Calorie counter app

The UK calorie counter that reads the ingredients too

You track macros. That's half the story.

NutraSafe counts your calories and macros like any tracker, then reads the ingredients too and tells you what each additive actually is.

Get NutraSafe on the App Store

Free up to 25 logs a day · Pro £3.99/month · iPhone

The NutraSafe calorie counter app diary: 1,853 kcal, macro bars, processing level, and vitamins and minerals for the day
Food additive scanner

Every additive on the pack, in plain English.

Scan a barcode and NutraSafe flags each additive, shows how processed the food is, and scores it, like this cola at 19 out of 100.

19 / 100 3 additives Ultra-processed Caffeine · on your watch list
See the additive scanner
NutraSafe food detail for Coca-Cola: 19 out of 100, very high sugar, 3 additives, ultra-processed, caffeine on your watch list, 139 kcal per 330ml
Colourful vitamin-rich produce tagged with the vitamins each provides: red pepper 190% of daily Vitamin C, kale a day's Vitamin K, carrots rich in Vitamin A 190% daily Vitamin Cfrom 1 red pepper A day's Vitamin Kin a handful of kale Rich in Vitamin Afrom the carrots
Vitamin & mineral tracker

See the vitamins and minerals in everything you log.

NutraSafe estimates them from the UK's food composition tables and tracks them against your daily targets, so a shortfall shows up early.

See the vitamin tracker
Why it's different

A calorie counter that reads the whole label

Most UK calorie counters do one job: they turn a barcode into a calorie total and a split of protein, carbs and fat. NutraSafe does that, then keeps reading. It pulls every additive off the ingredients list and explains it in plain English, scores how processed the food is, and estimates the vitamins and minerals from the UK's food composition tables. The calorie is where other apps stop. For us it's the start.

You log a food the same three ways you would in any tracker: search it, scan the barcode, or photograph the label. What comes back is the difference. A can of cola isn't just 139 calories. It's a processing score, three additives, and the caffeine that sits on your watch list. A supermarket ready meal isn't just its macros. It's the emulsifiers, the colours and the preservatives you would never decode from the pack yourself.

Logging is free for up to 25 foods a day. NutraSafe Pro is £3.99 a month for unlimited logs, the vitamins and minerals, workouts, fasting, the AI Coach and suspected-trigger analysis.

What to look for in a UK calorie counter

Four things separate a calorie counter you keep from one you delete in a week.

It reads UK barcodes

Branded and own-brand. A Tesco meal deal and a tin of Heinz should look up the same way, with the numbers straight off the label.

It shows the ingredients, not just the calories

A calorie total is the easy part. The tool should also tell you what the food is made of, and flag the additives worth knowing about.

It tracks more than calories

Macros, processing, and the vitamins and minerals you are getting. The calorie is one number among several that decide whether a food earns its place.

It uses UK data and UK guidance

Reference intakes and label rules that match what is on the shelf here, sourced to the FSA, NHS and SACN.

How many calories should you eat?

NHS guidance gives an average daily reference of 2,000 kcal for women and 2,500 kcal for men, though your real target depends on age, weight, activity and goal. To lose weight, most people aim for a deficit of 300 to 500 kcal a day and check progress weekly rather than daily. Work out your own number with a TDEE calculator, then log against it.

Accuracy matters more than the app you pick. UK food labels are accurate within 20% by law, and most people underestimate what they eat by 20 to 40% when they guess. Weigh portions where you can, log straight after eating, and use barcode lookups rather than eyeballing.

Questions people ask

Calorie counter questions

Is there a calorie counter that shows food additives?
Yes. NutraSafe counts calories and macros like any tracker, then reads the ingredients list on every barcode you scan and flags each additive in plain English, naming the published concern and who raised it. Most calorie counters stop at the calorie number.
What is the best free calorie counter in the UK?
A good UK calorie counter reads UK supermarket barcodes, lists ingredients in plain English, and tracks more than calories. NutraSafe's free tier logs up to 25 foods a day, scans barcodes, flags additives and lets you log up to 5 reactions. NutraSafe Pro is £3.99 a month for the rest.
How do I count calories to lose weight?
Work out your TDEE, aim for a 300 to 500 kcal deficit a day, log everything you eat, weigh portions where you can, and check progress weekly rather than daily. NutraSafe does the per-food number for you once you scan or search.
Is calorie counting accurate?
UK food labels are accurate within 20% by law. Accuracy improves if you weigh portions, log straight after eating, and use barcode lookups rather than guessing. Most people underestimate by 20 to 40% when they eyeball it.
Do I have to count calories forever?
No. NHS Better Health frames calorie counting as a learning tool. Most people count tightly for a few months to build a sense of portion sizes and calorie density, then check in occasionally. The awareness sticks even when the logging stops.
Does it work with UK supermarkets?
NutraSafe reads any UK barcode, so Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Co-op and Waitrose own-brand products look up the same way as branded ones.

Count the calories. Read the additives. See the vitamins.

Get NutraSafe on the App Store
Free to download · Pro £3.99/month · iPhone