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Trying to figure out which grocery store products are produced in Canada? You’re not alone.
Amid news regarding potential tariffs on some Canadian goods and products by the U.S. government, many Canadians have been motivated to shop for domestically produced items. So, Sasha Ivanov, a local computer science researcher and mobile app developer with a background in human and AI interaction, decided to make the process of supporting and shopping locally easier and more efficient with Maple Scan, an app that launched in late February.
With Maple Scan, users can take photos of products on store shelves while they shop, and within seconds, the app uses the label to identify if the product is Canadian-made or Canadian-owned and whether tariffs affect that product or not. The app also generates a “Canada Score Card,” a mini profile on the product that includes background information on the producer and where the product was manufactured.
One standout feature of Maple Scan is that if a product is not made in Canada (or the app cannot confirm whether the product is Canadian-made), the app provides users with a list of alternative Canadian-made products to consider, with information on where the products can be purchased online or even in nearby stores.
Staying true to its support of Canada, Maple Scan is also available in both official languages, English and French.
“This moment is really underscoring and highlighting the need and the benefits of supporting local communities,” says Ivanov. “Our goal really is to just help people buy local and buy Canadian.”
Since its release, Maple Scan has had more than 100,000 downloads. It’s available on the Apple app store and on Google Play.