Interactive Labelling popped up in my brain in 2000. In 2015 "Apps" for Iphones and Androids can do what was suggested below. Anno 2025 even more! My initiative was not supported by my boss at Unilever in 2000 because interactive barcodes about the destructive long term health effects of e.g. our products like Lipton-Ice, Unox sausage, Cup-A-Soup, Magnum, were not in the company short term interest. However, if Unilever is willing to accept a win-win business model, they and the other big companies could accelerate development of a tool which can battle obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc. This concept can be easily combined with my brain wave in 2009: The concept of Inflicted Injury Insurance (I.I.I.): Read my article in Dutch about the I.I.I. = PTW (Preventieve Toegevoegde Waarde https://tersteegmc.nl/index.php/artikelen/voeding-en-gezondheid/inflicted-injury-insurance-or-preventieve-toegevoegde-waarde on my website.
Prevention by interactive health promoting product information and tailo-rmade consumer information
AIM:
To inform and stimulate healthy behaviour of consumers via interactive product information.
Potential consumer health benefits:
- allows tailor-made individual customer interaction and targeted health protection
- prevention of macro- and micronutrient overdosing
- allows health insurance companies to promote healthy behaviour
Science benefit
To join the front-running of e-commerce an food nutrition developments whilst establishing strategic links communication technology, retail, regulatory and to improve the relationship between industry and consumer organisations.
It is about setting up a barcode system or "discrete" product labelling linked to an intelligent programmable family-customer (card or on-line system. A scanning device (at home or at the shop or built in a mobile telephone, I-mode) should identify whether the product poses any risk or is beneficial to members of his family. The customer can choose whether he is informed. Industry and retail could increase their external profile/brand image as responsible organisations and use it as a marketing instrument and direct link with their customers. Governments may be able to monitor trends and identify groups at risk. Health insurance companies can direct buying behaviour
Steps
Current barcode-system + customer cards (Albert Hein,Plusmarkt, C1000) can already be used to directly target and stimulate consumer groups. Warning codes can be directly implemented (in essence, like in cigarette industry) - example given: High saturated fatty acid consumption can lead to obesitas, depression and cardiovascular disease, obesitas and cardiovascular disease on a high fat ice cream. ( anno 2025 I would be less against saturated fatty acids as such, but more against the calory intake and more concerned with too much omega1,6 linoleic acid in your diet: low grade inflammation, association with Parkinson)). French fries may contain carcinogenic acrylamide. (anno 2026 I am more concerned about the acrylamide content of vegetables like sweet potatoes and beets roasted at too high temperatures in the oven, the cook book recipees of 30 minutes 200 degrees Celsius). The consumption of red meat without vegetables, anti-oxydants can contribute to colon cancer (anno 2025 attenuated by the incomplete digestion of animal proteins (if you eat meat whilst drinking acidic soft drinks in the duodenum and ileum) or the removal of cancer protective calcium by the phosphoric acid in these soft drinks) A conventional mean is to put warning stickers on products (green: safe, yellow: medium risk; red: for high products) or the “Kies bewust” logo.
Simple scanning devices for health do already exist (initiated by patient groups). Systems can be easily directed to stimulate consumer towards desired behaviour by differential taxation (exists for alcohol, cigarettes, etc., ) or by making use of health or green bonus-points to give award and penalty tickets: a reduction or increase in health insurance premium, environmental taxes. Two dimensional barcodes (development in 2003: source Drs.ir. M. Nieuwesteeg, Dutch Packaging Centre, Gouda)/discrete labels, radio frequency identification tags (RFID-chiptechnology ) can contain customised quantitative information, such as:
Allergens
- No labelling is now required for perfumes which can contain over 20 allergenic ingredients
- Food allergens nuts, cows milk, egg, gluten, fish and soy.
Site-effects of medications and foods
- statins and grapefruit juice, bergamottin (Earl Grey tea)
Authencity
- Presence, absence GMO-ingredients
- Organic produce with potential health claims ( animal welfare, micronutrient content and balance superior to industrial agriculture/pollution, too high K-level in regular Westland tomatoes, drop in good metals (e.g. Mg > - 30%)
- natural claims, additives
Microbiological risks
- Salmonella and Campylobacter on chicken: Gastrointestinal diseases and autoimmune diseases
- Listeria monocytogenes for immuno-compromised groups
- Safe shelf-life if combined with a temperature sensing device
Prevention of dietary macro- and micronutrient deficiencies and overdosing:
- overdosing (2 x ADI) Vitamin A for pregnant women: birth defects
- potassium (a salt substitute in hypertension products): dangerous for patients with renal failure
- Na, K, Ca and Mg content: blood pressure
- saturated fatty acids: obesitas, atherosclerosis, depression
- too low selenium: cardiiovascular disease, cancer
- underdosing vitamin B12: depression
- omega 3 and 6-fatty acids: link with ADHD reduction
- fluor underdosing: caries, overdosing: fluorosis
- specific food components (sugar, tomato, ..) and ADHD
Targeted health-claims:
- mood control: Phytosteroles, stanoles prevent reduction of oxygen supply to brain
- vit. B12 to prevent depression
- kid nutrition: Fish oil to boost learning performance
- Anti-ageing (prevention of atherosclerosis) phytosteroles
- weight-management: Obesitas increases risk of Alzheimer, depression
- increased iron bioavailability: Polyphenoles in wine and tea