Barcode Scanner Calorie Counter in India: Log Packaged Food in Seconds
A barcode scanner calorie counter turns a pack on the shelf into a log entry in a few seconds: scan, check the numbers, pick how much you ate. For packaged food it is quicker than searching by name. This page explains how scanning works in NYUS, where the numbers come from, what to do when a pack is not found, and how to check that a scan looks right.
The short answer
You scan the barcode, NYUS shows the product name with calories, protein, carbs and fat per 100 g, and you set how many grams you ate. The numbers come from Open Food Facts, a volunteer-run database, so a pack can be missing or its record incomplete. When that happens, search by name or add the food as a custom meal. Barcode scanning in NYUS is on Android.
How scanning works in NYUS
- Scan. Open the scanner from the barcode icon in the food-logging screens and allow the camera when asked. The Android scanner reads the code.
- See the product. NYUS looks the code up and shows the product name and its calories, protein, carbs and fat per 100 g.
- Set the portion. The grams start at the pack's serving size when the record has one, otherwise at 100 g. Buttons for 50, 100 and 200 g are there, or you can type the grams you ate. Calories and macros are scaled to your grams (grams divided by 100, times the per-100 g value).
- Log this food. The item is added to your snacks for the day.
If the scan finds nothing, NYUS says "No product found" and that you can still add the food as a custom meal. If the food database is busy it asks you to scan again in a moment.
Where the numbers come from
NYUS asks the Open Food Facts database through its own server (the NYUS app does not call it directly). Open Food Facts describes itself as a collaborative, free and open food database made by volunteers, with 4,000,000+ products from 150 countries added by contributors who scan barcodes and photograph labels (read 22 October 2026). Two things follow from that: many Indian packs are there, and some records are incomplete or wrong. A record that is missing its energy value can show up as 0 kcal. The numbers are only as good as the record, so check them against the pack in your hand.
A quick sanity check against India's food tables
For a plain staple in a pack, the scan should land near the value of the same food in the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017) (ICMR-NIN), Table 1, per 100 g, energy as kilojoules divided by 4.184. Flavoured, fried or sweetened versions will be higher; a plain pack that shows 0 kcal, or a number several times these, is a signal to check the record.
| Plain pack (IFCT row) | Energy per 100 g | Protein per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Rice flakes (poha) (A011) | 354 kcal | 7.4 g |
| Rice, puffed (murmura) (A012) | 362 kcal | 7.5 g |
| Wheat flour (atta) (A019) | 320 kcal | 10.6 g |
| Toor (arhar) dal (B021) | 331 kcal | 21.7 g |
The scale step is simple arithmetic: for the same atta, 60 g is 192 kcal (320 kcal per 100 g times 60 divided by 100), and for toor dal, 30 g is 99 kcal. Those amounts are examples, not recommended portions.
When a pack is not found, or the record looks wrong
- Not found: search the food by name in NYUS (8,900+ foods with calories and macros), or add it as a custom meal using the numbers on the pack.
- Looks wrong: compare with the nutrition panel on the pack. The panel may list values per 100 g, per serving or both; make sure you compare like with like.
- Loose food and home cooking have no barcode: use search, or take a photo for a quick AI estimate you review and correct.
For the calorie and macro numbers of everyday Indian foods, see calories and macros of common Indian foods.
Scan packaged food in NYUS
NYUS is an AI diet and workout coach with 8,900+ foods with calories and macros. Scan a pack when it has a barcode, search when it does not, and review every number before you log it.
Scan a pack in NYUS
Scan a barcode, check the numbers, set your grams and log it. An AI diet and workout coach built around Indian food. No ads, no data sold.
Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Does NYUS have a barcode scanner for packaged food?
Yes, on Android. You scan the barcode, NYUS shows calories, protein, carbs and fat per 100 g, you set the grams you ate, and it logs the item to your snacks.
Where do the barcode numbers come from?
From Open Food Facts, a volunteer-run open food database, looked up through the NYUS server. Records can be incomplete or wrong, so check them against the pack.
What if my pack is not found?
Search the food by name, or add it as a custom meal with the numbers on the pack. NYUS also tells you that you can add a not-found product as a custom meal.
Why does a scan show per-100 g values?
Because the database stores nutrition per 100 g. NYUS scales it to the grams you enter: grams divided by 100, times the per-100 g value. For example, 60 g of atta at 320 kcal per 100 g is 192 kcal.
Sources (read 22 October 2026)
- Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g: Rice flakes (poha) A011 (PDF p. 41), Rice, puffed (murmura) A012 (PDF p. 41), Wheat flour (atta) A019 (PDF p. 42), Toor (arhar) dal B021 (PDF p. 43); energy as kilojoules divided by 4.184. The 60 g and 30 g amounts are NYUS's own arithmetic.
- Open Food Facts, discover page: "a collaborative, free and open database", made by volunteers; 4,000,000+ products from 150 countries; open data under the Open Database Licence.
- NYUS app behaviour (Android scanner, per-100 g display, grams default and buttons, "No product found" message, custom meal, snack log): read in the app code and the backend barcode route on 22 Oct 2026, see the NOTES file.