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It’s kind of ironic that
bleeding-edge technology is helping
people get back to simpler, healthier food.
For years, nutritional information has
been provided on food labels and even
at major restaurant chains. But pulling
together a healthy-eating strategy is still a
lot of work. The result is often a piecemeal
approach that leaves food consumers won-
dering if they are winning or losing.
But technology can help.
Apps
An app called Fooducate allows users to
scan a food product’s barcode to get a full
nutritional assessment that highlights red-
flag issues like high sodium content, trans
fat content and other unhealthy elements.
It goes beyond counting calories—the app
assesses how healthy the product is, and
provides suggestions for better options
where available. Users can even personal-
ize Fooducate to help avoid allergens such
as nuts or gluten. The app tracks calorie
intake and exercise to help users looking
to lose weight and track their progress.
Another handy app is CSPI Chemical
Cuisine. Demystify food labels by looking
up unknown ingredients—the app ex-
plains what they are and flags any health
concerns.
Still using pen and paper to create
the weekly shopping list? There are
numerous apps available to make this
a paperless task and deliver additional
benefits. Healthy food choices don’t have
to be more expensive. If you are a coupon
clipper, use an app like Flipp to enter your
location, browse local flyers on screen and
save the coupons you want. Checkout 51
offers a variation on that theme—instead
of clipping virtual coupons, it generates a
list of discounted products once a week.
Buy the product at any store, take a pic-
ture of your receipt and redeem the deal
to get cash back. Cheques are mailed out
once you reach $20 in rebates.
For many consumers, buying fresh,
local produce is an important part of a
healthy diet. An app called Farmers Fresh
is GPS-enabled so you can find the nearest
farmers market. You can also search by
postal code or city. You can even search
for a specific product, such as sweet corn
or asparagus.
Social media
Tools like Facebook and Twitter have
become extremely popular among both
food consumers and primary producers.
Connecting with farmers via social media
allows buyers to learn more about how
their food is produced, and where and
when to buy the healthy products they are
looking for. Direct communication with
clients gives producers a strong under-
standing of what consumers want and
how to earn their business.
Appliances
Over the past couple of years, there has
been a lot of hype about the arrival of
the “smart fridge” with its built-in LCD
touch-screen. The concept takes the
refrigerator way beyond keeping food
chilled or frozen. You can program your
fridge to keep track of what’s inside using
barcodes or radio frequency ID scanning.
An Internet connection links your refrig-
erator to your smartphone, and can alert
you by email if you need to replenish
certain food items or if perishable foods
are approaching their “best before” date.
A smart fridge can even suggest potential
dishes or healthy recipes based on what’s
on hand. Manufacturers such as LG and
Samsung lead the way in offering these
high-tech ice boxes, which cost two to
three times that of a basic unit.
Utensils
There is no shortage of technology to help
consumers determine what to eat, where
to buy it and how to keep track of it. But
you can also get help while you eat.
An electronic fork called the HAPIfork
monitors your eating habits and lets you
know with flashing lights or gentle vibra-
tions when you are eating too fast. Sound
crazy? Maybe, but there is evidence that
speed eating leads to poor digestion and
weight gain. The fork measures how long
it took to eat your meal, the number of
“fork servings” taken per minute, and the
time intervals between each trip the fork
takes from plate to mouth.
Technology can support a healthier
diet—but remember that it’s still up to
you to follow through and use it. Bon
appétit!
Peter Gredig is a corn, soybean and wheat
producer near St. Thomas, ON. He is also a
partner in AgNition Inc., a Guelph-based
mobile development company focused on
building agriculture apps and solutions.
Newtechnologies canhelp consumers
knowmore about the food they eat
GoHigh-Tech forHealthyEating
By PETER GREDIG
TECH@
WORK
The Food Issue
2014
grainswest.com
15