Methodology
Exactly how FoodBuddy reads an ingredient list, how a “match” is decided, and — just as important — what a match or a missing match does not mean.
How matching works
FoodBuddy keeps a curated ingredient dictionary on your device. Every entry groups an ingredient with the alternative names it appears under on real labels — for example, milk protein may appear as casein, caseinate, or whey. When you scan a label or open a product from the database, the listed ingredients are compared against the interest areas you switched on in your profile.
Each highlighted ingredient shows why it was surfaced, in one of three tiers:
- Direct match — the label term is a known name for an entry in one of your selected areas.
- Keyword match — the label term contains or resembles a known name; worth a closer look rather than a firm identification.
- Unconfirmed — the term could not be identified confidently. FoodBuddy shows this honestly instead of guessing.
Sensitivity levels per interest area control how broadly keyword matches are surfaced. Matching happens entirely on your device.
How scanning (OCR) behaves
The scanner uses on-device text recognition on the ingredient panel you frame with the camera. Recognition quality depends on print size, curvature, glare, and language. Misread characters can cause missed or spurious matches — which is why every result links back to the recognized text so you can verify it against the physical label.
How the database is updated
The product and ingredient data ships with the app and is updated in releases (with more frequent offline database updates for Plus subscribers). Packaged food changes recipe without notice; a database entry can therefore lag behind the product in your hand. The label on the package always wins.
Known limits
- A missing match does not mean a product is free of an ingredient — the term may be misread, unlisted, ambiguous, or missing from our dictionary.
- Cross-contamination and “may contain” traces are not reliably detectable from ingredient lists.
- Database entries can be incomplete, outdated, or differ from the actual product.
- FoodBuddy never determines whether a food is safe for you. It organizes information so you can look further — the decision, and any medical question, belongs to you and qualified professionals.
How our guides are written and corrected is on Editorial policy. The full list of product limits is on Product limits.