A free NHS Food Scanner app to help parents make healthier food choices for their children has been launched as part of a new Better Health campaign.
The new app works by allowing families to scan product barcodes on food items to generate a healthier suggestion as an alternative. It’s hoped it will encourage more families to swap unhealthy options in their diets and give them the knowledge they need to do so.
In addition, the app’s ‘Good Choice’ badge will highlight those foods that are in line with the government’s current dietary recommendations for added sugar, saturated fat and salt.
Once a snack item is scanned, the app will display its nutritional information using the familiar traffic light system, food swap recommendations, and also uses augmented reality to bring to life the sugar, fat or salt content of the scanned food.
Public health minister, Maggie Throup, said: “We know that families have felt a lot of pressure throughout the pandemic which has drastically changed habits and routines.
“Finding ways to improve their health is one of the best resolutions any of us could make. By downloading the free NHS Food Scanner App, families can swap out foods from the weekly shop for healthier alternatives and avoid items high in salt, sugar and saturated fat.”
The government campaign has been launched to help stem the growing tide of obesity amongst young people. The NHS Digital National Child Measurement programme England 2020/2021 found that one in four children of reception school age are overweight or obese, rising to 40% for children in Year 6.
Successive lockdowns have been blamed for children’s poor diets, with a recent survey from Netmums finding that 58% of parents feed their children more sugary or fatty snacks now, compared to pre-pandemic. The same survey also revealed that two thirds of parents are concerned about how healthy their children’s snacks are, and nearly 90% say they would benefit from an app like the one just launched.
The government’s obesity strategy has seen the Department of Health and Social Care dedicate £100m of funding to support children, adults and families in their bid to reach a healthy weight.
How does the NHS Food Scanner app work?
Just scan the barcodes of your family’s favourite foods, swipe to see the healthier options available, and make a swap next time you shop.
A quick scan of the barcode on the product’s packaging using your phone’s camera will show you:
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If it’s a ‘Good choice’
Keep an eye out for the “Good choice” badge in the app, and when you’re shopping in store or online. -
Traffic light ratings
See at a glance whether the product is high, medium or low in sugar, salt and fat. -
Living labels!
A fun augmented reality feature helps you celebrate your good choices – or bring the sugar, salt and fat in a product to life to help kids understand more about what they’re eating. -
All your previous scans
See the full list of every product you’ve ever scanned!
Download the app for free here: https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/food-facts/nhs-food-scanner-app
