Ask HN: Kicked out of Trader Joe's for photographing nutrition labels?

For the last 4.5 years, I have been building tools in my spare time that allow me to quantify the nutritional content of the foods I eat while doing my shopping. I believe that nutritional analysis should be part of the shopping experience (i.e., before the food is purchased), so I take photos and allow my smart phone to crunch the numbers before making any decisions. I used to be over 300 lbs, and I know that my tools are the only reason I don't blow up like a balloon again.

While shopping at the Trader Joe's in Santa Monica, CA this morning, a manager walked up and asked if he could help me. When I politely declined, he informed me that Trader Joe's does not allow photographs of food items.

Is this a common policy for grocery stores? It seems absurd this would happen in "Silicon Beach." Should I issue a press release for my users to avoid Trader Joe's? Any advice would be appreciated.