By: Lani Furbank
Reducing foodborne illness by 10 percent would prevent 5 million Americans from getting sick each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Improving food safety is a key issue for public health, and technology can be a major asset. The NYC Food Policy Center has compiled a list of 12 promising apps and technologies to help improve food safety.
Controlant
What it does: Controlant devices monitor cold storage conditions and provide data to the user.
How it works: The devices have sensors that log temperature to track cold storage.
Why it’s interesting: The devices can remotely monitor cold storage supply chains. Users can track the data using mobile and desktop apps.
What can be learned from the technology: Remote monitoring provides greater accountability and transparency in the cold storage supply chain.
Created by: University of Iceland
Website: https://www.controlant.com/
Cost: Fees vary based on services.
Future of the technology: The data could be made available to consumers for even more transparency.
FoodKeeper
What it does: FoodKeeper provides information about safe storage and cooking for a variety of food items.
How it works: Users look up their food items in the app and read information about safe storage techniques to prevent food from spoiling prematurely.
Why it’s interesting: The app provides an easy-to-use database for consumers.
What can be learned from the app: Government recommendations about food safety may be more frequently consulted when made accessible in an app.
Created by: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, Cornell University, and the Food Marketing Institute
Website: https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/foodkeeperapp/
Cost: Free
Future of the app: The information can be expanded upon and made more visual or interactive.
FoodSpect
What it does: FoodSpect provides health inspection data about restaurants and displays it in the app.
How it works: Users can look up restaurants and see recent health inspection performances, including safe storage, sources, cleanliness, and more.
Why it’s interesting: The app gives users the power to evaluate restaurants based on their food safety commitment.
What can be learned from the app: Giving consumers easy access to public data can improve accountability.
Created by: Earl Buchan
Website: https://foodspect.com/
Cost: $0.99
Future of the app: The database could be expanded to include restaurants worldwide.
Formitize
What it does: Formitize converts paper forms for food safety inspections into digital versions.
How it works: Users upload their forms into the app and it converts them into functional digital forms. This saves users time and money by eliminating printing and filing.
Why it’s interesting: The app aims to streamline the food safety inspection process.
What can be learned from the app: Specialized apps for a complicated process can be well received by industry members.
Created by: Matt Burge – current CEO
Website: https://foodsafetyapp.com/
Cost: $29.99 per user per month
Future of the app: The app could be adopted by government food safety inspectors.
FreshSurety
What it does: FreshSurety assures the freshness of produce during shipping. The app uses ‘Internet-of-things’ technology to report the freshness and shelf life of individual produce cases anywhere in the world for a few cents per case.
How it works: Low-cost sensors determine product freshness and shelf life by measuring organic compounds emitted by produce as it ages. VOCs are generated by produce respiration and other processes that support life and create the aromas characteristic of fresh fruit and vegetables. The sensors can communicate this information in real time.
Why it’s interesting: The low-cost sensors are disposable and compact.
What can be learned from the app: Technology and wireless communication can streamline and provide more reliability to freshness tracking.
Created by: Tom Schultz – current CEO
Website: https://www.freshsurety.com/
Cost: Fee varies based on services. Princes not available online.
Future of the app: The system could be used by shipping companies around the world.
HygieneConnect
What it does: HygieneConnect is a solution for washrooms and critical hand wash control areas that measures hand wash compliance anonymously. It tracks the number of visitors that enter a specified area and the number of people that wash their hands with soap.
How it works: The system uses sensors placed at the entrance of the room and underneath soap dispensers. Insights recorded by the sensors are aggregated and displayed on a screen (Hygiene Display Monitor) placed nearby the bathroom/critical hand wash control areas to encourage people who don’t wash their hands, to change their behavior through the “nudge effect”.
Why it’s interesting: The technology uses social pressure (through the percentage hand wash compliance displayed on the Hygiene Display Monitor) to encourage hand hygiene practices in the washroom/critical hand wash control areas.
What can be learned from the technology: Monitoring and positive reinforcement of good hand hygiene practice through social pressure can have a positive impact on hygiene standards.
Created by: Initial part of Rentokil Initial
Website: https://www.initial.com/hygieneconnect
Cost: Fee varies based on services.
Future of the technology: The system could help minimize the risk of cross-contamination, helping improve hygiene practices in a variety of sectors including healthcare, food processing factories, education institutions, and professional kitchens around the world.
Is My Food Safe?
What it does: Is My Food Safe? provides answers to common food safety questions, such as safe internal cooking temperatures, when to throw items away, and how to keep a safe kitchen.
How it works: Users can look up the answers to their questions in the app.
Why it’s interesting: The app includes a quiz feature that allows users to learn kitchen safety best practices.
What can be learned from the app: Food safety tips may be more frequently consulted when made accessible in an app.
Created by: Academy of Nutrition and ConAgra Foods
Website: https://www.eatrightstore.org/product/A49CCA86-D256-472F-B396-DB0C70CF653C
Cost: Free
Future of the app: The information in the app could be expanded upon.
Nima
What it does: Nima tests food for the presence of gluten to aid individuals with gluten allergies.
How it works: The user puts the food item in a capsule that tests liquids and solids for gluten. The process takes just over 2 minutes.
Why it’s interesting: It can be built into processing plants.
What can be learned from the technology: Nima gives consumers the power to test their own food can save lives and instill confidence.
Created by: Shireen Yates and Scott Sundvor
Website: https://nimasensor.com/
Cost: $199 – $279 for a starter pack; $61.95 – $116.94/mo for monthly capsules used in device.
Future of the technology: The product could expand to detect other allergens. A Nima peanut sensor is expected for release Fall 2017.
PestConnect
What it does: PestConnect is a collection of devices that detect or capture a variety of pests.
How it works: The automated system uses traps, bait stations, and monitoring units to detect and trap pests.
Why it’s interesting: The technology provides a hands-off solution to pest control in restaurants.
What can be learned from the technology: Automation can streamline and simplify food safety tasks in the restaurant industry.
Created by: Rentokil
Website: https://www.rentokil.com/our-expertise/innovation-and-services/connected-pest-control/
Cost: Fee varies based on services.
Future of the technology: The system could be used in food storage facilities around the world.
SafeTraces
What it does: SafeTraces follows produce at each stage of the supply chain.
How it works: The technology allows companies to verify the source, purity, food safety and on-site sanitation by tagging and tracing food products. It begins with food processors creating invisible, edible, FDA-approved barcodes on-site. These are applied to food during normal processing, and read using PCR analysis, with results displayed on a mobile device. They are applied in minute amounts, at parts per trillion.
Why it’s interesting: It can be built into processing plants and it is approved by the USDA.
What can be learned from the technology: Technology can streamline testing and tracing processes.
Created by: Anthony Zografos
Website: https://www.safetraces.com/
Cost: Fee varies based on services.
Future of the technology: The system could be used by shipping companies around the world.
Sample6 Detect and Sample6 Control
What it does: Sample6 Detect identifies pathogens in food production, while Sample6 Control provides a way to manage food safety monitoring.
How it works: Sample6 Detect collects samples, processes them, and detects pathogens such as listeria. Sample6 Control provides a detailed framework for companies to analyze and monitor their food safety benchmarks.
Why it’s interesting: It can be built into processing plants and it is approved by the USDA.
What can be learned from the technology: Technology can streamline testing and management processes.
Created by: Michael Koeris
Website: https://sample6.com/
Cost: Fee varies based on services.
Future of the technology: The system could be used in food processing plants around the world.
Verigo
What it does: Verigo devices help users track storage conditions such as temperature and humidity.
How it works: The devices have sensors that log temperature and humidity to track cold storage.
Why it’s interesting: The devices can remotely monitor cold storage supply chains. Users can track the data using mobile and desktop apps.
What can be learned from the technology: Remote monitoring provides greater accountability and transparency in the cold storage supply chain.
Created by: N/A
Website: https://www.verigo.io/
Cost: Fees vary based on services.
Future of the technology: The data could be made available to consumers for even more transparency.
