THE POWER OF "SEEING" THE QUALITY-A FOOD TESTING DEVICE FOR CONSUMERS

It is the ultimate dream of any consumer to be equipped with the power to see through the nutritive benefits of packed foods as the trust between the industry and the consumer is continuously being eroded due to frequent food related health afflictions all over the world. According to some reports the nutrition labeling practices being followed by a major segment of food industry are suspicious in the eyes of the consumer because of lack of transparency in the working of the industry in general. Claims not sustained by irrefutable scientific evidence are the order of the day and it is no wonder that the EU food safety council rejected more than 98% of the label claims submitted by the industry last year! Development of a spectrometer that can be used by a lay man for gauging nutritional quality of a packed food offered for sale in the supermarket, as reported recently, if true may be a powerful tool in the hands of the consumer. Here is a take on this exciting development.    

'A new spectrometer is being developed that will allow consumers to gauge food quality, where they physically purchase it, before they buy it. The device is very small, very inexpensive, and may be able to be installed in smartphones. The researchers envision consumers being able to hold their smart phone above a product, activate the app, choose the food type in question from within the app, and the device will make its recommendation. The device measures starch, water, sugar, fat, and protein content within consumer products. The device works by seeing several centimeters below the surface of the outer packaging of the product, reflecting different wavelengths of light near the infrared range with different intensities. Commenting on the device, Dr. Heinrich Grüger of the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresdent, where the device is being developed, said, "We expect spectrometers to develop in the same way that digital cameras did."

There can be many a slip between the cup and the lips but the very possibility that such a tool can be feasible is itself some solace for the much harried consumer who has no where to go if not satisfied by the service provided by the industry. Whether the figures recorded by this gadget will have any legality is a question that will emerge once its use becomes widespread. Even other wise use of the spectrometer for selecting foods which are superior to others will itself provide some teeth to the consumer in demanding better products. It will make every industry to think twice before fooling around with nutritional content figures on the label. Hopefully truthful labeling practices may thus be achievable over a period of time after the advent of this new instrument.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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