New app may help those with food allergies avoid dangers

A new app for the Apple iPhone and iPad called Food Intolerances may help those suffering from food allergies avoid foods likely to contain allergens that could cause them harm.

Available in the iTunes Store, the app allows users to search foods by category or name. Details of the food's composition, including likely ingredients and potential allergens – even lactose and fructose/glucose ratios – are given. The app does not rate specific brands of foods, but it does give a good picture of which foods may be problematic for the allergy sufferer.

Users can also use filters to find foods they can eat, and the app is self-contained, so only clicks on links to Wikipedia articles for more information require a data connection.

The first time the app is loaded, the user will be asked to map their sensitivity to known food intolerances, which set the benchmark for the app's information tailored to the user.