Peanut Allergy Food Scanner — Check Any Product in 2 Seconds
Peanut is one of the most dangerous food allergens for kids — and one of the easiest to miss on a label. SafePantry checks every barcode against the world's largest open food database, flags 'may contain peanut' warnings other apps quietly skip, and gives you a safe / caution / unsafe verdict in two seconds. Free, no ads, no tracking.
Peanut hides in places most parents don't expect. The same factory that makes a peanut-free granola bar often runs peanut products on the same line — but only some manufacturers say so. FDA labeling law requires that intentional peanut ingredients appear on the label. Cross-contamination warnings — "may contain peanut", "made in a facility that processes peanut", "processed on shared equipment" — are voluntary. Two identical-looking products from two different brands can have wildly different cross-contamination risk and you wouldn't know from the front of the package.
Even reading the ingredient list is harder than it should be. Peanut shows up under names like arachis oil, groundnut, monkey nut, or as part of a compound ingredient (satay seasoning, mole sauce, some chocolate fillings). Imported products use translated terms. Restaurant menus rarely list cross-contamination at all.
And if you have more than one child with different allergies, you're doing this math in your head every time you shop: safe for the 4-year-old with peanut, but is it safe for the 7-year-old with tree nut and sesame? Most scanner apps check one allergen at a time. That's not how families work.
How SafePantry handles it
SafePantry uses Open Food Facts — the world's largest open food database, with over 3 million products and growing — as its source of truth. Every product is tagged with a canonical allergen taxonomy (peanut maps to en:peanuts) that doesn't depend on how the front of the package phrases it.
When you scan, SafePantry checks three things in parallel: (1) is peanut in the declared ingredient list, (2) is peanut listed in any precautionary statement on the label ("may contain", "processed on shared equipment"), and (3) does the manufacturer have a known history of cross-contact for this allergen. The verdict — green, yellow, red — reflects the strictest finding.
Every family member has their own profile. You can have one kid with just peanut, another with peanut + tree nut + sesame, a grandparent visiting for a week with shellfish allergy. The verdict screen shows the per-kid breakdown so you can see at a glance who in your family can eat this and who can't. When Open Food Facts doesn't have the product (about 1 in 5 in the US right now), SafePantry falls back to label-capture — point the camera at the ingredient list and the same allergen engine parses it on-device.
None of this data leaves your phone. There's no account. There are no ads. There is no third-party analytics that can sell your child's allergy profile to an advertiser.
Hidden sources of peanut
These products contain peanut more often than parents expect — always check the label.
Satay sauce
Peanut is the base of most satay marinades and dipping sauces.
Mole sauce
Traditional Mexican mole recipes often use peanut as a thickener — labels vary.
Pad thai
Most pad thai contains crushed peanut or peanut oil — even when not garnished visibly.
Egg rolls and spring rolls
Restaurant fryers are commonly shared with peanut-containing items.
Chocolate bars without 'peanut' on the front
Many brands run multiple SKUs on the same line; check for 'may contain peanut' on the back.
Baked goods from bakeries
Even peanut-free recipes can be cross-contaminated by other items on shared sheet pans or in shared display cases.
Energy and protein bars
Even bars labeled 'almond' or 'cashew' frequently share equipment with peanut bars.
Veggie burgers and meat substitutes
Some plant-based patties use peanut protein or peanut flour as a binder.
Ice cream from scoop shops
Shared scoops between flavors and shared mix-in toppings are a top cause of pediatric anaphylaxis.
Spicy stews and curries
West African and Indonesian recipes often include peanut paste — restaurant menus rarely flag it.
Brands frequently safe for peanut-allergic families
This list reflects manufacturer policies and Open Food Facts data at the time of writing. Always read the current label — formulations and facility policies change.
Brand
Notes
Sun Cups
Peanut-free in a dedicated peanut-free facility. Sunflower seed butter alternative to peanut butter cups.
Enjoy Life Foods
Free of the top-14 allergens, with dedicated facility processes.
MadeGood
Top-14-allergen-free granola bars and crackers; school-safe certification.
No Whey! Chocolates
Peanut-, tree-nut-, dairy-, and egg-free chocolate confections.
Top-9-allergen-free crackers and cookies; rigorous third-party audits.
Vermont Nut Free
Dedicated peanut- and tree-nut-free facility; full confectionery line.
Skinny Dipped (most SKUs)
Several SKUs are produced peanut-free, but check the specific bag — some lines run on shared equipment.
Surf Sweets
Peanut-, tree-nut-, gluten-, and top-allergen-free fruit candies.
Frequently asked questions
Does SafePantry catch 'may contain peanut' warnings?
Yes. SafePantry flags any precautionary allergen statement — 'may contain peanut', 'processed on shared equipment with peanut', 'made in a facility that processes peanut' — as a caution-level verdict (yellow). Many competing apps only check the intentional ingredient list and silently miss these, which is the #1 reason we built SafePantry.
Can I set up multiple kids with different allergies?
Yes. SafePantry supports unlimited per-kid allergen profiles. Each scan shows a per-kid verdict, so you can see at a glance whether the product is safe for every child in your family — peanut for one, tree nut for another, peanut + sesame + dairy for a third — in a single result screen.
What if the product isn't in the database?
When a barcode isn't in Open Food Facts (about 1 in 5 US products today), SafePantry falls back to label capture. Point the camera at the ingredient list and the same allergen engine reads it on-device, no internet round-trip required. You can also submit the product to Open Food Facts directly from the app so the next family that scans it gets an instant verdict.
Is SafePantry free?
Yes. Core scanning, multi-kid profiles, and the verdict engine are free forever. An optional Family Pro upgrade (annual subscription or one-time lifetime) unlocks restaurant-menu scanning, recipe scanning, pantry inventory, and reaction-journal PDF export, but you never need it to check whether a product is safe.
Does SafePantry replace my allergist's advice?
No. SafePantry is a label-reading aid — it tells you what's on the label faster and more reliably than reading it yourself in a busy grocery store. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and it cannot replace your allergist's guidance for your child. Always confirm safety with your allergist for new foods or unfamiliar brands.
Does it work for tree-nut allergy too?
Yes. SafePantry handles every major allergen — peanut, tree nut (almond, cashew, walnut, etc.), milk, egg, wheat/gluten, soy, sesame, fish, shellfish, and more — with the same engine. Tree-nut and peanut allergy frequently co-occur and SafePantry treats them as independent allergens so you can profile a kid with either or both.
Does scanning send my data anywhere?
Scanning sends only the barcode to Open Food Facts to look up the product. Your child's allergen profile, scan history, and family information stay on your phone. There is no account, no advertising SDK, and no third-party analytics that could profile your family. The privacy details are on our privacy page.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. SafePantry is currently iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch only. The waitlist for an Android version is on our home page if you'd like to be notified.