New phone apps will make life easier.

Two new “apps” will make life a little easier for those of us watching our food and what we eat.

The first has just been awarded the prestigious Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) President’s Award for Innovation.

It will make it simpler for those that are wanting to record what they eat and when. This is particularly focussed on those who are doing an initial study for possible food allergies. Sure, these people could just write it down on a piece of paper or notebook, but it has been found that these books are often forgotten when visiting the Doctor or Dietician. As nearly everyone has a phone and carries it with them everywhere – this App gives the opportunity to record what food is eaten when in a place where it will not be forgotten.

The Food?Sick app was developed by two Sydney Dieticians – Liz Beavis and Milena Katz.

DAA President Julie Dundon said ;”They’ve come up with a novel way to help people affected by food intolerance – using the latest technology and riding on the popularity of phone apps. Their forward thinking is an inspiration to many dieticians.”

A second app is set for release in September 2012 and has the potential, if we all have iPhones, to reduce the amount of information required on food labels.

It will allow people to scan in a barcode and within seconds a whole lot of details will show on the phone about that product.

It includes information such as; allergen information, ingredient lists, nutritional content, Daily Intake information, dietary information (such as Kosher, Halal, vegan, organic), as well as preparation, usage and storage instructions, country of origin, product descriptions and images.

It has been developed by GS1 with support from major retailers, major universities, several national health organisations, the Australian Food and Grocery Council and food companies

The GS1 GoScan will also allow for people to scan in a product that has not been included in the database, so that information for it can be developed.

It has huge potential but for space of packaging labels to be impacted by it, there will be a need for everyone to have access to the app, and until it is developed for other phone types or we all get iPhones, it will be a tool for some of the population only.