FoodSpect App

The team found inspiration in helping older people read food ingredients on packaging, which can be difficult due to small print, and in assisting those with dietary restrictions or allergies. Their app, FoodSpect, is the first fully free version of its kind and aims to be a useful tool in society. Users input their allergens and then scan a product's barcode using the app. It checks the UPC against the Open Food Facts API to find the food item and flags any allergens in the ingredients. The app indicates if the food is safe to eat, and if not, it lists the problematic ingredients. It also displays all ingredients for those who want to see them and stores past scans locally. The team built the app using Flutter and Dart in VS Code, utilizing packages like barcode scanner and drop-down search bar, along with the Openfoodfacts API for UPC codes, ingredients, images, and brand/product names. Challenges included integrating the API and barcode scanner, designing the user interface, and linking multiple pages. They are proud of implementing the API and local storage, creating a functional app, and designing an interactive UI. They learned how to make apps compatible with both iOS and Android, use personal experiences to drive product development, create a Minimum Viable Product, and leverage available tools like documentation and APIs. Future plans for FoodSpect include refining error handling, adding a profile system for a personalized experience, and implementing user authentication.

Built With

• dart
• flutter
• openfoodfacts