For packaged foods, you don’t have to guess. Liverly can read the nutrition facts label directly or look the product up by its barcode — both give you more precise numbers than a photo estimate.
Switching Modes
Open the camera (the camera icon at the bottom of your screen) and use the selector at the top to switch between Meal, Label, and Barcode.
Label Mode
Switch to Label and follow the on-screen prompt: Capture nutrition facts & ingredients list. Frame the nutrition facts panel — and if you can fit the ingredients list in the same shot, even better. Tap the capture button, confirm the photo, and the AI reads the label.
You can also tap the gallery button to use a label photo you took earlier.
Why Label Scans Are More Precise
A photo scan of a plated meal has to estimate nutrients. A label scan reads the printed values, so calories, saturated fat, and other declared nutrients come straight from the package. The AI fills in what labels sometimes leave off — like added sugars on older labels — with estimates based on the ingredients and product type.
You land on the same Meal Analysis screen as a photo scan: a personalized Liver Score, the explanation, and Meal Totals with each nutrient as a percentage of your daily budget.
Catching Hidden Added Sugar and Trans Fat
This is where label scanning really earns its keep. Added sugar wears dozens of names in ingredient lists — corn syrup, glucose-fructose, dextrose, maltose, agave, fruit juice concentrate, maltodextrin, and many more — and trans fats hide behind “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils. Liverly scans the ingredients list and flags them in red in the Ingredients section of your results.
In the example above, the product scored reasonably on its listed numbers — but the scan still flags the fruit juice concentrate hiding in the ingredients, exactly the kind of sweetener that adds real sugar load beyond what the front of the package suggests.
Adding the Ingredients List Afterward
If your first photo only caught the nutrition facts, the analysis will say it couldn’t check the ingredients. No need to start over: open the ⋯ menu on the results screen and tap Add Ingredients Photo. Snap the ingredients panel and the analysis updates with ingredient checking included.
Tip: A quick rule of thumb dietitians teach: scan the ingredients for anything ending in “-ose” or containing “syrup.” Liverly automates that check for you.
Barcode Mode
Switch to Barcode and hold your camera steady over the product’s barcode — there’s no shutter button, it detects automatically. You’ll see Scanning… while Liverly looks the product up in the Open Food Facts database (a large, community-maintained product catalog) and then runs the same liver-focused analysis on it.
When a Barcode Isn’t Found
Not every product is in the database, especially store brands and regional items. If yours isn’t, you’ll see Product Not Found: “This product isn’t in our database. Try scanning the nutrition label instead.” Tap Scan Label and the app switches straight to Label mode — you get the same analysis from the package itself.
Tip: Even when a barcode is found, database entries sometimes lack added sugar or fiber. If the results look thin, use Add Ingredients Photo from the ⋯ menu, or scan the label instead.
Reading and Logging Your Results
Both modes land on the same analysis screen as a photo scan — Liver Score, nutrient totals against your daily budgets, safety rating, Smart Swaps, and a tip. See Scanning a Meal for what everything means and how to edit, re-analyze, ask follow-up questions, or report an inaccuracy.
One thing worth doing before you log: set the Servings control to match what you’ll actually eat. 1 serving means the item exactly as analyzed — set 0.5 if you’re having half, 2 for double — and every nutrient scales automatically. Then tap Add to Diary, pick the date and meal, and you’re done.
The Daily Limit
Label and barcode scans share the same free allowance as everything else: 5 AI analyses per day across photo, label, barcode, and Quick Log combined, resetting at midnight local time. Liverly Pro removes the limit — see Subscription & Billing.
As always, the app gives you data — your care team gives you targets. If your dietitian has told you specific brands or ingredients to avoid, follow their numbers first.
