Start-up launches nutritional labeling solution, as printing calorie count on menus reduces intake by 12 percent

28 Feb 2018 --- Spanish start-up Diet Creator is set to launch a new nutrition labeling solution coined NutriLabel. NutriLabel is powered by the cross-platform Diet Creator software, a database of world-wide nutrition information that calculates nutritional values and detects possible allergens from any recipe. The launch comes as new research indicates that adding nutritional labeling to restaurant menus could reduce the calories consumed by about 12 percent per meal.

According to the company, NutriLabel is the first intelligent labeling system that allows users to determine the nutritional composition of everything they cook and subsequently create a label with nutritional information and use-by date. Additionally, the system can create a report on the beneficial properties of the prepared dishes. According to the company, the system is “affordable for everyone” and can be used by dietitians, doctors, personal trainers chefs and foodies alike.

The company notes that the system was previously only available to the largest food companies, but that now small and medium-sized business - and even home users - can use NutriLabel software to provide nutritional analyses of whatever they prepare, sending that information directly to templates designed for printing a professional quality label on a portable Brother label printer.

For individuals and businesses who prepare food products for sale, NutriLabel provides an essential, easy-to-use tool for sharing the qualities of their products and complying with labeling laws. For home users, it enables the creation of nutritious recipes, and also serves as a digital cookbook that can be shared quickly and easily with family and friends.

Joaquín Torres, the founder of Diet Creator, notes that NutriLabel reflects the company's broader mission of improving people's diets.

“Diet Creator software met our initial goal of drastically reducing the work and cost of the analyses needed to prepare quality nutrition plans. Now with NutriLabel we are pleased to be able to meet the demands of a society ever more conscious of the key role food plays in our health by bringing the same power to everyone,” he says.

Speaking to NutritionInsight, Torres says that the system can offer customized solutions for dietary requirements based on age, physical and medical condition of participants.

Looking to the future, Torres says that the company “will connect the software with wearables and body composition scales and launch a native App for end users during 2018.”

The announced launch is likely to appeal to health-conscious consumers looking to closely monitor their macro and micronutrient intake, as well as the calories they are consuming. 

Reduced calorie intake
Recent research has highlighted the potential of adding calorie labels to menus and next to food in restaurants, coffee shops and cafeterias to reduce the calories that people consume.

Several studies have looked at whether putting nutritional labels on food and non-alcoholic drinks might have an impact on their purchasing or consumption, but their findings have been mixed. Now, a team of Cochrane researchers has brought together the results of studies evaluating the effects of nutritional labels on purchasing and consumption in a systematic review.

The team reviewed the evidence to establish whether and by how much nutritional labels on food or non-alcoholic drinks affect the amount of food or drink people choose, buy, eat or drink. They considered studies in which the labels had to include information on the nutritional or calorie content of the food or drink.

The team combined results from three studies where calorie labels were added to menus or put next to food in restaurants, coffee shops and cafeterias, which showed that such labels could reduce calories consumed by about 12 percent per meal. 

The Review's lead author, Professor Theresa Marteau, Director of the Behavior and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK, says: “This evidence suggests that using nutritional labeling could help reduce calorie intake and make a useful impact as part of a wider set of measures aimed at tackling obesity," she added. "There is no 'magic bullet' to solve the obesity problem, so while calorie labeling may help, other measures to reduce calorie intake are also needed.”

Author, Professor Susan Jebb from the University of Oxford commented: “Some outlets are already providing calorie information to help customers make informed choices about what to purchase. This review should provide policymakers with the confidence to introduce measures to encourage or even require calorie labeling on menus and next to food and non-alcoholic drinks in coffee shops, cafeterias and restaurants.”

By Lucy Gunn