Partnership with STRICH for professional barcode scanning
Matthias Schmid
July 14, 2023
Simplifying household organization through barcode scanning
Creating a list of everything that's deep down in the freezer or in the basement is quite a chore. Nevertheless, such a list helps to keep a better track of supplies, to shop more purposefully, and to restock and consume before food goes bad.
The barcode, which is found on almost all food items, greatly speeds up the process! After all, scanning provides information on almost all products - including name, photo, package size, and makes creating a stock list child's play.
The Pantry.App uses a barcode scanner for organizing and facilitating household management with a database of nearly 3 million products.
Why something new at all?
When I started to rebuild the Speisekammer.App in 2019 as a successor to the "Prepper App" in the iOS App Store, I initially decided on a web app. The advantages are obvious: As a website, the app works on almost any device and the development effort was low. However, it quickly became apparent that barcode scanning, while possible, had its weaknesses. For instance, the barcode scanner used in the web app at that time had several problems:
- The recognition performance was generally not as high as one would expect
- In modern cell phones with multiple lenses, sometimes the wrong one was selected, the image was not sharp, and the barcode was not read
- For reliable scans, an additional external scanner was necessary
- To scan, one had to search for the WebApp in the browser - there is no app icon
It quickly became apparent that a web app was an optimal solution for power users and small businesses, but not for end-users who want to quickly scan something in the basement. Here, our iOS and Android app, which was released in 2021, is more suitable. The integrated barcode scanner is robust and utilizes the latest technology with machine learning.
Introduction to STRICH
Alex Suzuki developed STRICH as a professional solution for barcode scanning in web apps. Among others, he managed to impress the Swiss Federal Railways as a notable client - the integration of his scanning library there was completed in less than a day. The same was true for the integration into the Speisekammer.App - an initial integration was satisfactorily completed in under half a day.
Alex responded very promptly to questions and always provided competent help - among other things, by quickly translating the library's error messages into German for our users, who are predominantly from the D-A-CH region.
An impressive demonstration of performance can be found on the Strich.io website. Here it becomes clear how the STRICH Open-Source Library excels in browser scanning.
Even these worn barcodes are quickly and reliably recognized by the library, while the open-source competitors already give up here.
These (DHL) barcodes are robustly recognized by Strich.io.
So if you're considering integrating a barcode scanner into your app as well, I can highly recommend STRICH!
Benefits of using BARCODE with the Pantry App
With the update of the barcode scanner, you can now save time with even faster and more robust scanning! You can also use the WebApp with the latest multi-lens phones starting immediately.
Feel free to try out the new scanner! If you have any feedback, we would love to hear from you! Please send us an email at kontakt@speisekammer.app. For questions regarding STRICH, it's best to directly email Alex at hello <at> pixelverse.ch
The best kitchen tools to turn leftovers into delicious dishes 🍲✨
Hand on heart: Each of us has them – those little leftovers in the fridge or pantry that somehow never get properly planned for. But it's exactly these remnants that can often be turned into the most creative and delicious dishes! All you need are a few clever kitchen tools that make the work easier and get the best out of your ingredients.
Here are our favorites:
🥣 1. The powerful blender
Smoothies, soups, dips – a good blender transforms leftover vegetables, fruit, or even bread into a new dish in seconds. Perfect when bananas are a bit brown or the vegetables no longer look crisp.
🔪 2. A sharp chef's knife
Sounds simple, but a really good knife is worth its weight in gold. It allows you to cut vegetable and meat scraps precisely and quickly. Moreover, cooking is just more fun when you have the right tools.
🍳 3. A cast iron skillet
The all-rounder in the kitchen: fried potatoes made from leftover boiled potatoes, frittatas with yesterday's vegetables, or crispy bread cubes from stale bread – everything tastes twice as good in a cast-iron skillet.
🥕 4. Vegetable Peeler & Grater
A modest tool with a big impact: grate carrot leftovers, turn zucchini into noodles, or finely shred cheese remnants. With a peeler and grater, you bring variety to your leftover cooking.
🥡 5. Storage Containers & Screw-top Jars
Without proper storage, nothing works. You can keep leftovers fresh, transport them, or even prepare them for the next meal prepping. Tip: Jars are also great for serving small amounts in style.
🌱 6. Kitchen Scale
It's practical to know exactly how much is left over, especially with leftovers. This way, you can adjust recipes and avoid waste.
🥄 7. Personal Blender
The little brother of the blender – perfect for soups or sauces right in the pot. When only a small amount needs to be processed, it's super convenient.
How Smantry additionally helps you 📲
With the Smantry App you can not only keep an eye on your supplies, but soon you'll also be able to discover recipes for your leftovers. This way, you'll immediately know which tool to take out of the cupboard to save your food and create something new.
👉 Because good tools and the right app are the perfect combo to combat food waste.
New laws on food waste in Spain
Spain has recently passed a groundbreaking law to combat food waste. This law requires all actors in the food chain, from producers to retailers, to implement specific plans to prevent food loss.
Key provisions of the law:
Obligation to donate surplus food: Supermarkets with a floor space of more than 1,300 square meters are now required to form partnerships with non-profit organizations to donate surplus food that is still fit for consumption. These donations are exempt from value-added tax.
Offer of packaging for leftover food: Restaurants and bars are required to provide their guests with free, reusable or recyclable packaging so that they can take home uneaten food. The aim is to raise consumer awareness of food waste and encourage them to take leftovers with them.
Promotion of the sale of products with approaching expiration dates: Retailers should offer products that are nearing their expiration date or have aesthetic defects at reduced prices to encourage their sale and reduce waste.
Hierarchy of priorities for dealing with surplus food: The law establishes an order for handling surplus food. Priority is given to human consumption through donations. If this is not possible, the food should be used for the production of processed products. The last options include using it as animal feed or for energy generation.
Sanctions for violations:
Companies that violate the provisions of the law can expect fines ranging from 2,000 to 500,000 euros.
Critique and Outlook:
While the law is considered an important step in the fight against food waste in Europe, there is also criticism. Some voices argue that the strict framework of sanctions could disproportionately burden companies and that the law does not sufficiently address the role of consumers, who are responsible for a significant portion of food waste.
Nevertheless, the law is seen as a significant advancement in reducing food waste and promoting a more sustainable awareness in society.
Join in and reduce food waste! 🌱📲
Spain's new law demonstrates: Sustainability starts in the pantry! With the Speisekammer App you can keep track of your groceries, plan meals efficiently, and avoid unnecessary waste.
👉 Download the app now and join the movement for less waste and more conscious consumption! 💚 Try it now!
Sharing supplies together – why the Shared Economy is now moving into the kitchen
The concept of Shared Economy has long been more than a short-term trend – it's changing our everyday lives. More and more neighborhoods, shared apartments, and community projects are discovering how practical it is to organize groceries together and manage supplies transparently.
Why sharing supplies is becoming increasingly popular
- Save on costs: Bulk purchases become cheaper when more people participate.
- Save space: Not everyone needs their own package of rice or pasta.
- Better organization: Digital tools make it easy to see what is available.
- Experiencing community: Food brings people together – as does camping together.
From the flatshare to the neighborhood
Especially in shared apartments or families with multiple households it pays off to keep a communal stock of supplies. But neighborhood projects or small communities are also recognizing the added value: shopping, storing, and using together.
How Smantry helps
This is where Smantry comes into play:
- Community Feature: Supplies can be managed collectively.
- Transparency: Everyone can see which items are available.
- Efficiency: Duplicate purchases are avoided, leftovers are used up in time.
- Flexibility: Soon it will become even easier to manage entire communities (including new features such as categories or the option to completely delete communities).
👉 The shared economy doesn't stop with cars – it moves right into your kitchen. With Smantry sharing supplies becomes easier than ever.
At last, it's here: The categorization of articles 🎉
Over the past few months, we have collected numerous feedback from you – and the request for better organization of supplies was one of the most frequent wishes. Soon, it will be possible to sort your items into individual categories, so that you can keep track of everything even more quickly.
Why categories are so practical
- 🥦 More organization in your pantry: Instead of a long list, you can structure your products into categories such as "Vegetables", "Beverages", or "Household Goods".
- ⏱️ Faster Finding: No more long scrolling – jump straight to the right category.
- 👨👩👧👦 Improved collaboration: In communities or family households, everyone can immediately see where things belong.
- 🌍 Customization: You can create your own categories that suit your needs – whether for meal prep, stockpiling, or just your everyday life.
Your wish will become reality ✨
We know how important this feature is to you. That's why our development team has implemented categorization as a high priority. It will soon be available step by step in the app – fulfilling one of the biggest wishes of our community.
We are thrilled that we can make everyday life even easier for you with this. Stay tuned – as always, we will keep you updated on when the feature will be officially released.
👉 Do you already have ideas on how you want to structure your categories? Feel free to send us your suggestions or requests – your input might directly influence the ongoing development.