# Approved Food UK Scraper (`automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper`) Actor Scrape ApprovedFood.co.uk discount grocery products, prices, RRP savings, stock levels, brands, images, and product URLs. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stas Persiianenko](https://apify.com/automation-lab) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Approved Food UK Scraper Scrape public ApprovedFood.co.uk product data for discount grocery monitoring, deal analysis, and stock tracking. The actor collects product names, brands, prices, RRP savings, stock quantity, best-before dates, image URLs, and product URLs from Approved Food categories, searches, and storefront URLs. ### What does Approved Food UK Scraper do? Approved Food UK Scraper extracts structured product records from ApprovedFood.co.uk. It is built for public catalog data that shoppers can see in the storefront. Use it to monitor changing clearance grocery prices, track branded product availability, and build repeatable discount-retail datasets. The actor uses the public storefront API, so it is faster and cheaper than a browser scraper. ### Who is it for? - 🛒 UK grocery analysts tracking discount-retail price movement. - 💷 Deal aggregators looking for price drops and high-savings products. - 🏷️ CPG brands monitoring how their products appear in clearance channels. - 📦 Resellers and buyers checking low-cost stock opportunities. - 📈 Ecommerce teams benchmarking savings, stock depth, and product mix. ### Why use this actor? - HTTP-only extraction keeps runs fast and inexpensive. - Search and category inputs support both broad and targeted workflows. - Output includes current price, RRP, saving amount, and saving percentage. - Product URLs and image URLs make downstream review simple. - Stock quantity and best-before fields help users prioritize urgent deals. ### What data can I scrape? | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `name` | Product display name | | `brand` | Brand name when available | | `category` | Default category from Approved Food | | `currentPrice` | Current Approved Food selling price | | `rrpPrice` | Recommended retail price | | `savingsAmount` | Difference between RRP and current price | | `savingsPercent` | Percentage saving versus RRP | | `stockQuantity` | Available stock after reserved quantity | | `availability` | `in_stock` or `out_of_stock` | | `bestBeforeDate` | Best-before date when provided | | `size` | Pack size or unit text | | `barcode` | Product barcode when provided | | `imageUrl` | Product image URL | | `productUrl` | Approved Food product page URL | | `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp for the extraction | ### How much does it cost to scrape Approved Food products? This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You pay a small start fee per run and a per-product fee for each saved dataset row. Because the actor calls the JSON storefront API directly, it does not need browser compute for normal use. For a first test, keep `maxItems` at 100 or lower. ### How to use Approved Food UK Scraper 1. Open the actor on Apify. 2. Add one or more search terms, category slugs, or Approved Food URLs. 3. Set `maxItems` to your desired result count. 4. Run the actor. 5. Export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or via API. ### Input options #### Search terms Use `searchTerms` for targeted product discovery. Examples: - `coffee` - `chocolate` - `protein` - `pasta` - `cleaning` #### Category slugs Use `categorySlugs` for category monitoring. Examples: - `groceries` - `drinks` - `household` - `beauty` - `baby` - `pets` #### Start URLs Use `startUrls` when you already have ApprovedFood.co.uk URLs. The actor supports category URLs and product URLs. Product URLs are converted into targeted searches so matching product rows can be saved from the API. ### Example input ```json { "searchTerms": ["coffee", "chocolate"], "categorySlugs": ["groceries"], "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/groceries" }], "maxItems": 100, "includeChildCategories": true, "includeOutOfStock": false, "sortBy": "priority" } ```` ### Example output ```json { "id": 40051384, "productId": 195091, "name": "Nescafe Dolce Gusto Latte Macchiato Coffee Pods 8 Servings", "brand": "Nescafe", "category": "groceries", "currentPrice": 4, "rrpPrice": 5.35, "savingsAmount": 1.35, "savingsPercent": 25.23, "stockQuantity": 563, "availability": "in_stock", "bestBeforeDate": "2025-07-31", "size": "8 Servings", "barcode": "7613037505641", "imageUrl": "https://cache.cdn.approvedfood.co.uk/product/195091/?width=600&height=600&webImage=true", "productUrl": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/product/40051384-nescafe-dolce-gusto-latte-macchiato-coffee-pods-8-servings/.", "sourceType": "search", "sourceValue": "coffee", "scrapedAt": "2026-07-07T00:00:00.000Z" } ``` ### Tips for better results - Start with one category and `maxItems` 100 for a quick baseline. - Use search terms for brand or product-family tracking. - Enable child categories when you want full category coverage. - Disable child categories for a narrower category-only view. - Keep out-of-stock products disabled unless you are measuring unavailable inventory. ### Integrations Use this actor in recurring workflows: - Save daily Approved Food prices to Google Sheets. - Alert a Slack channel when savings exceed a threshold. - Feed product records into a deal newsletter pipeline. - Compare current prices with previous Apify dataset snapshots. - Join barcodes with internal CPG or reseller product catalogs. ### API usage #### Node.js ```js import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper').call({ searchTerms: ['coffee'], maxItems: 100 }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN') run = client.actor('automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper').call(run_input={ 'searchTerms': ['coffee'], 'maxItems': 100, }) print(run['defaultDatasetId']) ``` #### cURL ```bash curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~approved-food-uk-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"searchTerms":["coffee"],"maxItems":100}' ``` ### MCP usage Use the Apify MCP server with Claude Desktop or Claude Code. MCP URL: ```text https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper ``` Claude Code setup: ```bash claude mcp add apify-approved-food --transport http "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper" ``` Claude Desktop JSON config: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify-approved-food": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompts: - "Scrape 100 Approved Food coffee products and summarize the biggest savings." - "Monitor the groceries category and list products with more than 50% savings." - "Find Approved Food chocolate products with stock above 50 units." ### Data quality notes Approved Food product availability can change quickly. The actor records `scrapedAt` so you can compare snapshots over time. Stock quantity is calculated from quantity minus reserved quantity when both values are available. Savings are calculated from RRP and current sale price. ### Limitations The actor scrapes public storefront data only. It does not log in, add products to baskets, reserve stock, or access private account data. If Approved Food changes its storefront API, the actor may need an update. ### Legality This actor is designed for public product catalog data. Users are responsible for complying with Apify terms, Approved Food terms, and applicable law. Do not use extracted data for spam, fraud, or any activity that violates platform rules. ### FAQ #### Does this actor need a proxy? No proxy is required for normal public API access. #### Can it scrape product detail pages? The actor saves product URLs and product fields returned by the storefront API. It does not use a browser to render detail pages. #### Why are some categories empty? Approved Food inventory changes often. Try enabling child categories or using a broader category slug. #### Why is `bestBeforeDate` missing? Some product records do not include a best-before date. ### Troubleshooting If you get no results, check that your category slug is valid. If search results look broad, use more specific terms such as brand plus product type. If you need all storefront products, leave search terms, category slugs, and start URLs empty and set `maxItems` to the desired limit. ### Related scrapers Other Automation Lab actors that pair well with this workflow: - https://apify.com/automation-lab/hotukdeals-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/dealabs-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/google-shopping-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/website-contact-finder ### Changelog Initial version extracts Approved Food product rows from the public storefront API. ### Support If the actor stops returning expected fields, open an issue on Apify with your input and run ID. ### Dataset export Apify datasets can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML. Use the dataset API for scheduled pipelines and dashboards. ### Monitoring workflow Run the actor daily with the same input. Compare prices, stock, and savings against yesterday's dataset. Trigger alerts when a target product or brand appears. ### Buyer workflow examples A reseller can watch `groceries` for deep discounts. A CPG analyst can monitor branded clearance products. A deal editor can search for chocolate, coffee, and household staples before publishing a daily roundup. # Actor input Schema ## `searchTerms` (type: `array`): Approved Food product searches, for example coffee, chocolate, protein, pasta, cleaning, or beauty. ## `categorySlugs` (type: `array`): Approved Food category slugs such as groceries, drinks, household, beauty, baby, or pets. Child categories are included by default. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): ApprovedFood.co.uk category, search, or product URLs. Category URLs are mapped to the storefront API; product URLs are used as targeted searches. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of product records to save across all sources. ## `includeChildCategories` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, category inputs include products from subcategories such as chocolate bars under Groceries > Chocolate. ## `includeOutOfStock` (type: `boolean`): Keep products with zero available quantity if the Approved Food API returns them. ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Storefront sort mode. Search inputs default to relevancy; category inputs default to Approved Food priority. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchTerms": [ "coffee", "chocolate" ], "categorySlugs": [ "groceries" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/groceries" } ], "maxItems": 20, "includeChildCategories": true, "includeOutOfStock": false, "sortBy": "priority" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchTerms": [ "coffee", "chocolate" ], "categorySlugs": [ "groceries" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/groceries" } ], "maxItems": 20, "includeChildCategories": true, "includeOutOfStock": false, "sortBy": "priority" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchTerms": [ "coffee", "chocolate", ], "categorySlugs": ["groceries"], "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/groceries" }], "maxItems": 20, "includeChildCategories": True, "includeOutOfStock": False, "sortBy": "priority", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchTerms": [ "coffee", "chocolate" ], "categorySlugs": [ "groceries" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/groceries" } ], "maxItems": 20, "includeChildCategories": true, "includeOutOfStock": false, "sortBy": "priority" }' | apify call automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/approved-food-uk-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Approved Food UK Scraper", "description": "Scrape ApprovedFood.co.uk discount grocery products, prices, RRP savings, stock levels, brands, images, and product URLs.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "LfIUWFCyckXtDnno4" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automation-lab~approved-food-uk-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automation-lab-approved-food-uk-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~approved-food-uk-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automation-lab-approved-food-uk-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~approved-food-uk-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automation-lab-approved-food-uk-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchTerms": { "title": "Search terms", "type": "array", "description": "Approved Food product searches, for example coffee, chocolate, protein, pasta, cleaning, or beauty.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "categorySlugs": { "title": "Category slugs", "type": "array", "description": "Approved Food category slugs such as groceries, drinks, household, beauty, baby, or pets. Child categories are included by default.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startUrls": { "title": "Start URLs", "type": "array", "description": "ApprovedFood.co.uk category, search, or product URLs. Category URLs are mapped to the storefront API; product URLs are used as targeted searches.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum products", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of product records to save across all sources.", "default": 20 }, "includeChildCategories": { "title": "Include child categories", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, category inputs include products from subcategories such as chocolate bars under Groceries > Chocolate.", "default": true }, "includeOutOfStock": { "title": "Include out-of-stock products", "type": "boolean", "description": "Keep products with zero available quantity if the Approved Food API returns them.", "default": false }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort products by", "enum": [ "priority", "relevancy", "newest", "price_asc", "price_desc", "savings" ], "type": "string", "description": "Storefront sort mode. Search inputs default to relevancy; category inputs default to Approved Food priority.", "default": "priority" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```