Smartphone Technology: Changing How
Consumers Think About
Food
By Adam Perestam
Smartphones such as the iPhone have altered how people live
their daily lives. Smartphones have changed means of communication,
transmission of information, financial transactions and everything in between. New
applications for smartphones are being developed that will continue to
revolutionize lives and change how people view and think about food. Smartphone
capabilities will enable consumers, to scan food and receive a complete nutritional and
chemical profile of the scanned product.
By having such information, people will be able to make more informed, real
time decisions about the food they purchase. The public’s common beliefs, concerns,
and questions associated with food, such as safety, product mislabeling, and
allergens will be challenged and impacted by this technology.
Scio,
is a handheld spectrometer that measures wavelengths of light, collecting
information about the chemical makeup of food, pills, or plants. Results are
wirelessly transmitted in real-time through an app on the user’s smartphone. A miniaturized
sensor at the end of the Scio device sends data to the smartphone, connects to
an online server, and deciphers how many calories, grams of fat, carbohydrates,
proteins, and water content is contained in the product. The nutritional information
can be used to reduce food mislabeling by comparing actual product content
with the information on the product’s label. Dieters needing to
limit or monitor specific nutritional elements will be able to easily and
accurately keep track of their diet. Early investors in Scio will be able to
purchase it for only $150 when released in the near future.
Scio can scan a food
product and give feedback about the foods chemical makeup within seconds. Picture Credit: Dean Takahashi
A
second gadget, similar to Scio in that it is also a spectrometer, is the cradle
and app for the iPhone. The cradle contains lenses and filters to work with the
iPhone’s built-in camera. The camera is used as a sensor to detect toxins,
proteins, bacteria, and other molecules within food. The cradle and app is a potential life saving device for people with food allergies
as the cradle can detect allergens such as peanuts,
milk, soy, or wheat. The cradle in conjunction
with the iPhone could allow for real-time tracking using the phone’s GPS data
to map the spread of pathogens among products. Real-time tracking could be
crucial in the event of a product recall, by being able to quickly and efficiently
locate potentially contaminated products. In addition, tests are being
conducted on field-crops to detect toxins in corn and soybeans. The
spectrometer typically used for the application costs $50,000, however, the
iPhone is able to replicate the same functions as the spectrometer with the
help of the cradle lenses and filters for only
$200.
The cradle and app
can detect potential allergens within food. Picture credit: Brian T. Cunningham
Another developing technology is the use of sensors that can
wirelessly detect hazardous gases and environmental pollutants and can be read
by a smartphone. The creators are pursuing the integration of the sensors into
the packages of perishable foods, such as meat or fish, and would be dubbed
"smart packaging." The inclusion of smart packaging would allow
people to detect possible food
spoilage or contamination of products. Sensor technology would be useful
for reducing the incidences of food poisoning,
as people will know if their food has spoiled. Since, the sensors are
inexpensive and can be read by a smartphone, integration can occur just about anywhere.
Modified sensors
will detect when an easily spoilable product, like fish, has gone bad.
That is,
in case you couldn’t already tell. Picture
credit: Christine Daniloff
A final application is Lapka. Lapka has a set of sensors that
can measure moisture, radiation, and nitrate levels in organic material. It is designed to inform people about the invisible and
unknown environment around them. Measuring the levels
of nitrates in food is relevant because nitrates are commonly used in
non-organic fertilizers. If a product being measured contains a high level of
nitrates, especially produce, there is a high chance that it is not organic.
The current public debate about knowing whether a food is organic or not can be
addressed by Lapka simply inserting a probe into a product. Compared to the
modified sensors and Scio, Lapka is currently on the market and retails for
$200.
Use Lapka to know if
your produce is truly organic. Picture credit: Reign23.com
The
number of food applications for smartphones are rapidly expanding and will
change how people view and select food. The most important use for such
technology will be to improve food safety. Each
year,
1 in 6 Americans, 48 million people become sick from food borne illnesses.
These statistics are only from surveys in the U.S., which is known for being a nation
with strict food regulations. As the technology spreads globally, anyone with a
smartphone will know when their food has spoiled. People who suffer from food
allergies will be able to tell if the food they are about to consume or buy is
safe for them. Recalls due to the presence of undeclared allergens will also be
reduced. In addition, food mislabeling will decrease as people will be able to distinguish
when a product truly contains what is stated on the nutrition facts panel and
ingredients list. Knowing if a food is organic or not will finally be known, as
this has become an ongoing topic of debate. These new smartphone applications
have the power to alter life as we know it, leaving future generations to
wonder how we ever survived without these capabilities.
