Unveiling Packaged Foods to Empower Consumer Food Choices: A Comprehensive Review of Packaged Food Analysis

Unveiling Packaged Foods to Empower Consumer Food Choices: A Comprehensive Review of Packaged Food Analysis

Shraddha Shingne1, Yajur Sharma2, Pranav Nair3,  Yadnika Kotwal4, Prasad Tak5

Department of Computer Engineering, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Technology Pimpri, Pune, India1

Abstract: In today's food market, consumers are often misled by deceptive marketing practices regarding the nutritional content of packaged food products. The text size on packaged food products is often small, making it difficult for consumers to read and understand the ingredients and nutritional information. Additionally, many ingredients are listed using scientific or medical terms, which can be unfamiliar and confusing to the average consumer. Furthermore, consumers are often drawn to front-of-pack labels and promotional slogans with attractive text sizes and colours, which can divert their attention from scrutinizing the ingredients list. This project, titled ‘Unveiling packaged foods’ addresses these issues and aim to develop a user-centric web application that promotes informed consumer food choices. The application allows users to scan the barcode or search for a packaged food product to receive detailed ingredient and nutritional  analysis harnessing the power of data visualizations and web technology. Through data visualizations, we provide insights into the nutritional content of products in a quicker and easier way, helping consumers to easily identify healthier options and avoid products that may be detrimental to their health. Moreover, the project employs a metric known as ‘Nutri-Score’ to assess the nutritional quality of packaged food products. The project demonstrates the potential of technology to empower consumers to make healthier food choices and highlights the importance of transparent and accessible information in the food industry.

Index terms: Nutri-Score, Nutritional Analysis, Ingredient Analysis, Ensemble Learning