Damson

Barcode

Scan a barcode, keep the record.

Point your camera at the barcode on a packet and Damson finds the product, so a yoghurt or a cereal bar goes into your record in a few seconds, free and without a limit.

Damson's review screen after a barcode lookup: Fage Yoghurt greco, one serving, marked as a packaged-food source, with the package serving of 150 g and the ingredient list from the package. Nothing is saved until you confirm.

Real screens from the app, some with demo data.

Damson is on the App Store.

Free to download, and the record is free to keep. No ads, and nothing to cancel later that you did not choose.

Download on the App Store

Where does a scanned product come from?

From Open Food Facts, a public database of packaged food. Scan the barcode on the packet and Damson looks the product up there, then shows it to you as a food you can confirm and save. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.

Packets are a large part of most weeks: the yoghurt in the fridge, the oatcakes in your bag, the soup you keep for a tired evening. If you have PCOS, now also called PMOS, and you are keeping a record of how meals sit with you, those quiet foods belong in it as much as the plates you photograph. A barcode is the quickest way to get them there.

Damson's Add a meal screen, with Scan a barcode listed beside take a photo, choose a photo, find a food, describe your meal and read a link.

Can I search for a food instead of scanning?

Yes. Find a food is on the same screen as Scan a barcode. Type a name and the food database lists matches; pick one and set the amount before you save. Foods you have logged recently are kept, so the breakfast you have most days is one tap away. And when nothing in the database fits, you can write the food in yourself.

However the meal reaches you, it lands in the same record, and you confirm every food before it is saved.

Damson's food search, opened from Add a meal. The search field holds Greek yogurt, and the food database lists matches such as Greek yogurt with oats and whole milk plain Greek yogurt, each marked as a generic food. A note says pick one and you can change the amount before saving, and nothing is saved from here.

Is the barcode scanner free?

Yes, and it stays that way. Barcode, search and writing a food yourself are free and unlimited, for everyone, with or without a subscription. The daily allowance in Damson applies to reads: one photo or link read a day is free, and the full Damson removes that limit.

One more thing worth knowing. If you take a photo of a meal and the photo shows a retail barcode, Damson looks the product up instead of guessing at the plate. Point the camera at the packet and it does the sensible thing.

Questions about the barcode scanner

Is there a barcode scanner app for PCOS?

Damson, an iPhone app built for PCOS, now also called PMOS, has one. Scan a packet's barcode and the product comes from Open Food Facts, ready for you to confirm and save. It is free and unlimited for everyone.

Is the barcode scanner free?

Yes, for everyone and without a daily limit. Searching for a food by name and writing a food yourself are free and unlimited too. The daily allowance only applies to photo and link reads.

Does it tell me whether a product is good or bad for PCOS?

No. Damson never says a food is good or bad for PCOS, never grades a meal and keeps no list of forbidden foods. It keeps your record, and you confirm every food before it is saved.

Where does the product information come from?

From Open Food Facts, a public database of packaged food. Damson's nutrients come from public food tables like it, USDA FoodData Central and UK CoFID among them, and are never invented.

Can Damson find a barcode in a photo of my meal?

Yes. If a photo you take shows a retail barcode, Damson looks the product up instead of guessing at the plate.

Further reading

Everything Damson does Get Damson