SugAR Poke, a free public health app, is focused on displaying the truth about secondary sugar for all food products in local grocery stores. Added sugar is the secondary and hidden sugar that is present in many food products that most Americans consume today, such as salad dressings, pasta sauces and even yogurts.

The app uses augmented reality, a form of virtual technology to display the number of teaspoons of added sugar by analyzing the front of each food label. Two labels are in design: a green and a black label. The green label represents zero teaspoons of added sugar in a food product, while the black label represents any amount of added sugar greater than zero. The app is currently in the demo stage and has been created by a team of developers and interns.

The founder and CEO of Eradicate Childhood Obesity Foundation, Inc. (EChO), Laurent Adamowicz, has stated that, in reference to vending machines, “Imagine the potential of SugAR Poke when you stand in front of the machine and you can literally poke through the glass to see how much added sugar each beverage contains before you make your selection.” Pandora Reality, EChO’s technological partner, has developed the app, and Alper Guler, the chief developer, has stated, “Both of my parents are doctors, so I want to help kids reduce their sugar consumption. That’s why I joined EChO’s team to create a solution.”

SugAR Poke is on Kickstarter and KIND Causes, and is looking for help to combat childhood obesity one pledge at a time. Every $20 they receive allows them to add at least one more food product that can be “poked”. Their goal with the Kickstarter is to input every food product in the supermarket so that shoppers can buy the healthiest options. Donate at kck.st/2tEiwRg.

Cost: Free and available to download now. For more information, visit SugARPoke.wixsite.com/echo4good.