Food Finds

Food Finds lets you build a personal catalog of allergy‑friendly products. Scan barcodes or add items manually, rate them, and note where you found them. You can quickly search or filter your list and share favorite finds with friends and family.

IMPORTANT

This feature is an aid only. Always:

  • Read labels carefully
  • Verify information with manufacturers
  • Follow medical advice from healthcare professionals

Getting Started

  1. Open Food Finds from the navigation menu.
  2. Tap the + Add button.
  3. Choose from:
  • Scan Barcode – Use your camera to scan UPC codes
  • Manual Entry – Type in product details
  • Enter UPC Code (Debug mode only) – Manually type a UPC for testing
  1. Fill in the product details (see Adding Products section below).
  2. Tap Save.

Adding Products

Required Fields

  • Product Name – The name of the product
  • Category – Select from dropdown or type your own

Optional Fields (in order of appearance)

  • Brand – The manufacturer or brand name
  • Rating – 1-5 star rating for your personal reference
  • Use Cases – Type and press Enter to add tags like “Melts well” or “Good for baking”
  • Notes – Personal notes about the product
  • Stores – Where you can find it (type and press Enter to add multiple stores)
  • Location – City, State, and ZIP code
  • Last Seen – Date you last saw this product (tap to select date)
  • UPC – Product barcode number

Collapsible Sections (at bottom of form)

  • Approved for – Select which profiles find this product safe (tap header to expand)
  • Free from – Select which allergens this product avoids (tap header to expand)

Barcode Scanning

  • Tap Scan Barcode to use your device camera
  • The app will automatically look up product information from OpenFoodFacts
  • Retrieves product name, brand, and product images
  • You can edit all details after scanning
  • Premium feature – requires ad-free subscription

Manual UPC Entry (Debug Mode)

For testing without a camera:

  1. Enable debug mode: Go to Settings > Long-press on app name
  2. Select “Enter UPC Code” when adding a product
  3. Test UPCs provided:
  • 041220576227 – Oreo Cookies
  • 013562300921 – Silk Almond Milk
  • 021130125395 – Enjoy Life Mini Chips
  • 070470003016 – Daiya Cheese

Browsing Your Finds

  • Use the search bar to quickly locate products by name, brand, or store
  • Filter by Category, Rating, Store, or change the Sort order using the filter chips
  • Cards show a compact view with:
  • Product image (if available)
  • Brand and product name
  • Star rating
  • Use cases
  • Category chip

Viewing Details

  • Tap any card to open the detail view showing:
  • Full-size product image (tap to enlarge further)
  • All product information
  • Notes
  • Who it’s safe for
  • What it’s free from
  • Last seen date
  • Store locations
  • UPC code
  • The detail dialog has Share, Edit, and Close buttons
  • Tap the product image to view it in full screen

Sharing

  • Long press any card for quick share
  • Or tap Share in the detail view
  • Creates a text summary of the product

Editing Items

  • Tap any card to open details, then tap Edit
  • All fields can be modified
  • Premium users can tap the lookup icon next to UPC to refresh product info
  • Changes are saved immediately

Share Summary

Sharing creates a text summary including:

  • Product name and brand
  • Safe for profiles
  • Allergen-free information
  • Your rating
  • Store location
  • “Shared via MAE” attribution

Cloud Sync

If cloud sync is enabled in Settings:

  • Tap the sync button in the toolbar to manually sync
  • Food Finds are automatically backed up to Google Drive
  • Shared across all your devices using the same Google account

Known Limitations

  • Image attachments planned for future version
  • Automatic GPS location planned for future version
  • OpenFoodFacts data may be incomplete for some products
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