The AI tool backed by Katherine Ryan and nutritionist Rob Hobson provides a simple explanation on the go
Katherine Ryan and nutritionist Rob Hobson
A new tool has been launched to help people understand what is in their food, decoding the meanings behind complex names that appear on ingredient lists of packaged products. New research found people spend 80 minutes a month trying to work out what the ingredients are in the food they buy, and a third of UK adults say they wouldn’t be able to explain some of the ingredient names found in everyday foods.
One in five have given up trying to understand ingredient lists altogether. Gousto has launched ‘What the Food’ – an AI-powered digital tool that decodes over 100 of the UK’s most confusing industrial ingredients.
Launched with the help of comedian Katherine Ryan and registered nutritionist Rob Hobson, the tool allows users to search ingredients on the go to get a simple, accurate definition.
Katherine said: “When it comes to food labels, we’re always coming across ingredients and thinking ‘what on earth is that?’ Like Acetic Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids – how is someone without a PhD in food chemistry supposed to understand what that means? That’s why there is such a need for Gousto’s What The Food (WTF) tool.”
Registered nutritionist Rob Hobson said: “With so many unfamiliar ingredient names appearing on everyday food labels, it’s understandable that people can find it difficult to know exactly what they’re looking at. This campaign isn’t about saying ingredients are good or bad, but helping people understand what it is they are actually eating. The more we understand what’s in our food, the more informed our choices can be.”
One in five have decided not to buy a product because they didn’t understand its ingredients.
The interactive tool has been developed for use on the go with an AI-powered scanner extension that allows shoppers to scan the back of a food packet mid-shop and get instant explanations of the ingredients listed, making What-The-Food.co.uk a companion for shoppers.
Timo Boldt, Founder and CEO of Gousto, said: “Steviol Glycosides. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? The truth is, food labels have become ridiculously hard to understand. You shouldn’t need a chemistry degree to work out what you’re putting in your body. So we built What The Food to translate the jargon into normal human language – quickly, honestly and with a bit of humour. We believe convenience shouldn’t come at the expense of health or transparency. Understanding what’s in your food should be easy. Now, hopefully, it is.”
