Officially launching after three years in development, GS1 GoScan is Australia's first whole-of-industry endorsed iPhone application that enables consumers to know if a food product suits their special dietary needs with the simple scan of a bar code.
The application's functionality assists individuals with allergies, intolerances, special diets (such as vegan, organic, vegetarian, halal or kosher), or simply an interest in a food product's nutritional information beyond the food label.
GS1 GoScan also makes use of iOS accessibility options and provides voice-over facilities, enabling the visually impaired to access product label information more easily.
CEO of GS1 Australia Maria Palazzolo says: "We know that Australians are looking for a way to quickly and easily receive reliable product information beyond the food labels. We are extremely excited to make this a reality for them with the launch of the GS1 GoScan application."
GS1 GoScan currently has more than 70 brands on board and thousands of products on its database. However, following the findings of a new national study, Scanning Australia's Dietary Needs, GS1 Australia is calling on brand owners and manufacturers to become active in listing their product data onto the application.
The research revealed that 30% of adults have special dietary needs and nearly a quarter (24%) of parents prepare special diets for their children. And of those surveyed:
Nearly 70% have made themselves unwell by misreading or misinterpreting a food label and nearly half (49%) have fed their family food that made them unwell for the same reason. Half (50%) admit that the information on food labels is too technical to understand. 74% say they do not know what additive numbers on a food label mean. 71% wish there was an easier way to locate the right foods for their dietary needs. 63% said grocery shopping takes too long when you have to read every food label.
"Consumers expect to see every food product from the supermarket shelves on the app, so 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," said Ms Palazzolo.
GS1 GoScan was developed in association with major retailers, local and international food companies, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australian universities and national health organisations including Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia and the Coeliac Society.
CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council Gary Dawson says: "The AFGC believes that the introduction of the GoScan app will play an important part in responding to consumer demand for great information on products.
"This application is a good example of how innovation is providing a valuable opportunity for food manufactures to provide rich data to consumers that would otherwise be restricted by the size and shape of a physical label."