Two Australian-developed food scanning apps have been recognised for their role in helping Australians make healthier food choices in awards presentations in Australia and the UK.
The GoScan app for smartphones by GS1 Australia and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has won a major local industry award for information technology information.
The app, launched in March this year that allows consumers to access food product information by scanning barcodes on the packaging, was named as an iAwards Merit Recipient in the Victorian state section of 2013 iAwards Consumer Category for ICT innovation.
Meanwhile, popular Australian food-scanning app, FoodSwitch, has been recognised as one of the world’s top 100 innovative initiatives, selected from entries spanning more than 79 countries in the international 2013 Sustainia100 launch event in London.
FoodSwitch was acknowledged for its efforts to help Australians make healthier food choices and reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.
The FoodSwitch app, developed by Bupa and The George Institute for Global Health, uses the best available science and technology to deliver immediate, easy-to-understand nutritional information so users can switch to healthier options.
There have been close to 350,000 Australian downloads since the app launched in January last year.
Launched as a free download in March this year, GoScan is the country’s first whole-of-industry endorsed smartphone application that enables consumers to know if a food product suits their special dietary needs with a simple scan of a barcode.
The local iAwards, for their part, are recognised as one of the premier technology awards platforms in Australia, honouring ICT achievements across all facets of the economy.
“On behalf of the GS1 GoScan team at GS1 Australia and in collaboration with the AFGC, I am deeply honoured to accept this award,” sGS1 Australia’s CEO, Maria Palazzolo, said.
“This award is a testament to the vision, innovation and creativity of everyone involved in the development of the app.
“As manufacturers and brand owners continue to list their products on our database, the application will increasingly empower Australians to make more informed food choices.”
AFGC CEO, Gary Dawson, said the award was a testament to GS1 and the AFGC working together to met a consumer demand.
“It is great to have the work of GS1, industry and the AFGC in developing the app recognised in this way,” he said.
“This app is a great example of innovation being used by food manufacturers to provide rich data to consumers in response to demand for greater information on products.”
GoScan was developed in association with major retailers, local and international food companies, the AFGC, Australian Universities and National Health Organisations including Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia.
The Victorian state award qualifies the app for the national iAward, to be announced on the 8 August.”
GoScan is currently available for free download on the App Store. GS1 Australia is currently working on an Android version with the expected release date towards the end of this year.
The FoodSwitch app, developed by Bupa and The George Institute for Global Health to help Australians make healthy food choices, has been recognised as one of the world's top 100 innovation initiatives.
