Mobile Technology Fights Food Waste

Two entrepreneurs from California have found a way to help unsold produce avoid landfills.  Stuart Rudick and Anthony Zolezzi started, Food Star Partners, a company that aids supermarkets in getting rid of unsold produce by alerting consumers of last minute sales. A recent report published by the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated that 40 percent of food goes uneaten in the U.S.  This means that a large amount of our natural resources are going to waste.  Another consequence of food waste is pollution.  A large amount of uneaten food goes to landfills to rot.  These landfills account for almost 25% of methane emissions.  Chemicals used on produce is another example of pollution related to food waste.

With the environmental impact of food waste in mind, as well as the acknowledgement that many people in the U.S. could benefit from access to cheaper food, Rudick and Zolezzi set out to find a way to get food that would otherwise go unused to consumers.  The duo decided that the best way to attack the problem would be to address the waste of produce at supermarkets.  Many supermarkets design their budgets to allow for large amounts of shrink.  The Department of Agriculture estimates that supermarkets lose $15 billion annually from unsold fruits and vegetables.  Food Star Partners has found one chain of supermarkets in Northern California, Andronico's, to use its mobile service.  Andronico sold 2 tons of apples that would have otherwise gone unsold in the first few weeks of using Food Star Partner's mobile app.  Food Star Partners plans to expand to work with farmers to collect produce that would otherwise be thrown away.

Technology Takes on Food Waste

Using Technology to Make Food Safer

Mobile technology may have prevented the spread
of beef products containing horse meat in the U.K.

Highly publicized stories over the past few years have made the people very wary about the caution taken in food preparation.  Foodborne illnesses such as mad cow disease as well as the relatively high rate of food poisoning contracted at restaurants have led to calls for higher oversight on food preparation and restaurant cleanliness.  The recent horse meat scandal in the UK and the case of hundreds of dead pigs floating in Chinese rivers have prompted consumers to request better traceability in food.  Cloud technology and wireless sensoring technology is now available to fill these needs. 

Elektron Technology recently launched the Checkit food safety monitoring system.  The system can be placed in food storage areas, including refrigerators. The system monitors temperature, humidity, and door status on a 24 hour basis.  If an issue arises with the food storage system, an alert can be sent immediately to a computer, tablet, or phone.  It is estimated that about 16% of resturaunt patrons gets sick from foodborne illness each year in the U.S. This system has the potential to save patrons from consuming food that has been exposed to bad conditions, while saving restaurants the high costs of disposing of spoiled food.

Researchers concerned with food safety have also come up with a way that new technology can be used to trace ingredients in food that can prevent fraud and also stop the sale and consumption of tainted food.  JDA, a consulting firm that specializes in food safety, has found that cloud computing can be used to store huge amounts of ingredient data from individual product barcodes.  JDA believes that 100% traceability of ingredients is possible.  The researchers acknowledge that retailers would likely be unwilling to incur the costs associated with running tracing systems, and that they might provide biased reports.  However, the firm believes that if third party groups concerned with food safety paid the costs to trace food, or if the government implemented regulations similar to the ones they place on pharmaceuticals  then the system could become viable.

Cloud Technology to Fight Horse Meat Type Fraud
Harnessing Technology to Fight Foodborne Illness

KFC Introduces Mobile Payment

It appears that in the near future you will be able to pay for many of your dining purchases without bringing your wallet with you.  KFC is experimenting with a new mobile payment system at selected locations in the United Kingdom.  KFC's mobile payment system follows previous attempts at chains such as Starbucks and McDonalds.  Starbucks implemented mobile payment at all of its 7000 locations in 2012.  McDonalds also attempted to implement mobile payment in 2012, with less success.  Studies conducted by Juniper Research indicated that mobile payment transactions are projected to reach the trillion dollar mark by 2017.  A majority of restaurants said that they plan to invest more in technology in 2013 in a study conducted by USA Today.  I currently use my mobile device to make payments for things such as credit card bills, ticket purchases, and apparel shopping.  When I came across this story I did not picture myself paying for fast food on the phone before getting to the establishment.  I am currently satisfied with the drive in process, and I am not too impatient to wait in a line for fast food.  However, if mobile payment becomes more prevalent and efficient and it saves me a 5 minute wait in line, I may choose to take advantage of mobile payment options at restaurants.

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/mobile-technology-making-fast-food-even/

General Mills Using Cloud Computing to Stop Hunger in Africa

Recently, I came across an article about General Mills and it's efforts to ease hunger in different parts of Africa.  General Mills has decided to partner with various for-profit and non-profit entities to teach African farmers new techniques in order to increase their productivity.  In order to communicate with the farmers in Africa, General Mills utilizes a cloud database where information on equipment and techniques are stored.  Cloud computing was used to allow General Mills to teach Nyirefami, a flour company in Tanzania, how to install a quality control lab and improve washing and pre-drying operations.  This service allowed Nyirefami to drastically increase its productivity and attain the highest certification for food quality in Tanzania.  In Zambia, General Mills teamed with COMACO and Cargill to assist a local farmer who cares for orphans affected by HIV/AIDS.  As a result, the farmer- Veronica Banda, has had an easier time providing for the children in her care.  General Mills efforts are a great example of corporate philanthropy, and it shows how developments in technology can be used to improve living standards, productivity, and food quality.

Food World News

General Mills Uses Food Technology to End Hunger in Africa

Technoserve

Genetically Engineered Salmon: Would You Buy It?

Over the past couple of months a debate has been brewing about whether genetically engineered salmon should be allowed on the market.  A company called Aquabounty has been raising Atlantic salmon that have been altered with genes from Chinook salmon and a sea eel.  The genetically altered salmon can reach adult size in almost half the time that traditional salmon do.  This new salmon has raised a few ethical and business oriented questions.  Traditional salmon producers argue that this new salmon will hurt an industry that is already struggling.  Since the genetically altered salmon reach maturity faster,  Aquabounty will be able to put out more salmon at a price that will likely be more competitive than what traditional salmon producers can offer. 

 Food safety advocates question the FDA's finding that the genetically altered salmon is safe for consumption.  These activists argue that the new salmon needs to undergo further testing before it reaches markets.  They also say that the salmon should have a label that indicates it is genetically engineered.

This last measure is also up for debate.  Certain genetically engineered foods, like corn, do not have to have labels indicating that they are altered.  However others, like soybeans, do.  Aquabounty's salmon would be the first genetically altered animal offered in the marketplace.  Aquabounty would likely fight labeling for its genetically altered salmon.  So far the FDA has not indicated that it would require a label on the new salmon indicating that it is genetically engineered.

This leads me to the question: Would you buy salmon that was labeled as genetically altered?

Sources: 1) Genetically Engineered Salmon Nears FDA Approval (12/28/12)
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/genetically-modified-frankenfish-nears-fda-approval-debate-heats/story?id=18078157

2) Genetically Modifed Salmon May Surface Soon in the Marketplace (2/11/13)
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/02/11/genetically-engineered-salmon-may-hit-the-market-soon/

Introduction

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog!  On this blog I will be looking at stories and trends in technology that will have an effect on the food industry.  Advances in technology, especially information technology offer many opportunities for companies involved in food production and sales to make their businesses more profitable and to improve their products.  Topics that will be discussed in the blog include: IT use in business operations, technology use in food production, technology in the resturaunt industry and culinary arts, and technology used to improve food safety and availibility.