This shopping app will help food allergy sufferers avoid triggers in grocery stores

If you’re lactose-intolerant, gluten-free, or one of more than 50 million Americans who suffer from allergies, good news: Grocery shopping might just become a lot less complicated thanks to a new smartphone app that makes filtering out prohibited foods as simple as a cashier scan.

The app, created by Swiss barcode scanning platform Scandit, lets shoppers personalize their dietary preferences, then simply nix triggering products on participating store shelves with the help of augmented reality filters. It will include various categories such as lactose- or nut-free. Scandit hopes a portion U.S grocery stores will roll out the capability within six to nine months, reports USA Today.

“Standing in front of shelves filled with hundreds of items can be an intimidating experience,” Scandit CEO Samuel Mueller told the newspaper. “Instead of picking the best item, many shoppers just give up and pick the most familiar one. (Augmented reality) filtering enables shoppers to quickly see beyond the shelves and into the products themselves so they can find exactly what they want in the most efficient way.”

The Scandit announcement is the latest in grocery store technology aiming to make the chore faster, easier, and more precise. As Fast Company previously reported, Amazon Go’s cashier-less store is just one of many competitors utilizing sensors and AI to transform the consumer experience.

In July, Scandit raised $30 million in a series B round of funding led by Alphabet’s venture capital arm GV, bringing it to a total of $43 million. The Zurich-based company produces a number of scanning products with clients across various industries, including Verizon, GE Healthcare, Home Depot, and Shell.