# HealthScan UK

> HealthScan UK reads a food label and explains it. Scan a barcode, or
> photograph the ingredients and nutrition panel, and get an evidence-aware
> view of nutrition, allergens, additives and processing. Built and run by
> Jean-Luc Benazet at Visual Network, Cambridge, UK.
> Independent label guidance. Not medical advice.

## What it does

- Barcode scan: looks the product up in Open Food Facts and assesses the
  declared label data.
- Label photograph: for products not in the database, reads the ingredients
  and nutrition panel from a photo and assesses the same way.
- Recent scans are kept on the visitor's own device, not on a server.
- Free to use. Barcode scanning needs no account and no key. For label
  photographs a visitor can add their own Google AI Studio key, which is
  held in their browser and sent only to Google, never to HealthScan.

## How the assessment works

Nutrition uses the UK front-of-pack thresholds per 100g:

- Fat: high above 17.5g, low at or below 3g
- Saturates: high above 5g, low at or below 1.5g
- Sugars: high above 22.5g, low at or below 5g
- Salt: high above 1.5g, low at or below 0.3g

Allergens are matched against the fourteen UK declarable allergens from the
ingredient text. Automated text matching cannot determine whether a product
is safe for an individual: the physical packaging and the manufacturer's own
declaration always take precedence.

E-numbers are identified as authorised additives, not as hazards. Whether an
additive matters depends on the additive, the amount, the food and individual
sensitivity.

Where label data is missing or unreadable, confidence is lowered and the gap
is stated. The app does not infer numbers it cannot read, and it does not
produce an overall score unless at least three nutrients are known.

## What it is not

Not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for the packaging.
It does not tell anyone a food is forbidden. Data may be incomplete.

## Contact

Visual Network, Cambridge, UK. https://visualnetwork.co.uk/