TellSpecopedia by TellSpec Educates Consumers on Food Ingredients and Their Health Impacts

Toronto, August 26th, 2014

TellSpec CEO Isabel Hoffmann, leader of the company behind the world’s first consumer food scanner, launched www.TellSpecopedia.com today to help consumers better understand food ingredients and how they impact health. The powerful, searchable online database houses current, evidence-based information on global food ingredients. Tellspecopedia is the educational companion to the TellSpec scanner. When an ingredient is detected by the TellSpec scanner and algorithm database, TellSpecopedia provides its health implications.

TellSpecopedia currently covers the most common and controversial 1,300 food ingredients ranging from additives, contaminants and manufacturing by-products to deliver scientific research about food to the consumer quickly and comprehensibly. TellSpec plans to grow the database overtime into the several thousands to encompass all possible global ingredients. Each record in the database synthesizes information from several scientific sources by listing an ingredient’s definition, health considerations, things to keep in mind, where the ingredient may be found, and alternative names and spellings, along with references and links to published studies for further reading.

“TellSpecopedia is the educational component of TellSpec,” said Hoffmann. “We’ve essentially pooled thousands of medical, peer-reviewed resources from around the globe and brought their findings under one roof. Now, it’s easier than ever to understand the health impacts of what’s in your food.”

As the world’s first consumer food scanner, TellSpec is made up of a pocket-sized scanner, proprietary chemometric and learning algorithms and mobile app that work together to report what’s in your food directly to your smartphone. The TellSpec food scanner will use the information from this powerful and searchable food companion to help educate consumers on how selected food ingredients can impact their health. TellSpec identifies calories, macronutrients, ingredients, chemicals and allergens in food, bringing an invaluable tool to users that can help them understand the foods they consume.

TellSpec provides information beyond the nutritional label, thereby encouraging transparency in produce farming and food manufacturing, and educates the consumer via TellSpecopedia on the wellness implications of each ingredient in their food to empower consumers with the information needed to make healthier choices.

Hoffmann recently spoke on the topic of Food Diversity at a TEDx in Toronto to offer insights on how educational devices such as TellSpec and TellSpecopedia can contribute to consumer understanding of the importance of food diversity. The talk provided an overview of key factors leading to a lack of food diversity such as diet, genetic modification, environmental factors, farming practices, decrease in gut microbiota and more.

For interviews, images and more information, please contact PR representative Jen Mangham at JenMangham@maxborgesagency.com.