Scan a product
The Scan button at the bottom left will lauch the camera to start scanning.
You could scan any food product barcode: Cajoul will then search for product characteristics in its database. When found, a product detailed information page will be displayed, showing:
- product picture, name and brand;
- Cajoul rating, between 0 and 10;
- detailed nutritional information when known, with the split between fats, glucids and proteins, and quantity of sugars, saturated fats, proteins, salt and fibers for 100g of products;
- summary of product additives;
- Nutriscore rating. This reference European score is computed taking into account product type, proteins, saturated fats, sugars, fibers and percentage of fruits and vegetables.
At the top of the product nutritional information, tabs allows to view product ingredients, detailed information on product additives and their health risks, and to compare this product with other similar products. Some of those tabs may not been shown, for example the Additive tab will not be displayed if there is no additive in the product.
When scanning a barcode, the product information page will be first displayed on the bottom half of the screen, allowing you to view summary product data at a glance. You could then slide the page up to review all product characteristics if you wish or continue to scan another product right away.
On iOS, a Shopping cart button allows to add the product to your shopping cart, you could then set its price and expiration date if you wish.
Instead of scanning at the shop, you could also search any product from home using the Search view, then click on a product to view the product detailed information.
Nutritional information explained
Cajoul will provide detailed nutritional information for most products in our database. If nutritional data are not known for a product, you could click on Add Nutritional Data to add them yourselves and get an instant product rating.
When a scanned product is recognized, the product nutritional data are shown, including:
- a graph showing the percentage split between fats (lipids), glucids(including sugars and other glucids), and proteins;
- Pros / positive points, including good quantity of proteins and fibers, high percentage of fruits and vegetables, low saturated fats, sugars or salt;
- Cons / negative points, including too much energy, saturated fat, sugars, or salt;
- Dangerous additives are also indicated as negative points.
Cajoul will display its own rating (from 0 to 10) and the Nutriscore rating. This reference European score is computed taking into account product type, positive points (such proteins, fibers and percentage of fruits and vegetables) and negative points (such saturated fat, sugars, salt). Cajoul rating is based on the Nutriscore, but adjusted to take into account harmful additives, bio and other product characteristics.
View product additives
The Additive tab at the top of the product information will display the detailed list of additives with their health risks. This tab may not appear if the product don't have additives or if ingredient list is not known.
For each additive, Cajoul will display:
- additive code (e.g. E502), using European 'E' codification;
- additive name;
- detailed health risks for this additive;
- a color dot will show at a glance the associated risk level, ranging from green (no significant risk), yellow (caution), orange (may be harmful) to red (dangerous additive).
Cajoul additive database includes all additives used worldwide. Depending on each country, the authorized additives may vary. We parse product ingredient lists to detect additives that may be specified using different names depending on countries and product manufacturers. If you think an additive has been missed, please report it.
View ingredients list
The Ingredients tab will display the product ingredient list, as advertised by the product manufacturer. Cajoul will display if possible both the picture of the ingredient list on the product box and its decoded text.
In some cases, the ingredient list may not be known. You could help the community by sharing this list, to this end click on Add Ingredient List button and take a picture of the ingredient list on the product box.
Compare products
The Compare tab will display similar products that may have a better rating, allowing you to browse alternatives and make an informed choice.