Real-Time Allergen Detection Application Using Barcode/QR Scanning

In today’s fast-moving lifestyle, people often buy packaged foods without checking their nutritional content, which leads to unhealthy eating patterns. To solve this problem, this project introduces a Smart Nutrition Scanner Application that allows users to instantly access nutritional information using their mobile camera. The system is built using JavaScript (frontend) and Node.js (backend), and it connects to public nutrition databases through APIs to retrieve details like calories, macronutrients, vitamins, and ingredients. It supports real-time barcode scanning using Optical Barcode Recognition (OBR) as well as image-based food identification using CNN models when no barcode is available. Features such as allergen alerts, dietary warnings, scan history, and healthier alternatives make the application more user-friendly. By capturing images, recognizing barcodes, and querying nutrition datasets, the app provides quick, accurate, and convenient food information. This system helps users make informed dietary decisions, improves health awareness, and can be expanded to fit future digital health and diet-tracking platforms.