For iPhone · Public beta · UK & Europe
The honest truthabout what’sin your food.
Scan a barcode. Get one score out of 100, every additive rated, and the sources behind it.
Coming soon to the App Store
01 — One tap
One tap. Not four.
Most food apps take four taps and about ten seconds to reach a camera. PureScan puts Scan where your thumb already is. Tap, point, read.
- 4taps
- A typical food app. Unlock, find the icon, open, find the scanner. About ten seconds.
- 1tap
- PureScan, from the Home Screen widget, the Lock Screen, Control Centre, or Siri.
- Home Screen widget
- Lock Screen widget
- Control Centre
- “Siri, scan with PureScan”
02 — Ask PureScan
Don’t take our word for it. Ask.
Ask PureScan answers any question about a product: why an additive is flagged, whether it is approved in the UK, what the evidence actually says. Ask a follow-up. Answers link the sources behind each rating, so you can open them and read them yourself.
- Why is E150d flagged?1 source
- Is it banned anywhere?1 source
Instant answers from artificial intelligence. Premium.
How your questions are handled
03 — How the score works
One score. Out of 100.
Three parts, weighted and published. No hidden factors, no brand deals.
- 35%
Additives & ingredients
Every additive and flagged ingredient, rated high, moderate, low or no known concern against published evidence.
- 45%
Nutrition
Sugars, saturates, fat and salt per 100 g or 100 ml, measured against the UK front-of-pack traffic-light thresholds.
- 20%
Processing
The NOVA classification, from 1 (unprocessed) to 4 (ultra-processed).
Caps. A product can’t average its way out of a serious problem. Three or more ingredients of moderate concern cap a score at 40; an ingredient of high concern caps it at 30. Caps scale a score down rather than cut it off, so products under the same cap keep their order: Fizzbrook Original Cola averages 38 across the three parts, and its cap of 40 places it at 25.
Read the full method
04 — Sources
Sources, not slogans.
Where we flag an additive, we link the evaluation or study behind it, with the year it was published. Read it, weigh it, decide for yourself.
- EFSA
- European Food Safety Authority re-evaluations of approved additives.
- WHO · IARC
- Carcinogen classifications from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and WHO guidelines.
- FSA
- UK Food Standards Agency guidance on how additives are approved and labelled, and the UK’s front-of-pack traffic-light thresholds.
- Journals
- Peer-reviewed research, cited by author, journal and year, never by headline.
05 — This vs That
This vs that. Point by point.
Put two products side by side and see exactly where the points went: sugars, ingredients of concern, processing. No verdict, just the differences.
25
Poor · Original Cola
93
Great · Sparkling Lemon & Lime
Alternatives
Higher-scoring alternatives from the same aisle, ranked.
A cola shows you a sparkling lemon & lime at 93. Free includes the top alternative; Premium lists every one, and adds This vs That.
06 — The additive index
634additives, rated.
Additives used in UK and EU food, each with its E-number, function and concern level, and the evaluations behind every one we flag. Most have no known concern. We say so.
- High
- 19
- Moderate
- 42
- Low
- 46
- No known concern
- 527
07 — Independent
Nobody pays for a score.
Scores are PureScan’s assessment, using a method we publish in full. The same product always gets the same score, for everyone.
No ads, no tracking.
No analytics, advertising or tracking in the app.
No sponsored scores.
No brand can pay to change a score or a rating.
No account.
Open the app and scan. There’s nothing to sign up for.
Scans stay on your phone.
Your history, allergens, diet and watch list are stored only on your device. To look a product up we send its barcode to Open Food Facts, and nothing about you.
08 — Pricing
Free to scan. Forever.
Free
£0
Everything you need to read a label properly.
- Unlimited scans
- Full scores, every additive rated
- Allergen and diet alerts
- The top higher-scoring alternative
- Your latest 30 scans
Premium
£27.99per year
Works out at £2.33 a month.
- Everything in Free
- Ask PureScan
- Every alternative, ranked
- This vs That
- Watch-list alerts
- Unlimited scan history
3-day free trial for new subscribers, then £27.99 a year or £3.99 a month. Cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. How to manage your subscription
09 — Questions
Asked often.
Anything else? Our support page has more answers and a way to get in touch.
Is PureScan free?
Yes. Scanning is unlimited and free, with full scores, every finding, allergen and diet alerts, your first higher-scoring alternative and your latest 30 scans. Premium (£3.99 a month or £27.99 a year) adds Ask PureScan, every alternative, watch-list alerts, This-vs-That compare and your full history.
How is the score worked out?
Every product gets one score from 0 to 100: 35% additives and ingredients, 45% nutrition using the UK's front-of-pack traffic-light thresholds, and 20% processing using the NOVA scale. Caps stop a product averaging its way out of a serious problem. The same product always gets the same score, for everyone.
Read the full method →How are additives rated?
Each additive has a concern tier: high, moderate, low or no known concern. Tiers are based on decisions from bodies such as EFSA, the WHO, IARC, the UK Food Standards Agency and the FDA, and on peer-reviewed research. Where we flag something we say why and link the source, so you can read it yourself.
Browse every additive →What is Ask PureScan?
A Premium feature for questions about the product you scanned or any ingredient: instant answers from artificial intelligence, written from PureScan's data. Answers link the sources behind each rating, so you can read them yourself. They're information, not advice, so for allergies always check the pack. PureScan doesn't store your questions.
How your questions are handled →Can brands pay to change a score?
No. There is no advertising in PureScan and no brand can pay to change a score or a rating. Scores are PureScan's assessment using our published method.
Where does the product data come from?
From Open Food Facts, a non-profit open database built by volunteers. Recipes change and data can be incomplete, so if you have an allergy, always check the pack.
Do I need an account? What do you store?
No account is needed. Your scan history and preferences stay on your phone and we never receive them. To look up a product, the app sends only its barcode to Open Food Facts, with nothing about you. If you use Ask PureScan, your question and the product's details are sent to answer it. PureScan doesn't store your questions. The app has no analytics, advertising or tracking.
Read the privacy policy →Why does something I like score low?
Often because a cap applies: for example, three or more ingredients of moderate concern cap a score at about 40. The result screen tells you exactly which cap applied. A score describes the product, not you, and what you do with it is up to you.
Is this medical advice?
No. PureScan explains what's in food using public data and published research. If you have an allergy, intolerance or medical condition, read the label and follow your doctor's or dietitian's advice.