Coronavirus: Tech firm unveils Immunity Support TAG for retailers to tap into consumer health trend
As increased shoppers seek immunity boosting foods to fight the covid virus, a UK-based AI food technology start-up called Spoon Guru has launched of an ‘Immunity Support TAG’ to help consumers find foods online and in stores to strengthen their immune system.
The TAG – which works by showcasing relevant products to shoppers based on individual requirements and preferences -- was developed by Spoon Guru’s in-house team of nutritionists and data scientists.
According to Spoon Guru, the technology can be leveraged by retailers to power online shopping and food discovery, along with labelling physical products and aisle markers in stores.
“We have leveraged our TAG technology to identify nourishing foods rich in zinc, vitamin c, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and so on, to help us eat well,” Markus Stripf, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Spoon Guru, told FoodNavigator. “Our purpose is to help people find suitable foods for whatever dietary preference or health objective they may have.”
He said that in the wake of the current health crisis the firm has noticed an increasing number of people are looking for foods that may help strengthen their immunity. “70% of our immune system is in the gut so it is vitally important that we eat a balanced diet. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet that protects us against the virus but what we can do is eat a healthy diet to help build up our defences.”
He added that as well as tapping into the increased desire for immune-boosting foods, it could potentially help with the greater demand from consumers for information about cooking as they find themselves indoors during lockdowns.
“This technology can be used by retailers around the world, and will hopefully give us a sense of control in uncertain times. The technology can be used to identify and put together healthier choices, and in addition to identifying foods rich in zinc, vitamins, antioxidants, etc the TAG can be leveraged to create nourishing meal kits, healthy food bundles, and recipes too.”
