NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sixty-four percent of the world’s population now excludes foodstuffs from their diet. This means consumers are seeking the most trusted and accurate route to find food and recipes, and retailers are also trying to meet the growing demand for a tailored shopping experience. Cue Spoon Guru – a UK based technology startup that champions consumer needs – which is launching in the US with its free app and exclusive TAGSTM technology, providing a more bespoke approach to help that 64% of consumers find food safely and easily.
Spoon Guru’s award-winning search technology takes the fuss out of finding the right food, by matching products and recipes to consumers’ unique food preferences. It also helps retailers redefine their product offerings, thereby increasing the availability of foods for customers.
An advisory panel of world-leading health and nutrition experts work with Spoon Guru to ensure the latest scientific knowledge is integrated into the technology’s DNA. This includes two US-based experts: Dr. Marc E. Rothenberg MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology and Director of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, and Dr. Carina Venter (PhD, RD Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine).
In November 2017, Spoon Guru appointed Andy Clarke – former chief executive and president of Asda (part of Walmart) – as Spoon Guru’s chairman.
The app
Available via iTunes and Google Play, users of the app create a profile by selecting from 120+ dietary tags - offering the broadest coverage of dietary profiles across the market - to establish what intolerances they have (gluten, eggs, nuts etc.), and/or lifestyle diet categories they follow (vegan, low carb, low sugar etc.).
Using a unique combination of AI, machine learning, nutritionist expertise and consumer insights, the savvy search engine delivers hundreds of thousands of food products relevant to the individual, along with 1000s of tailored recipes. When shopping, the app’s powerful barcode scanner identifies what the consumer can eat, making accurate grocery shopping enjoyable instead of a chore.
A recent study showed that 94% of app users stated that Spoon Guru makes finding the right food easier, and 89% said Spoon Guru improved their quality of life.
TAGSTM
Spoon Guru TAGSTM – which was launched in 2017 - instantly searches thousands of food products relevant to individual customers who are shopping online.
Unfortunately current food search is inaccurate: a study conducted by Spoon Guru showed the majority of leading supermarkets around the world fail to return adequate search results for common dietary search terms. Similarly, an analysis of the first page of results for ‘vegan sausages’ in Google’s shopping search found that half the products were inaccurate - three even contained pork!
Spoon Guru TAGSTM features 180+ dietary tags and works with the premise that there is zero margin for error in its process. Spoon Guru’s algorithms analyse 14 billion data tags daily to help people find food that perfectly matches their unique requirements. The Spoon Guru database so far includes over 20,000 recipes and over 7,600 different retailers and manufacturers, including Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, Wegmans and Safeway.
Tesco TAGSTM is currently used by Tesco - the UK’s biggest grocery retailer – on their online shopping platforms so customers can filter food searches. Spoon Guru is also in talks with multiple retailers in the US and globally.
About Spoon Guru
Founded in 2015, Spoon Guru is a London-based technology startup which has developed a unique search engine to cater for individuals with multiple or complex search requirements, such as those with specific food needs.
Sixty four percent of the world’s population now actively exclude foodstuffs from their diet and retailers are under pressure to meet the growing consumer demand for a shopping experience tailored to their food requirements. Spoon Guru enables food businesses to improve the shopping experience by increasing the choice of foods available whilst minimizing the effort to find them.
For more information, images and interview requests please contact Ken Hooper at Cherish PR ken.hooper@Cherishpr.com +44 (0) 203 626 0283
