Ivy: Processed Food Scanner
Ivy is a mobile app that lets consumers scan food barcodes to get a processed-food score out of 100, with detailed breakdowns of additives, sugars, and contaminants like pesticides and microplastics. The app covers over 3 million products across major supermarkets in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and offers AI-powered label photo capture for items not in its database. Every low score comes with safer alternatives from the same aisle, and the scoring algorithm is fully transparent and overseen by NHS doctors.
- Digital Health
- Software Only
- Artificial Intelligence
- Healthcare Technology
- Applications
- Wellness & Fitness Technology
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Consumers struggle to identify processed foods because packaging is designed to appear healthy, while labels are small and ingredient lists are difficult to interpret. This confusion leads to poor dietary choices, increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as contributing to weight gain and reduced longevity.
Solution
Ivy provides a mobile app that lets users scan any food barcode to instantly receive a clear processed-food score out of 100 and a detailed breakdown of what is inside. The app analyzes ingredients, additives, seed oils, sugar content, and potential contaminants like pesticides, microplastics, and heavy metals, presenting the information in an easy-to-understand format with every flag explained. For products not yet in its database, users can snap a photo of the ingredient label, and Ivy automatically extracts the data and calculates all scores. Every low score comes with cleaner alternatives from the same aisle, so cutting back on processed food never means going without. The scoring algorithm is fully transparent, and the company is overseen by NHS doctors for accuracy and trustworthiness.
Target Audience
Primary users are health-conscious consumers who want to reduce processed food intake and make better dietary choices, as well as individuals managing chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease who need clearer food labeling.
Features
- Barcode scanning that instantly reveals a processed-food score out of 100 with a clear visual breakdown
- Ingredient analysis covering additives, refined oils, and sugars, with every flag explained
- Contaminant checks for pesticide, microplastic, and heavy metal levels in scanned products
- Database of over 3 million food and drink products across major supermarkets in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
- Label photo capture feature that uses AI-powered image recognition to extract ingredient data and calculates scores for items not in the database
- Safer alternative suggestions from the same aisle for every low-scoring product
- 100% independent scoring—no brand or industrial group can influence analysis or pay to raise a score
- Available on iOS and Android