On January 13, 2025, researchers announced a new tool called GroceryDB. This database tracks how processed over 50,000 food products from popular stores like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods are. The study was published in Nature Food.
Dr. Babak Ravandi and his team from Northeastern University created GroceryDB to make it easier for people to find information about food processing. Traditionally, getting this data has been challenging. They built on an existing tool known as FPro, which uses machine learning to understand food processing levels.
GroceryDB analyzes nutrition labels to assign an FPro score to each food product. This process looks at ingredient lists and nutritional facts, making it possible to study food processing on a large scale. Data is categorized by store, food type, and even price, allowing users to see how different foods stack up against each other. The system even tracks over 1,000 ingredients and how they contribute to ultraprocessed foods.
Dr. Giulia Menichetti, a co-author of the study, believes GroceryDB can be a valuable tool for public health. She notes that nutrition research typically relies on manual data collection, but this new approach could revolutionize the process using artificial intelligence and data science.
For those interested in more information, a link to the abstract and full text of the study is available here.
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