Yuka

BARCODES ON packages aren’t just for the checkout clerk. “Now we’re all equipped with a barcode reader,” says Bob Carpenter, CEO and president of GS1 US, which sets standards for barcoding systems. “It’s called our mobile phone.” Use your phone’s camera to scan the lines, with the help of apps:

ShopSavvy  Scan the barcode for almost any product and this app will pull up the lowest price at top retailers as well as price comparisons for sellers across the internet, with estimated shipping costs included. You’ll also get product reviews from multiple sources.

MyNetDiary This app provides much of the same nutritional info you can find on the packaging, but here’s the real benefit: It takes all that data on calories, carbs, protein, fat, added sugar and so on and assigns a “food grade”—from A to D—based on total nutritional value.

Yuka This app analyzes ingredients in food and body-care products and flags potential allergens, endocrine disruptors, pollutants, carcinogens or skin irritants. If a product scores low for nutrition or health, you’ll get other suggestions. —Lexi Pandell