# Tallow: Seed Oil Food Scanner — Ingredient & Additive Checker

> Food scanner grading ingredients, additives, contaminants, and processing levels. (iPhone/iPad app by Maddox Schmidlkofer.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tallow-seed-oil-food-scanner/id6769135569 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Maddox Schmidlkofer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1858300107)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Food & Drink
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 97 App Store ratings · 9 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 66 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-17
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tallow-seed-oil-food-scanner/id6769135569/reviews.md

## What is Tallow?

Scan a barcode. See every seed oil, dye, and additive hiding in your food — and get one 0–100 score that shows you its own math.

Tallow is a real food scanner for people who actually read labels. Point your camera at any grocery product and Tallow breaks it down in seconds: every ingredient rated and explained in plain English, ultra-processing flagged, packaging graded, and a straight thumbs up or thumbs down against the standards you set.

WHY THIS SCORE — NO BLACK BOX
Every product starts at 100 and loses points for what's actually in it. Tap "Why this score" and every deduction is right there, line by line:
• Harmful ingredients: −40, −10, or −3 each, depending on severity and position on the label
• Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): −10 · Processed (NOVA 3): −5
• Risky packaging (plastic and risky food contact): up to −8
• Certified organic: +5
No paid placements. No brand can buy a better grade. And when there isn't enough data to judge a product, Tallow says "unrated" instead of faking a clean 100.

LAB-TESTED CONTAMINANTS
Select products carry independent lab results for heavy metals, PFAS, and other contaminants that never show up on an ingredient list. When a product's been tested, you'll see the confirmed findings and the exact limits they're measured against.

YOUR STANDARDS — A VERDICT, NOT JUST A NUMBER
Tell Tallow what you refuse: seed oils, artificial ingredients, ultra-processed, high sugar, high carbs, risky packaging. Every product you scan gets a plain thumbs up or thumbs down against your list — and shows you exactly which check failed and why.

EVERY SEED OIL, BY NAME
Canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, rice bran — plus the label tricks that hide them: "vegetable oil," "plant-based oil," salad oil, shortening, margarine, hydrogenated and interesterified oils. Called out by name, every time.

INGREDIENTS, EXPLAINED
Tap any ingredient to find out what it actually is, why it's rated the way it is, and whether it's worth avoiding.

HEALTHIER SWAPS
Flagged product? Tallow surfaces a better-scoring alternative from the same shelf, so you're not left standing in the aisle with nothing to buy.

PANTRY SCORE & STREAKS
Save what you scan, build a scanning streak, and earn badges as your habits improve — one number tells you how clean your kitchen actually is.

KID-SAFE MODE
Toggle it on and Tallow grades harder: harmful ingredients, ultra-processing, and risky packaging all count 1.5×. Built for parents reading labels for their kids.

SEED OIL FREE RESTAURANTS
A community-rated map of restaurants across the U.S., scored on seed oil use, additives, and plastic contact. Rate the places you know and help the map grow.

BUILT FOR
• Seed-oil-aware shoppers
• Parents reading labels for their kids
• Carnivore, ancestral, paleo, and animal-based eaters

FREE AND PREMIUM
Scanning is free and unlimited — the score, your standards verdict, saved products, pantry score, profiles, and the restaurant map all cost nothing.

Tallow Premium unlocks:
• The full ingredient list, each one rated and explained
• The line-by-line "Why this score" breakdown
• Healthier Swaps
• Nutrition facts
• Product search and category browsing across the whole database

Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Manage or cancel in iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Restore Purchases is available on the paywall screen.

AI DISCLOSURE
Some ingredient ratings are generated by an AI system constrained to a published rubric. Essential vitamins and minerals are never penalized.

Terms (Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Tallow Terms: https://tallow.app/terms
Privacy: https://tallow.app/privacy

For educational and informational purposes only. Not medical, dietary, or nutritional advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing your diet.

## Key features

- Barcode scanning for food analysis
- Transparent scoring system (0-100)
- Detailed breakdown of score deductions
- Identification of ultra-processed foods (NOVA 4)
- Detection of contaminants and harmful ingredients
- Smart swaps for healthier alternatives (Premium)
- Kid-Safe Mode for enhanced safety checks (Premium)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tallow Premium (7-Day Trial) | $29.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (7-Day Trial) | $39.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (7-Day Trial) | $49.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (7-Day Trial) | $59.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Tallow Premium (3-Day Trial) | $29.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (Special Offer) | $19.99 | per year |
| Tallow Premium (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Tallow Pro — Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Recent user reviews (9 of 9)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tallow-seed-oil-food-scanner/id6769135569/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Not trust worthy

*2026-08-11*

Says free on the web site, but plays all kinds of games to trick you into signing up during onboarding.

Scanned first food and it labeled avocado oil as bad for you.

**Developer response:** Hi! We simply ask you if you want to try the paid version, and in the top right it says "try the free version!", maybe you misunderstood? the app can be used completely for free.

Avocado oil was just tested in a UC Davis study to find almost all tests found items labeled "avocado oil" cut with other oils, and we added that the ingredient information tab (part of what we do in the app is keep up to date with current research).

id love to help you out and learn more, email us here -> support@tallow.app so we can get feedback on how to make onboarding more clear.

### 2/5 — Needs work

*2026-07-01*

It’s a great concept but searching for items requires a subscription. Also, it fails to detect the photo of the item when you are trying to add an item to the database. So far I have not succeeded in adding a single item.

**Developer response:** Hey Liam! That will stay a subscription for the time being, as its a useful feature that someone would pay for, and can help pay for me to continue on the app! I hope you can understand, for adding items, this was a known bug, and im sorry about this, this has now been fixed!

thank you for the review man! -maddox

### 5/5 — Very good app

*2026-06-04*

This app helped me find healthy food

### 5/5 — Saves time and removes the tedious guesswork

*2026-05-29*

I found this app very useful for quickly helping me assess the healthiness/nutritional value of a given product. It saves time in, 1) not having to take the time to read the entire label (ie the ingredients and more label content) and, 2) having to take the time to research and learn the ingredients and product aspects that make it less healthy and, 3) providing alternatives without me having to do the research myself.

### 5/5 — Very easy to stay healthy

*2026-05-19*

Until I got this app, I didn't even realize how many dangerous chemicals and particles go into the food that I eat on a daily basis. Moreover, how much of the food is potentially killing me every single time I consume it. I'm really happy to be able to stay on top of it and make meaningful progress towards keeping my mind and body healthy.

### 5/5 — I love finding the hidden poisons

*2026-05-19*

I love that I found this app off of TikTok as it was advertised to have lab data. The feature works like a charm! App is simple but that’s what I want. Thx!

### 5/5 — Good app!

*2026-05-17*

It’s similar to Yuka but actually looks at seed oils plastics and processes. Amazing!

### 5/5 — W app

*2026-05-17*

Yo! I made this app, but it is great! Whats nice about this compared to others is each product gets a deep research to find lab tests to find hidden contaminants on each product.

### 5/5 — love it!!

*2026-05-17*

this app showed me stuff i genuinely didn’t think would be in my food/drinks 😭 i like that it actually tells you EVERYTHING you might wanna worry about instead of barely showing anything. definitely using this over the other scanner apps now

**Developer response:** Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it. We pride ourselves in data analysis to find those hidden contaminants.

## Frequently asked questions about Tallow

### What is Tallow?

Tallow is a food scanner that analyzes the ingredients and potential contaminants in packaged foods. It provides a transparent score from 0-100 based on factors like seed oils, additives, and ultra-processing.

### How does Tallow score food?

Every product starts at 100 points and loses points for harmful ingredients, ultra-processing (NOVA 4), contaminants above regulatory limits, and microplastics/PFAS. The 'Why this score' sheet details each deduction.

### Does Tallow have ads?

No, Tallow does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download and use for basic scanning, with premium features available via subscription.

### What premium features does Tallow offer?

Premium features include unlimited scans, full lab data and citations, Kid-Safe Mode, Smart Swaps for healthier alternatives, scan history, and a Seed Oil-Free Restaurant Map.

### How much does Tallow Premium cost?

Tallow Premium is available as a yearly subscription for $19.99, which includes a 3-day free trial.

### What devices does Tallow support?

Tallow is available on iPhone and iPod devices, as indicated by its supported devices list.

### How often is Tallow updated?

The app was last updated on June 14, 2026, with version 1.4 being the latest release.

### What is the age rating for Tallow?

Tallow has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users including younger individuals and families.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.8 — 2026-08-21

Badges are here — earn bronze, silver, and gold for scanning, rating restaurants, and helping build the catalog. Lab-tested contaminant findings are easier to spot on product pages, and the barcode contribution flow is smoother when a product isn't in Tallow yet. Plus bug fixes and stability improvements.

### 1.7 — 2026-08-14

Lab-tested contaminant results are now live on select products — see confirmed lab findings, not just ingredient-list guesses. We've also tightened up scoring accuracy across the board and squashed a batch of bugs in badges, reports, and product pages.

### 1.6 — 2026-08-08

This one is all about making Tallow faster and more reliable.

• Map: smoother panning and zooming, sharper search results, and a "center on me" button that actually centers on you.
• Scanning: quicker barcode lookups and much clearer status while a new product is still being researched.
• Search: more accurate category results and better ordering.
• Ingredients: an upgraded label parser that catches more seed oils and hidden additives on messy labels.
• Restaurant ratings now submit reliably, every time.
• Fixed password reset links, account deletion, and a handful of sign-in edge cases.
• Lots of small speed and stability improvements throughout.

### 1.5 — 2026-07-26

Tallow just got a full redesign.

• A cleaner, faster app throughout — new product pages, clearer ingredient breakdowns, and scores that are easy to read at a glance.
• Your Standards: tell us what you care about (seed oils, dyes, added sugar and more) and every product is checked against your list.
• Pantry Score: see how clean your scans have been this week.
• Healthier Swaps: better-rated alternatives right on the product page.
• Profiles: share your pantry and see what other people are scanning.
• Improved map and restaurant ratings so you can find real food near you.
• More accurate ingredient research on every scan.
• Plenty of bug fixes and speed improvements.

### 1.4 — 2026-06-14

• Smoother, more reliable sign-in and onboarding.
• Returning subscribers are now recognized right away — no more seeing the paywall after you've already subscribed.
• The restaurant map now shows the correct city and state nationwide, with a better mix of places and fewer duplicate pins crowding the view.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.

## More apps by Maddox Schmidlkofer

- [SkySniffer - Contrail Analyser](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skysniffer-contrail-analyser/id6756071974)

All apps by Maddox Schmidlkofer: https://appshunter.io/developer/1858300107

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*