I think the simple act of putting "donate by" on the packaging will encourage people to be more mindful and consider donating more often, simple yet effective!

Hey Veronica, thanks for your comment! When I say there isn't a accessible database I mean that if they're is one, it is private. I'm sure supermarkets and manufacturers have a huge database of barcodes but they're privatized for sure. It could be possible to make a deal to get access to that information, but it doesn't eliminate the manual entry. RFID tags would add a cost but not much, hopefully it would be a matter of pennies. QR codes are a good "stepping stone" in between the current state of things and RFID technology, especially since with  initiatives like Smart Label (http://smartlabel.org/) they might soon be on products. I'm imaging ways to bridge the gap between my vision and the current situation and will hopefully be posting an update soon based on all the feedback I've received. Manual entry should definitely be an option for those situations when there is no RFID or QR code. Thanks for the feedback, glad you like my idea!

Hi Hannah, thanks for your thoughtful comment! I've considered the receipt idea and the shopping list integration, both are interesting add-ons! I was thinking of possibly making different "tiers" of the app - maybe the receipt upload could be a first step for people who don't want to go through installing scanners in their homes just yet. there could be many add on features like shopping lists or recipe creation..just want to keep it from getting too complicated. Thoughts?