The Next Big Thing: Analyzing Food Portions With AI
OPINION: EDITOR'S NOTE
Technology is transforming so many aspects of the grocery channel that it’s hard to keep track of every innovation. But one particular project from researchers at the University of Waterloo, in Canada, has the potential to completely upend the way that consumers shop for groceries and eat.
In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal’s Jo Craven McGinty describes how scientists at the university are developing the technology, which leverages AI to analyze food portions:
“The researchers’ first step is to be able to assess the amount of food a diner consumes. So, rather than evaluating an entire plate of food, which you may or may not eat, they’re looking at a spoonful of food at a time and deducing the portion size. Step two will be to identify exactly what food is on that spoon. Once they’re able to do that, and they’re close to being able to do that, then they can deduce the calories in that bite of food and the nutritional content in that bite of food. …
"They are using wearable glasses that can record video. But primarily, they’re using a cellphone mounted on a tripod in front of a diner, so the diner doesn’t have to contribute any information. You just sit there and eat your food. The camera records exactly what you put into your mouth, each bite of food. And then that is the data set that eventually will be analyzed for nutritional content.”
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We know that more and more consumers are reading labels and scrutinizing the nutritional information of everything they eat. But once shoppers have the ability to point their phones at a rotisserie chicken or a sandwich in a grocery store and get an instant nutritional report, the whole game will change. This would be terrific technology for the consumer. Labels can be hard to decipher, and knowing exactly what you’re eating at a store hot bar or restaurant is even harder. If there’s an app on your phone that counts the data and gives you a readout, consumers might think that would be worth a subscription.
The University of Waterloo researchers anticipate testing a prototype of their diet-monitoring tool within the next year, The Journal reports. Grocers with health-and-wellness apps should explore the opportunity of adding this exciting technology to their platforms before a competitor does.
