U.K. Smartphone App Helps People Identify Allergenic Food Ingredients

A small British software company has developed an app for the iPhone that makes it easy to determine whether a food or ingredient contains allergenic ingredients. The app – known as IsItInIt – uses barcode-reading technology and the smartphone’s camera to determine the ingredients on more than 85,000 food products. Nutritionists see the advance as a major breakthrough for Britons who suffer from food allergies. To make the technology work, users enter details of their allergic condition, including specific offending foods and ingredients, at a Web site. The site’s database then synchs up with the app on the phone. A red warning signal is transmitted to the user as soon as the bar code is scanned into the phone. About 45 percent of Britons – 25 million people – suffer from food intolerances.