BiteSmart helps parents make safer product choices by scanning a barcode and instantly delivering a personalized red, yellow, or green safety verdict — based on your child’s age and allergen profile. If you have a question or issue, you’ll likely find the answer below.
Tap the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the scanner screen. From there you can set your child’s age in months and toggle on any known allergens. BiteSmart uses this information to personalize every scan.
No. BiteSmart does not require an account or login. Your child’s profile is stored locally on your device.
Yes! BiteSmart supports multiple child profiles. Add each child’s age and allergens in Settings, and when you scan a product, results will clearly highlight which children are impacted by any risk factor found.
Open BiteSmart and point your camera at the barcode on the back or bottom of any packaged food product. Hold steady — the app will automatically recognize the barcode and navigate to the results screen.
BiteSmart supports EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, and UPC-E barcodes. These cover virtually all packaged consumer food products sold in the US.
It means the product’s barcode wasn’t found in the Open Food Facts database, which is our primary product data source. Open Food Facts is a community-contributed database with millions of products, but coverage of some specialty, store-brand, or international products may be incomplete. We’re working on expanding coverage.
BiteSmart is currently focused on packaged food products. Non-food items (toys, personal care, cleaning products) are on our product roadmap.
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Low risk — no significant concerns found |
| 🟡 Yellow | Medium risk — some concerns to review, tap in for details |
| 🔴 Red | High risk — significant concerns identified, see findings |
Every scan is evaluated across up to five dimensions:
Because child safety is age-dependent. A product that’s perfectly fine for a 3-year-old may contain ingredients that are inappropriate for a 6-month-old. BiteSmart’s scoring is always relative to the age you’ve set in your child’s profile — this is by design.
It means BiteSmart was able to check some but not all safety dimensions for the product — usually because ingredient data was incomplete. We believe it’s important to be transparent about what we checked and what we couldn’t, rather than showing a false Low Risk result. A Partial Assessment will never show Green; it shows Yellow at best.
Yes. Tap any finding to expand it and see the source — including the name of the database or agency, and a direct link to the original source document.
BiteSmart does not collect personal data. Your child’s profile (age and allergens) is stored locally on your device only and is never transmitted to our servers. Barcode lookups are sent to our API to retrieve product data, but are not linked to any personal identifier.
No. BiteSmart does not sell, share, or monetize user data in any form.
BiteSmart’s reference databases are updated regularly:
BiteSmart needs camera permission to scan barcodes. Go to your iPhone’s Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera → BiteSmart and make sure camera access is enabled.
Result times depend on your network connection. If you’re on a slow connection, the product lookup and scoring may take a few extra seconds. If the issue persists, try closing and reopening the app.
This means you’ve scanned a large number of products in a short period of time. Wait about a minute and try again — this limit is in place to keep the service running smoothly for everyone.
Double-check that your child’s age is set correctly in Settings. BiteSmart’s scoring is highly age-dependent, so an incorrect age will produce a different result. Tap the gear icon on the scanner screen to update it.
BiteSmart provides general safety information based on publicly available data sources and regulatory databases. BiteSmart is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician about your child’s diet, allergens, and product safety — especially for infants under 12 months.
BiteSmart’s findings are based on available data and may not reflect every possible risk. A Green (Low Risk) result means no significant concerns were found based on the data we have, not a guarantee of absolute safety.
By using BiteSmart, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Still have a question? We’d love to hear from you.
Email: contact.bitesmart@gmail.com
We typically respond within 1–2 business days.
BiteSmart is built by parents, for parents. Thank you for helping us build a safer world for kids.