A NEW smartphone application to help people during the pandemic has now broken into the top 10.

Experts from the University of Essex’s School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering have developed a free mobile app called, Nosh.

The app, which is available for free on a range of digital devices, came together after the team noticed the panic-buying and stockpiling habits of shoppers.

Together with their colleagues in India, the scientists worked to produce a platform which could give users an informed decision on what items to buy or not to buy.

Using sophisticated technology and algorithms, Nosh enables shoppers to track the expiry date of food products, in a bid to help minimise food waste.

The user can also plan their shopping in-app and access recipe suggestions so they can use the items they already have more efficiently before they expire.

Nosh, which was the brainchild of Somdip Dey and Anupam Ghosal, has already proved a hit with customers and has been climbing up the app charts.

Somdip Dey said: “In the first week of our app release we gained 300 active users and now, in less than a month of its release, we have crossed 1,000 combined active users on Android and iPhone.”