Meal Motive Join the listGet the app

Coming to iPhone and Android, late 2026Food scanner and calorie tracker

Know what you’re eating.

Scan any barcode and get a score out of 100, with the reasons in plain words rather than a letter you have to look up.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play
  • Free to download
  • No spam, one email
  • No ads
  • Works with no signal
Meal Motive scoring a Tim Tam: 3 out of 100, rated Avoid, on a dial that runs from red to green.
  • 66,000Nearly this many products sold in Australia come with the app
  • 0 barsThe scanner still works with no signal
  • Up to 3Better choices of the same kind, rated clearly higher
  • No adsNo analytics. No trackers. Your diary is never sold.

How it works

Scan it. See the score. Choose better.

  1. Scan the barcode.

    Point your camera at the pack. No typing.

    The Scan the barcode welcome screen: point the camera at any pack and Meal Motive rates it out of 100.

  2. See the score.

    Out of 100, with what’s pushing it up and what’s pulling it down.

    A Tim Tam scored 3 out of 100 and rated Avoid, with its serving size and a Log this button.

  3. Log it, or swap it.

    Add it to your diary, or pick one of the better choices from the same shelf.

    Better choices for the Tim Tam: three biscuits scoring 55, 70 and 54, above its nutrition panel.
Step 1: the Scan the barcode welcome screen. Step 2: a Tim Tam scored 3 out of 100. Step 3: three better choices scoring 55, 70 and 54.

Better choices

Something better, from the same shelf.

Scan something that rates poorly and Meal Motive shows you up to three products of the same kind that rate clearly higher. Real products you can buy, with their scores beside them, and only ones whose ingredients have been checked.

3/100

Avoid

Tim Tam

Arnott’s

Better choices

The same kind of food, rated higher.

Tap a better choice to see it on the dial. Products and scores from the app.

The Better choices card in the app: honey, hazelnuts and dark chocolate chips breakfast biscuits 55, Wheat biscuits 70, Snack right 54.

Type 1 diabetes and carb counting

Counting carbs? They’re on every scan.

If you or your child live with type 1 diabetes, carbs are part of every meal. Meal Motive shows the carbohydrate for each product right on its screen, per serve or per 100 g, so you can read it in the aisle instead of hunting for the panel.

  • Per serve, or per 100 g

    One tap switches between the two. Sugars and fibre sit right beside the carbs.

  • Change the amount, the carbs follow

    Two biscuits, 150 g, a single serve: set the amount and the numbers update.

  • Carbs for every meal

    Your diary shows the carbs in each meal, and the total for the day.

  • No signal needed

    The food database lives on your phone, so it works in the back of the shop.

Tim Tam

1 biscuit · 18.3 g

1
Carbs
11.9 g
Sugars
8.4 g
Fibre
0.3 g
Energy
96 kcal

Try it: change the number of biscuits. Figures from the product’s nutrition panel in the app.

A day in the diary: 166 g of carbs for the day, and carbs shown beside each meal, such as 53 g for breakfast and 18 g for lunch.

Meal Motive shows the carbohydrate figures recorded for each product. It doesn’t calculate insulin doses and isn’t a medical device. Always check the pack, and follow the plan you’ve made with your diabetes team.

Made for here

Built for Australian supermarkets.

Nearly 66,000 products sold in Australia come with the app. Because the food database lives on your phone, the scanner still works in the back of the shop with no signal.

66,000

Australian products, already on your phone

Looking a product up never waits on a server.

No barcode handy? Search by name.

Type what you’re after and near-identical products fold together, so the list stays short.

Search results for Tim Tam: 23 results, with similar products folded under 6 more like this.

No signal? It still scans.

The database lives on your phone. You only need a connection to make your account, and your diary catches up when you’re next online.

Honest when it doesn’t know

No flattering green scores it can’t stand behind.

Most packaged food doesn’t have its ingredient list recorded anywhere. When Meal Motive can’t check the ingredients, it says “Ingredients not listed” instead of showing you a flattering green score it can’t stand behind. You can add the ingredients yourself with a photo of the pack.

Your diary

Your diary, without the guilt.

Track what you eat, your water, and your energy for the day, with ranges instead of red numbers. Streaks allow a day off, so one missed Sunday doesn’t undo a month. Reminders are off unless you turn them on, and they skip any meal you’ve already logged.

  • Ranges, not red numbers
  • Calories and portions
  • Water
  • Streaks with rest days
  • Reminders off by default
Progress: a 6 day streak with one rest day, daily scores for the week, and the Your week card.
The diary for Monday 28 September: a day score of 63, 1025 calories, and breakfast and lunch with each food's calories.
Reminder settings: Off, Once in the evening, or At mealtimes. Off is selected.
A shareable weekly recap card: My week, 69, good on average, 6 of 7 days logged. Best find Weet-Bix, trying next Wheat biscuits.

Weekly recap

Every week gets a card.

Your average score, how many days you logged, your best find, and one swap worth trying. Share it if you want to.

Private by design

Your diary is yours.

No ads. No analytics. No trackers. Your diary is never sold or shared. Your account keeps a copy of your diary so a new phone doesn’t mean starting again, and only you can read it.

Read the privacy policy

  • No ads
  • No analytics
  • No trackers
  • Only you can read it

Meal Motive Plus

Free to use. Plus adds two things.

Meal Motive is free: scanning, every score, your diary, water, badges and better choices.

  • Scanning
  • Every score
  • Your diary
  • Water
  • Badges
  • Better choices
Plus

Personal alerts

Be told on the product screen about the things you want to avoid, like sweeteners, synthetic colours, nitrites, ultra-processed food, or high sugar, salt or saturated fat.

Personal alert switches: ultra-processed, high sugar, high salt, high saturated fat, sweeteners, synthetic colours, nitrites and nitrates.
Alerts on a Tim Tam: ultra-processed, NOVA group 4, and high in sugar, 46 g per 100 g.
Plus

Insights

Your last four weeks: how each week scored, where your energy came from, and which foods supplied most of it.

Insights: score by week for the last four weeks, where your energy came from by rating, and the foods that supplied most of it.

Plus is an optional subscription, with a free trial.

Scores are based on the Nutri-Score 2023 algorithm, with a deduction for additives of concern. They are a guide, not dietary or medical advice. Food data from Open Food Facts, available under the Open Database Licence.

Reviews

People who scan before they shop.

Sample reviews shown before launch. Real App Store and Google Play reviews will replace them.

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 last year. Seeing the carbs per serve the moment I scan a box has made the weekly shop a lot less stressful.

    Megan T.Townsville, QLD · Type 1 parent

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    I swapped my usual afternoon biscuits for one of the better choices it suggested. Same aisle, and I actually like them more.

    Hannah L.Geelong, VIC

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    No ads, no nagging, no red numbers. It’s the first food diary I’ve kept for more than a week.

    Dan K.Perth, WA

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    The scanner works in the back of my local shop where I never get signal. Scan, see the score, done.

    Priya S.Parramatta, NSW

  • Rated 4 out of 5

    Seeing calories per biscuit instead of per 100 g made watching my portions so much easier. Would love even more products, but it already has most of what I buy.

    Chris D.Ballarat, VIC

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Great for lunchbox snacks. I scan a few options and the kids pick from the ones that rate higher.

    Sarah W.Gold Coast, QLD · Parent of three

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    I’ve counted carbs for 15 years. Changing the amount and watching the carbs update is exactly what I wanted. I still check the pack, but this is quicker.

    Josh R.Hobart, TAS · Living with type 1

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Love that it says “Ingredients not listed” instead of pretending. I added a couple of products myself with a photo of the pack.

    Tom B.Newcastle, NSW

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Streaks that allow a day off. I missed a Sunday and it didn’t reset my month, which honestly keeps me going.

    Liam P.Canberra, ACT

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    The weekly recap card is a nice touch. My sister and I share ours and compare best finds.

    Aisha M.Adelaide, SA

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Carbs for every meal, right at the top of the diary. Makes it easy to look back at what I ate and when.

    Ella N.Toowoomba, QLD · Living with type 1

  • Rated 5 out of 5

    Simple, fast and private. I like knowing my diary isn’t being sold to anyone.

    Grace H.Darwin, NT

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is Meal Motive free?

Yes. Scanning, every score, your diary, water, badges and better choices are free. Meal Motive Plus is an optional subscription, with a free trial, that adds personal alerts and insights.

Can I use it to count carbs for type 1 diabetes?

Meal Motive shows the carbs for each product, per serve or per 100 g, updates them when you change the amount, and shows the carbs in each meal of your diary. It doesn’t calculate insulin doses and isn’t a medical device, so use it alongside the plan from your diabetes team, and always check the pack.

How is the score worked out?

Scores are based on the Nutri-Score 2023 algorithm, with a deduction for additives of concern. You see what’s pushing the score up and what’s pulling it down. Scores are a guide, not dietary or medical advice.

Does the scanner need internet?

No. The food database is on your phone. You only need a connection to make your account, and your diary catches up whenever you’re next online.

A product isn’t in the app. What now?

Scan it anyway. The app offers to add it: type the details or photograph the nutrition panel and ingredients. It’s saved to your account straight away.

Why does a product say “Ingredients not listed”?

Nobody has recorded that product’s ingredient list yet, so we can’t check it for additives. Rather than show a flattering score we can’t stand behind, we say so. You can add the ingredients with a photo of the pack.

What happens to my data?

Your account keeps a copy of your diary so a new phone doesn’t mean starting again, and only you can read it. There are no ads, no analytics and no trackers. See the privacy policy for the full list.

Be first in the queue.Your next shop, scored.

Meal Motive arrives on iPhone and Android in late 2026. It’ll be free to download.

Meal Motive is free on iPhone and Android.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play