AI-Powered Food Label Scanner: Simplifying Healthy Food Choices Through OCR and AI

Abstract

Food adulteration and misleading food labels have become significant public health concerns in today's rapidly growing packaged food industry. Consumers frequently purchase processed food products without fully understanding ingredient lists, nutritional values, preservatives, or artificial additives because food labels are written using technical terminology that is difficult for ordinary people to interpret. Attractive marketing claims such as "healthy," "natural," or "low-fat" often create confusion and influence purchasing decisions without clearly reflecting the actual nutritional quality of the product. As awareness regarding nutrition continues to increase, there is a growing need for intelligent technologies that simplify food information and help consumers make healthier choices.

This paper proposes an AI-Powered Food Label Scanner that enables users to scan a product barcode or nutrition label using a smartphone camera and instantly receive a simplified health assessment. The proposed system combines Optical Character Recognition (OCR), barcode recognition, and Artificial Intelligence-based ingredient analysis to extract product information, identify harmful ingredients, detect allergens, calculate a health score, and recommend healthier alternatives. Instead of reading lengthy ingredient lists, users receive color-coded health ratings and easy-to-understand explanations. The proposed solution improves consumer awareness, saves shopping time, supports preventive healthcare, and encourages informed purchasing decisions. The system demonstrates how Artificial Intelligence can bridge the gap between complex nutritional information and everyday consumer needs