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Reviews

Tech Review: Fooducate App

Curious about GMOs or other terms on a box at the grocery store? Fooducate is a free app that allows the user to quickly reference and compare foods.

Amber Lee

Written by Amber Lee Last updated on November 7, 2013

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

Curious about GMOs or other terms on a box at the grocery store? The goal of the app Fooducate is to allow the user to quickly reference and compare foods. You can search with a barcode scan or search field and find out information about food you buy at the store. The app will also give you suggestions of alternatives that may have a healthier composition, lower sugar, or fewer GMO ingredients.

This app does have a definite idea of what is healthy. For example, it suggests items with “more whole grains” and “less sugar” when suggesting an alternate to Special K at the grocery store. But it also has a great handle on pointing out that terms like “natural” aren’t yet regulated or making sure you know that something has GMO products in it. There is an upgraded version of the software that has gluten and other food allergy filters and alternatives, as well as a way to adjust macronutrients. But without the pay-to-play upgrade, you get the basic Standard American Diet.

I may have had a little too much fun testing this app out at the store. The ability to scan items quickly tends to lead to a bit more exploration than usual, but can also lead to some great finds. Or it might just be a good way to keep your kids amused and educate them at the store.

Fooducate invites you to actively review the foods you find with a simple like or dislike and explain why. This is a somewhat useful feature found on the product page. There’s also a live feed of activity when you log into the app that is educational and more than a little entertaining. It’s easy to guess from both the items and reviews which products are reviewed by a healthy mom, and which are being purchased and reviewed by someone on the way home from the pub after a few too many.

LEFT: Barcode scan screenshot; RIGHT: Add a new product screenshot 

In the true sprit of crowdsourcing, there’s another upside of the social function. If the item you’ve just scanned is not in the Fooducate directory, you can take three pictures of it (product front, nutrition label, and list of ingredients) and submit the product to the database. This can feel a bit like finding a new animal out in the wild, and you also get the satisfaction of contributing to the community.

With its own points system for dieters, a large database of foods, and a food logging option on the iPhone version (coming soon to Android) the Fooducate app is a good option for those looking to be more informed of where their food comes from. While I don’t agree entirely with their scoring criteria when it concerns macronutrients or ingredients (whole grains, for instance), I’m not judging based on that, as food is a personal choice. I also liked the ease of the bar scanner and the speed that the app booted up. If you’re looking to self-educate a bit, try Fooducate out and see if it helps you “eat a bit better.”

The Fooducate app is available for free at Fooducate.com.

Amber Lee

About Amber Lee

As someone originally more comfortable in a server room than a weight room, Amber Lee began as a technical support geek and training and development specialist. She started really enjoying the gym when she found CrossFit in 2007 and joined CrossFit Boston. Never one to do anything halfway, she received her certifications in CrossFit Level I, CrossFit Olympic Lifting, and Crossfit Endurance shortly thereafter.

While still working in technology, Amber continued moving forward with her coaching education, teaching outdoor classes and eventually moving away from CrossFit to pursue more knowledge about kettlebells and primal movement. She received her HKC in 2010. After taking time off to work in fine dining, do some consulting, and work with a trainer, she received her RKC in 2012. In December of 2012 she opened her gym, GiryaScope Kettlebell Training, just outside Boston, Massachusetts.

While Amber is still called upon to consult in the world of software, hardware, and medical devices, for the most part she focuses her time on developing her knowledge of movement. Amber was certified as a Primal Move instructor in March of 2013, and attended the CK-FMS in May of the same year. She considers any training that helps her clients move, feel, and function better to be worth attending. When not studying, she loves to research new software and gadgets designed to make fitness more fun, and help coaches manage their time and businesses more efficiently.

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