Ingenious app lets you scan food to see UPF content
A new app lets its users scan food to check how much it might be considered 'ultra-processed'.
Every day there's a new app out that if you blink you've missed it.
We're all creatures of habit and probably only open the same three apps a million times a day anyway (WhatsApp, Instagram and the bank app for me), but every now and then one breaks through the noise and actually sounds useful.
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The app in question lets users take a picture of a package of food, which it then gives a rating out of 100 over how healthy or unhealthy the item is.
This is based on the ingredients list, which includes things such as levels of salt, sugar, and fat in a given food, and aims to give users a clearer picture of what they're buying.
The app is called Ivy and a caption on the app's website says: "Ivy is a useful tool designed to take the guess work out of what's healthy or not. In a world where labels are small and packaging is designed to fool shoppers into thinking food is healthy, it's important to scan everything before you buy it, and never assume that something is going to be healthy."
It's not just the levels of sugar or salt that it rates either, as Ivy also looks at how much a food might be considered 'ultra-processed', meaning that it has additives in there for reasons such as flavour, shelf life, or colouring.
The app also has an option to 'tap on any additive to read about it in greater detail'.
It says: "Here you can see the effects it may have on your body, a description of what it's used for, and even studies to back up the information."
It comes as California becomes the first US state to pass legislation regulating UPFs in school meals.
Announcing the bill, Governor Newsom said: “California has never waited for Washington or anyone else to lead on kids’ health — we’ve been out front for years, removing harmful additives and improving school nutrition.
"This first-in-the-nation law builds on that work to make sure every California student has access to healthy, delicious meals that help them thrive.”
Over 100 bills have been introduced in legislatures across the US seeking to either regulate or require labelling of additives, which are used in many ultra-processed foods.
But there is still some debate around the topic, as many foods which are highly processed such as tofu, bread, and even baby formula are healthy if eaten as part of a balanced diet.
This has raised the question if legislation around public health might be more effective if directed at regulating the quantities of salt, sugar, and fat in ultra-processed foods, as these can lead to poor health outcomes if consumed excessively, rather than ultra-processed foods more broadly.
Kit Roberts