SnackSafe has launched SnackPro, an AI food-scanning app for families managing food allergies. It is now available on Apple's App Store.
Developed by founder Allon Mason, SnackPro uses image analysis to assess packaged foods, restaurant meals and homemade dishes from a photo. Users enter the allergens they need to avoid and receive one of three results: contains, may contain, or doesn't appear to contain.
The launch targets a large market of families managing allergy risks in everyday settings such as schools, restaurants, travel and social events. Food Allergy Research & Education estimates that food allergies affect 33 million people in the United States, including about one in 13 children.
Mason said the app grew out of his family's experience after his daughter suffered severe allergic reactions.
"I built this app because my daughter almost died after eating something we didn't know she was allergic to," said Allon Mason, founder of SnackPro. "We knew she was allergic to sesame, but we didn't know she was also allergic to pistachios and cashews. After this anaphylactic nightmare, I kept thinking there had to be a faster, easier way for families to get critical food information before a bite turns into an emergency."
The app is designed to identify major allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, sesame and gluten. It also flags certain dietary and nutrition issues, including high sugar, sodium and saturated fat, as well as vegan, kosher and halal suitability.
Family tools
SnackPro includes several features for parents, carers and children. It supports food-label scanning in more than 40 languages, offers voice input for users who cannot read or write, and keeps a shareable history of scans for families and caregivers.
An in-app allergy card can be shown to restaurant staff, chefs, servers and caregivers in the local language. SnackSafe is also developing custom bilingual allergy posters for schools, camps and childcare settings.
Mason said simplicity was a priority in the design.
"Kids who don't even know how to read and write can speak their allergens into the app," he said. "They just take a picture, and if the food has their allergens, it shows a red alert not to eat it, orange for a warning, or green if it appears not to contain any risky ingredients. We wanted to create something simple enough for families to use in stressful moments when every second matters."
The product also reflects the family's experience managing allergies while travelling and shopping. Melissa Mason, the founder's nine-year-old daughter, described how language barriers and long ingredient lists could make routine food checks difficult.
"My dad got the idea for SnackPro when we were in a taxi in France and the driver gave us candy," said Melissa, chief Melissa officer at SnackPro. "Because of my food allergies, my parents have to check everything I eat. It would take them a long time to read the ingredients, and sometimes they were in a different language, so they couldn't read them at all. When the taxi driver gave me candy, my dad had to take pictures of the wrapper and zoom in really close to read what was in it. So my dad was like, 'We should make an app for this.' Now when we go to a convenience store or a restaurant and I want to try something, we can use the app, and it takes seconds. And it's really accurate."
Pricing model
SnackPro is free to download and includes 30 free scans. After that, users can subscribe from USD $7.99 a month or buy scan packs in the app.
SnackSafe said it will donate 10% of profits to food allergy associations. It presents the app as a support tool for food decisions, not a replacement for reading ingredient labels or speaking directly with restaurants, manufacturers or carers about preparation methods and allergen exposure.
The launch comes as developers explore more specialised uses for AI in consumer health and safety. While many food-related apps focus on calorie counting or diet tracking, SnackPro is aimed at allergy identification and communication in situations where families may have limited time or face language barriers.
Support for more than 40 languages, along with visual scanning for open meals as well as packaged foods, sets it apart from label-only tools. SnackSafe is betting that a mix of image analysis, multilingual support and child-friendly design will appeal to households that need quick checks across a wide range of settings.