Mobile commerce pilot about consumer food choices

In a pilot project between GS1 Australia and Victoria University (VU), Carla Battaglia, a nutritional therapist at VU’s St Albans campus, is conducting an eight-week study to see if participants will modify their choices on breads, breakfast cereals and biscuits once they learn how much salt and saturated fat they contain.

Participants will use mobile phone cameras linked to a database of nutritional information and also keep food diaries. They will be using a special application on their phones to alert consumers on potential health risks or positive benefits of certain products if they have a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes.

The technology for the project was developed by GS1 Australia, Vladislav Vintsarevich from Victoria University and international software companies Acratus and QSN Technologies. Mobile phones are being provided by Schepisi, a Telstra distributor.

The pilot draws product information from GS1 Australia’s data synchronisation service, GS1net, a data pool with information on more than one million products found on the shelves of Australian retailers.

GS1 Australia has supplied Victoria University with data from GS1net and students from the university are adding additional programming on nutritional data about products which pilot participants can access via their mobile phone.

Battaglia said many people found it difficult to make the correct dietary choices to help prevent or even reduce high blood pressure. “Enabling people to scan food products in the supermarket to get nutritional information that is tailored to their personal requirements can help them make an informed health choice prior to purchasing.”

Steven Pereira, GS1 Australia CIO, said the research gives GS1 Australia the opportunity to bring the technology of mobile commerce coupled with the bar code to consumers. “This pilot will open the door to many more opportunities,” he said.