New Technology Helps People Avoid Added Sugars

April 22, 2010 - PRLog -- The average American consumes 21 teaspoons of added sugar a day – almost double the consumption rate of 30 years ago - while those that consume less than 7 teaspoons a day are at less risk of heart disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  
 
The main challenge with avoiding added sugars is that, not only is it in most packaged foods, but there is no requirement for manufacturers to differentiate between natural or added sugars.  The only way to find out if a product contains added sugars is to read the ingredient label and search for any of the hundreds of ingredients that can be considered added sugar.
 
That is until now.  A new iPhone application, the FoodEssentials Scanner, provides users with the ability to scan bar-codes and quickly determine whether a product contains added sugar.  A traffic light system alerts the user to the likelihood of the product containing added sugar, and then a list of the offending ingredients.
 
¨The FoodEssentials Scanner is the ultimate food label interpreter¨, said Anton Xavier, co-founder and CEO of the Chicago, Illinois based company.  ¨It's great for avoiding added sugars but can also be used to avoid other additives and allergens too – we've built it to cater for anyone who cares about what's really on a food label¨.
 
The application includes the ability to monitor food labels for 13 allergens, 26 additives and a customizable list of over 35,000 ingredients.  New allergens and additives are being added each week, with Corn and MSG being added to the allergen list in the next release.  ¨We prioritize our additive and allergen releases based on user feedback.  We're looking to evolve this to consider everyone's needs over time¨, states Dheeraj Patri, co-founder and COO.
 
When it comes to avoiding added sugar, it isn't always possible to cut it completely out of your diet.  ¨Once you've scanned a product and found the ingredients that are considered to be added sugar, look to see what position they are listed on the ingredients panel¨ advises Dagan Xavier, head of R&D for FoodEssentials.  ¨If it's in the top half of the ingredients, then chances are it's in high volumes and should probably be avoided if you are trying to cut down on added sugar¨.
 
The FoodEssentials Scanner is available on iPhone and is in its second release with regular future releases planned to respond to user requested features, and additive and allergen additions.  The application is a result of a partnership between FoodEssentials Corporation and Beaver Creek Consulting.

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About FoodEssentials:
The FoodEssentials Food Label Database is the most comprehensive in existence and is used by grocery retailers, government agencies and anyone serious about food label data. FoodEssentials also provides white-label mobile H&W tools to grocery retailers across the USA.
For more information, visit http://foodessentials.com

About Beaver Creek Consulting:
Beaver Creek Consulting is your full service stop for custom App development. From concept to launch, you'll have your App done right, on today's hottest platforms - iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and Palm.
For more information, visit http://beavercreekconsulting.com