A barcode is the right capture when the food is packaged. Yogurt, a protein bar, a carton of milk, a frozen meal. A plate photo of a sealed wrapper is guesswork. The barcode is the label. FORM reads it so you are not typing a brand name into a search box.
How barcode logging works
Open scan and point the camera at the barcode. When FORM has the product, you get a card with protein, carbs, fat and energy. Check the serving against what you actually ate. A whole bar and half a bar are different logs. Edit the serving. Always read the label for allergens. Flags in the app are guidance, not a clinical screen.
When a barcode beats a photo
- Anything in a wrapper, can, carton, or box with a code.
- Drinks and snacks you repeat, where a search would be the same every time.
- Groceries you open at home, where the label is still on the package.
A plate of leftovers from that same package can go either way. If the label is gone, scan the plate or describe the meal. If the barcode is still on the tub, scan the code and set the serving to what you took.
What a barcode cannot do
It cannot see oil you added after you opened the pack. It cannot see a second ingredient you mixed in. It cannot read a restaurant plate. For those, use a plate scan, a menu scan, or text. The barcode is for packaged food. Use the right tool for the meal in front of you.
Packaged food and the rest of the day
The card from a barcode is still a meal in FORM. It sits next to workouts, programs, and rest. FORM is not only a barcode calorie log. The barcode is how packaged food gets onto the day without a database marathon.