Food Nutrition Scanner

Type a food name, scan the barcode on the packet, or plug in values manually. You get calories, macros, a Nutri-Score grade from A to E, and a NOVA processing level — then a plain-English WorthIt verdict telling you whether it's something worth eating regularly or something to keep as an occasional thing. No account needed. Understanding what's in your food is the first step to eating well. But raw numbers — 312 calories, 18g fat — don't tell you much on their own. That's why this tool adds two important layers of context: the Nutri-Score grade (A to E, based on nutritional quality) and the NOVA processing classification (1 to 4, based on how heavily processed the food is). Together, they give you a clearer picture than calories alone. The Nutri-Score system was developed by researchers in France and adopted across the EU as an evidence-based way to compare foods within a category. NOVA was developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo and is increasingly recognised by the WHO and PAHO as a meaningful dietary framework. Ultra-processed foods (NOVA 4) are independently associated with higher risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes — regardless of calorie content. This scanner is most useful for checking packaged foods. For fresh produce, home cooking, or restaurant meals, use the Manual Entry tab to add your own values and still get the macro breakdown and serving-size calculator.

Using This Food Nutrition Scanner

The Food Nutrition Scanner is designed to give you an accurate answer in seconds. Follow these steps:

1. 1Choose Search, Barcode, or Manual using the toggle at the top. Search works for almost any food by name. Barcode is quickest for packaged products. Manual is for home cooking or anything not in the database.
2. 2In Search, start typing and results appear automatically. Click one to load its full nutrition data. Pulls from USDA FoodData Central — 140,000+ foods including branded products.
3. 3In Barcode, tap "Scan Barcode" on a supported phone browser and point at the packet. Or type the 8–13 digit number printed below the barcode manually.
4. 4In Manual, type the food name and enter values per 100g. You still get the full macro breakdown and serving size calculator.
5. 5Adjust the serving size to match what you're actually eating. Change the number and unit (g, ml, piece, cup) and all values update instantly.
6. 6Use the UK/EU or US toggle to apply the right daily value references. The percentage figures next to each macro adjust accordingly.
7. 7The WorthIt verdict combines Nutri-Score (A–E, nutrient quality) and NOVA (1–4, processing level). Green = good regular choice. Amber = fine occasionally. Red = worth being mindful about.

No account or sign-up required. All calculations run locally in your browser — nothing is stored or transmitted to any server.

What Your Result Means

WorthIt Verdict = f(Nutri-Score A–E, NOVA 1–4) | Macros scaled by serving size ÷ 100

The tool pulls data from two sources depending on how you look up the food. Text searches use USDA FoodData Central — a US government database that covers foundation foods, SR Legacy data, and branded grocery products. Barcode scans use Open Food Facts, the same open-source database behind apps like Yuka, which has Nutri-Score and NOVA data for millions of packaged products globally. Nutri-Score is calculated from the food's nutrient profile per 100g — it weighs positive things (protein, fibre, fruit and veg content) against negative ones (calories, saturated fat, total sugar, sodium). The result is a letter grade: A is the best, E is the worst. It's not perfect, but it's one of the more consistent shortcuts for comparing two similar products on a shelf. NOVA is different — it doesn't look at nutrients at all. It classifies food by how it was made. NOVA 1 is unprocessed (fruit, vegetables, eggs, plain meat). NOVA 2 is cooking ingredients (oil, butter, salt). NOVA 3 is processed foods (tinned fish, cheese, cured meats — things made with recognisable ingredients). NOVA 4 is ultra-processed — factory-made formulations using substances extracted from food rather than whole ingredients. Think flavoured crisps, breakfast cereals, protein bars, instant noodles. The serving size calculator works by scaling all per-100g values proportionally. If a food has 380 kcal per 100g and you eat a 45g portion, it shows 171 kcal. Change the unit to "piece" or "cup" and it converts based on standard gram equivalents. The macro bars show how that serving contributes to your recommended daily intake — useful for spotting foods that look fine until you consider the actual portion size most people eat.

Questions People Ask

What the WorthIt verdict actually means

A lot of food trackers stop at calories. This one goes further because calories alone don't tell you much. The WorthIt verdict combines two scoring systems: Nutri-Score and NOVA. Nutri-Score (A to E) looks at the nutrient balance — protein, fibre, sugar, saturated fat, salt. A food can score B or C and still be fine. E is worth paying attention to. NOVA is different — it doesn't care about nutrients at all. It looks at how processed the food is: NOVA 1 means it came out of the ground basically unchanged, NOVA 4 means a factory made it from substances rather than ingredients. The reason both matter is that they catch different problems. A food could have decent macros (Nutri-Score B) but still be heavily processed (NOVA 4). Think low-fat flavoured yoghurt — nutritionally it looks fine on paper, but the ingredient list tells another story. WorthIt ✅ means the food scores reasonably on both systems — Nutri-Score A or B, NOVA 1–3. Worth It Sometimes ⚠️ means it's fine occasionally but has at least one flag — maybe a C Nutri-Score or NOVA 3. Not Worth It Regularly 🔴 means D/E Nutri-Score or NOVA 4, or both. The verdict isn't a ban list. It's context. Eat whatever you want — but it helps to know what you're eating. To understand how the macros stack up against your targets, try the Macro Calculator.

See also: Macro Calculator, TDEE Calculator

Which foods are worth scanning first?

Supermarket staples are the most useful ones to check. Processed meats (sausages, deli ham), flavoured cereals, ready meals, protein bars, and anything with a long ingredients list tend to surprise people — not always in the direction you'd expect. Fresh produce, plain meat, eggs, and basic dairy rarely need scanning — they're almost always NOVA 1 and Nutri-Score A or B. The interesting cases are in the middle: tinned beans, natural peanut butter, sourdough bread, Greek yoghurt. Most of those are fine. Some aren't. Barcode scanning works well for packaged supermarket products. UK own-brands from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl, and Waitrose are in the database. For anything fresh or homemade, use the manual entry option and put in your own values.

See also: TDEE Calculator, Macro Calculator, BMI Calculator