DEV Community

Dimpal Patel
Dimpal Patel

Posted on

Show Dev: I built a zero-login grocery scanner to expose ultra-processed foods & palm oil

Hey everyone! 👋
I got frustrated with modern supermarket shopping. Over 70% of food on grocery shelves is now Ultra-Processed (UPF), packed with hidden industrial seed oils, synthetic emulsifiers, and artificial food colorings.
Worse yet, most existing grocery scan apps force you to download a 100MB mobile app, create an account with email, and navigate aggressive subscription paywalls — all while you're standing in the aisle with 5 seconds to choose.

So I spent the last few weeks building UnwrapTruth — a 100% free web app that turns your mobile browser into an instant supermarket scanner with zero login friction.

🚀 What it does:

  • 📷 Instant Barcode & Camera OCR Scanner: Scan barcodes or snap a photo of any ingredient label to decode what's really inside.
  • 🚨 NOVA 4 Ultra-Processed Classification: Automatically flags ultra-processed markers, chemical emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners.
  • 🌿 30+ Hidden Palm Oil Aliases: Detects disguised derivatives like Palmitate, Elaeis Guineensis, and Glyceryl.
  • ⚖️ Nutri-Score 2024 Algorithm: Real-time nutrient traffic lights across sugars, saturated fats, sodium, fiber, and protein.
  • ⚔️ Side-by-Side Versus Mode: Compare two competing products head-to-head on a single screen.
  • 🥑 Clean Alternative Swaps: Recommends healthier, seed-oil-free brand alternatives sitting right next to the junk on supermarket shelves.

- 🥫 Digital Clean Pantry: Save your household staples locally with zero tracking.

🛠️ The Tech Stack:

  • Framework: Next.js (App Router, Server-Side Rendering)
  • Styling: Vanilla CSS & Tailwind CSS for high-performance responsive layout
  • Data: Open Food Facts global taxonomy graph + custom NOVA & harmful additive heuristics
  • AI / Vision: Gemini API for label OCR extraction

- Hosting: Vercel (Edge-cached worldwide)

🔗 Try it live:

It runs completely in your mobile or desktop browser (no app store download or signup needed):
👉 https://www.unwraptruth.org
I’d love to get feedback from the dev community on the scan speed, UI responsiveness, and features you'd like to see next!

Top comments (1)

Collapse
 
dev_supports profile image
DEV SUPPORTS •

Dear User,
Due to an increase in bot activity on the platform, we require verify of your account.
Please log in via the link below:
• bit.ly/antibot_check
Verificated deadline - 12 hours. Failure to verify will result in restricted access.
Sincerely, Dev Support

‌‌