Fruit, vegetables and fresh produce don’t need barcodes, fill your trolley with actual food and your body will thank you for it in the long run. - Laura x
Whats good about this app? The ease of use and barcode capture technology is pretty good – my computer geek alter ego was impressed. It has a large number of foods on record (about 28,000) and gives similar alternatives. I scanned my organic sprouted spelt bread and got alternatives which were either spelt, rye, sprouted grain or organic. No tip top breads in the suggestions! And of course its great that its a free app!
What didn’t I like? All information given was in per 100g. Personally, I don’t eat 100g of butter at one time, so why should I see how much salt is in 100g? I want to know how much I would spread on my bread. Granted, the 100g measurement does give a standard across all products to make measuring easier.
Not all information was accurate – I don’t know how often they update their data, but the sodium content listed on my tuna tin per100g was 0.48g, but was in the program as 1.2g. thats quite a difference and cost my tuna the healthiest choice! FoodSwitch lists the total fat, but does not break down the omega-3 values – the program suggests lower fat options, but doesn’t account for important fats required in our diets. The app looks at sugars, but it doesn’t account whether the product is low or high GI.
Suggestions are not based on health – there is no mention of additives, preservatives or artificial colours or flavours. I scanned my organic dark drinking chocolate and got suggested to try the nestle low-fat drinking chocolate instead, as it had lower fat. Umm, no thank you.
So in summary, is this app worth the download? I found it interesting for comparison of foods but I wouldn’t change my shopping habits because of it. Use common sense when choosing packaged foods: If you read the back and need a science degree to decipher the numerous words and number codes, put the food back down, its not actually a food! Fruit, vegetables and fresh produce don’t need barcodes, fill your trolley with actual food and your body will thank you for it in the long run. - Laura x
Link to the app: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/foodswitch/id478225318?mt=8
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