Tallow is a barcode scanning app designed to provide detailed ingredient and contaminant information for grocery products, with a focus on healthy eating and transparency. Users scan product barcodes with an iPhone to receive a comprehensive breakdown that flags seed oils, assigns a NOVA ultra-processing score, highlights harmful additives, and displays lab-tested contaminant data such as microplastics, PFAS, heavy metals, and pesticide residues. Each flagged ingredient or contaminant is cross-referenced with sources such as EU bans, FDA data, and published lab results, allowing users to audit every claim and understand the reasoning behind each score.
The app generates a 0–100 Tallow score for each product, calculated based on four main pillars: the presence of seed oils, additives, processing level (using the NOVA scale), and plastic exposure from packaging. Additional sourcing signals like organic, grass-fed, wild-caught, and regenerative practices can influence the score. The scoring methodology is transparent and reproducible, with every deduction and penalty explained. The app also features Kid-Safe Mode, which increases the penalty for harmful ingredients in products intended for children, and Smart Swaps, which suggests cleaner alternatives available on the same shelf.
Tallow extends its functionality beyond packaged goods with a crowd-sourced restaurant map, allowing users to find and filter local restaurants based on their use of seed oils, additives, and other health-related criteria. Each restaurant is scored using the same Tallow methodology, and users can submit and rate local spots. The app provides color-coded scores and filtering options for additive-free or seed-oil-free establishments.
Currently available as an iPhone app on the App Store, Tallow includes features such as scan history, lab-tested badges, and full score breakdowns. It is aimed at individuals seeking detailed, source-cited information about food ingredients and contaminants, particularly those avoiding seed oils, ultra-processed foods, or specific additives. Plans for future development include an Android version, a web app, and a browsable archive of lab reports.
Tallow is a Health & fitness product. It focuses on identifying unhealthy ingredients and contaminants in food products for informed dietary choices. Tallow is a consumer product aimed at health-conscious consumers. Pricing is paid. Tallow is available on the web and iOS.
Behind Tallow is Maddox Schmidlkofer, based in the United States, and the product first shipped in 2026. Among its 6 catalogued features are barcode scanning, ingredient analysis, and NOVA score display.
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