Living with a food allergy can be like negotiating a minefield made up of things that look good on the surface while hiding potentially lethal secrets below. At the same time, it can be frustratingly difficult to tell when a product is likely to provoke a reaction; there are no “metal detectors” for the peanuts or shellfish that potentially lurk within some packaged, processed and pre-prepared foods.
With Wikifood, the Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology hopes they have something that might take some of the toxic mystery out of dining, a project that was rewarded with the FoodTech Award at the Food Summit 2017 this Tuesday 7 February.
Like it’s namesake, Wikipedia, Wikifood is a collaborative platform for gathering and curating information. This time though the information is dedicated to guiding consuming towards products that suit their dietary needs, taking a lot of the risk out of one of life’s most simple, and usually pleasurable, activities: sitting down for a meal.
Although Wikifood launched in 2008, it won the award this year for its technological expertise and innovative character aimed at improving a specific aspect of the agri-food sector.
The platform, also available on Google Play, was originally created to help those suffering from food allergies to navigate their way around their new diet by bringing together information from producers, retailers, nutritional experts and consumers and so far, more than 35,000 products are detailed on the site.
