App-etite: Fooducate

We all know to check the nutritional information before we toss a product in our grocery cart, but how many of us can make sense of what’s written there? What is riboflavin, anyway? How can we know what we’re really getting in that box, can or bottle? Can we trust an “all natural” slogan? Fooducate will translate a product’s nutrition label for you—and tell you when additives are being snuck into what might look at first glance like a healthy choice. With your iPhone camera, you can scan the barcode, and the app will pop up with any warnings—like controversial additives, trans fats, added sugars, and deceptive labeling. It will also suggest several healthier alternatives that are probably no more than an arm’s reach away. Fooducate has an impressive list of products—over 160,000 and growing steadily—and its simple interface makes it a breeze to use. Best of all, it’s free, and an Android version is in the works. For now, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can find it in the iPod store.