ALLERGIFY: mobile application for real-time allergen detection in packaged foods

Food allergy is an adverse health reaction that occurs each time an individual is exposed to a specific food. It happens when the immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless food protein as a threat. Even minimal exposure to certain foods can provoke allergic reactions, from mild symptoms such as hives and itching to severe, potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis. The risks are exacerbated, particularly when consumers are unable to accurately identify allergens in packaged foods due to the inefficiency of manually reading ingredient labels and the frequent use of scientific terms or alternative ingredient names. These factors often lead to confusion and misinterpretation, increasing the likelihood of accidental allergen exposure. Based on the motivation, ALLERGIFY, a mobile application, was developed to address these challenges through real-time allergen detection powered by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). The application enables users to scan ingredient labels with their smartphone camera, extract text using OCR, and detect allergens by comparing tokenized text against a curated database of alternative names for common allergens. The application also integrated the Gemini AI chatbot to provide personalized guidance on food allergies. The text recognition accuracy evaluation of the system demonstrated its capability for reliable text extraction and effective allergen recognition. ALLERGIFY supports a wide user base, including individuals, parents, schools, and public health agencies, contributing to safer food choices and promoting SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.