MadeIn ScanScan the barcode
Point the camera at any grocery barcode (EAN-13, UPC-A or EAN-8). Damaged barcode? Type the numbers instead.
Buy Canadian app:scan a barcode, see where it was made
MadeIn Scan is a free buy Canadian app for the grocery aisle. Point your phone at a barcode to see where the product was made, in the label's own words, who owns the brand, and Canadian alternatives when it isn't Canadian.
Free. No ads, no account, no tracking. English and French.
Buy Canadian at the grocery store, one scan at a time
The app opens straight to the camera. No sign-up, no menus to learn.
See where it was made
A big flag and the claim the label actually makes, plus the brand and, for the big food companies, who owns it: "Canadian brand · owned by PepsiCo, United States".
Pick a Canadian alternative
Imported? Up to three made-in-Canada products from the same category appear right under the result. Tap one to check it too.
Fill a gap in 10 seconds
No origin on file? Tap "Snap the label", photograph the "Made in" line, confirm the country with one tap. Two matching reports and it shows as confirmed for everyone.
Your last 50 scans
History stays on your phone, with flags, so you can find that brand of maple syrup again next week.
Product of Canada vs Made in Canada: what the label means
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets these rules. MadeIn Scan shows the exact words found on the label and never upgrades the claim.
🇨🇦 Product of Canada
The strongest claim. All or virtually all of the major ingredients, the processing and the labour are Canadian.
🇨🇦 Made in Canada
The last substantial transformation happened in Canada, and the label has to say where the ingredients came from: "from domestic and imported ingredients" or "from imported ingredients".
🇨🇦 Prepared, Processed or Packaged in Canada
That step happened here ("Packaged in Canada" can mean imported in bulk). It says nothing about where the ingredients come from, so it's shown as written, never as "Made in Canada".
Source: CFIA, "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" claims on food. When the only data is a factory location, MadeIn Scan says "Manufactured in", not "Made in".
Barcode country of origin: why 754 doesn't mean "made here"
You may have heard that a barcode starting with 754 or 755 means a product is Canadian. It doesn't. The first digits only show where the company registered its barcode numbers. A Canadian company can use U.S.-issued numbers, and a product made in Mexico can carry a Canadian prefix.
So MadeIn Scan never uses the barcode prefix as the country of origin. When nothing else is known it says "Origin unknown", with a small, clearly labelled line, "Barcode registered in…", and a one-line reminder that this isn't where the product was made.
Made in Canada products, filled in by shoppers
Product data comes from Open Food Facts, the free, open food database. Its "made in" information is still thin for many Canadian groceries, so MadeIn Scan lets shoppers fill the gaps. Text recognition runs on your phone, the photo never leaves it, and you confirm the country before anything is sent.
One report shows as "Reported by 1 shopper". Two or more matching reports show as "Confirmed". If shoppers disagree, the app shows the majority and says the reports differ. Every scan you share makes the list of made in Canada products better for the next person in the aisle.
Free, no ads, no account
MadeIn Scan asks for one permission: the camera, the first time you scan. It has no ads, no analytics, no tracking and no location. Your scan history stays on your phone. The only things that reach our server are the barcode you look up and, if you choose to send one, the country you confirmed from a label. Read the privacy policy.
Local Atlantic support
Built here, supported here, in your time zone. A question about the app? Use the form below, or call us: office 506-870-8499 · toll-free 1-877-212-0562.
Ask a question
About the app, a product it got wrong, or your store's own Canadian products. We answer every message.
Questions people ask
Is it really free?
Yes. No price, no ads, no in-app purchases, no account. MadeIn Scan is offered free by EnAffaire Technologies Inc. as part of the We Are Canadians campaign.
What if the app says "Origin unknown"?
That product isn't in the data yet. Tap "Snap the label to add it", photograph the line that says where it was made and confirm the country. Your report shows up straight away.
Where does "owned by" come from?
For the major food companies we keep a hand-checked list of brands and their parent companies. If a brand isn't on it, the app doesn't guess.
Does it work in French?
Yes. It follows your phone's language, and you can switch between English and French in Settings.
Do you send my photos anywhere?
No. Label text is read on your phone. Only the country you confirm is sent, with the barcode, and nothing that identifies you.