UK food products digital portal launched for healthcare professionals

FoodMaestro is a new digital service that will enhance the way that healthcare professionals gain and share expert knowledge on food product information.

The online platform, created with the guidance of some of the UK's top dieticians and allergy specialists, is the first of its kind within the healthcare system.

It offers healthcare professionals access to real-time data on packaged food products sold in the UK - providing extensive research information on over 30,000 ingredients and immediate access to nutritional information on 100,000 products.

Dieticians spend countless hours researching and reviewing products to recommend to their patients. The FoodMaestro service enhances the product discovery options for healthcare professionals through extensive allergen filters.

Using the service, they are able to automate the product discovery service through the creation of real time product lists therefore reducing the non-clinical time spent on product research.

FoodMaestro also gives healthcare professionals a platform from which they can share information they discover about products with peers or the public through the use of a 'Product Notes' feature.

"It is now estimated that 150 million people suffer with allergies in Europe, making it the most common chronic disease, which puts increasing pressure on the healthcare industry," said Dharmendra Patel, Co-Founder of FoodMaestro. "We've combined our skills and expertise to produce a powerful platform that offers healthcare professionals a unique support tool during clinics and outside of clinics."

One of the key allergy specialists behind FoodMaestro is Consultant Paediatric Allergist Dr George Du Toit.

"It is increasingly important that healthcare professionals are armed with reliable food product information and previously there was no quick solution for this," said Dr George Du Toit. "FoodMaestro is a dependable tool, which we have needed for some time. The database is continually updated and will allow us to provide a better level of care to patients."

FoodMaestro has also launched a consumer product discovery service that enables consumers, including families with food allergies and intolerances, to continue their food discovery journey from home or at the supermarket. The free-to-use service is available on both desktop or mobile and offers the ability to create custom dietary profiles, which can be used to filter food products. This service is intended to support the patient journey outside of the clinic.