Personal Tech For Women: 5 Things You Need to Know About New, Smarter Food Label
Monday, May 25, 2015
1. How it works
Available as a free web app (iOS and Android versions are on the way), Sage makes food data simpler and easy to navigate. In a nutshell, it aims to show you everything you wish a food label did. Start by clicking on “Product”. You can browse foods under featured brands (Amy’s, Dole, Trader Joe’s, Kashi, to name a few), or by categories such as bakery, canned, meat & fish, pantry or vegetable. For instance, select raspberry Greek yoghurt, by Maple Hill Creamery. The far left panel of the app includes a menu of options about the product, including nutrition, ingredients, info about the brand, and even the geography of the product – its country of origin, farm location, or the brand headquarters.
2. More info through images
Developer and founder Sam Slover has made design just as integral as content – because, really, what’s the point of certified expertise if it’s too confusing to digest? Just like kids, adults respond to pictures too. On Sage, each product you click contains visualized info (who doesn’t love the simplicity of a pie graph?). Try cashew butter: you’ll see its calories based on specific serving sizes, the amount of exercise needed to burn it off, plus allergens and attributes – like gluten free, kosher, raw, etc. – all communicated through photos, graphics and minimal text. Going even deeper, Sage provides visual indicators when key nutrients get too high or too low, as well as a price-to-nutrient ratio that lets you know the amount of nutrients you’re getting per dollar you spend. But please note, this is not a calorie counter or nutrition-tracking app… yet.
3. Personalization
Sage works as an interactive food-labeling tool that gets to know you – your background, dietary restrictions, and tastes – and then presents you with personalized information. As the website explains, that info includes “your correct nutritional percentages, products flagged for your allergies, and customized lists based on your diet, be it paleo, vegan, vegetarian or Kosher.” In the vein of Pinterest, the app lets users create visual collections of food products for their specific dietary needs or preferences that go beyond the standard 2000-calories per day regimen. Current collections include, Diabetes Superfoods and Eating Well While Traveling. Others suggestions: Best Post-Work-Out Snacks or Vegan Staples.
4. Commentary
As the consumer-led movement to create food product transparency pushes forward (think nation-wide campaigns to label GMOs), along with a collective desire to eat healthier, local food, Sage has arrived at the right time. The platform offers a kind of editorial of food data, whereas labels on packaged foods provide just a lump of text that lacks structure. Sage employs crowd-sourced info from a pool of registered dieticians and nutritionists that provide commentary on products – the benefits of flax seed oil, for example, additives to watch out for, and helpful tips on how to balance your diet.
5. Discover new products
As a database that contains a couple of thousand food products, Sage can help you discover new ones too. Rather than searching by product, you can also click “Explore” to find foods organized by “Sage Badges” that meet specific attributes and criteria. “Straight From the Earth” encompasses whole foods with little to no processing and no additives; while other badges include Heart-Healthy, Kitchen Staple, Kid Friendly, The Sweet Tooth, and likely a favorite, Healthy Fat, amongst many more. The app has also placed a priority on adding non-processed food items, such as fruit and vegetables, followed by U.S products from brands like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, for the health-conscious demographic who are likely amongst the first users of Sage.
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