ON-LINE INGREDIENT REGISTER

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for selecting a product such as a food product, a cosmetic product or a nutraceutical product. Advantageously, the present invention permits the selection of a product or products that conform to selection criteria that importantly avoids allergens, or contra-indicated components and ensures the presence of desired components such as nutrients, vitamins and the like. Although the invention will be described with particular reference to its application to food products, it will be appreciated that this is by way of example only and that the invention may be used for selecting other types of products. For example, it may be used to select cosmetic products or nutraceutical products.

Brief Discussion of the Prior Art

The selection of many products including food products, nutraceuticals and cosmetics is, in today's environment of allergies and sensitivities, often problematic and requires the consumer to become expert in reading and interpreting ingredient and nutritional panels on the product labels. The interpretation of these panels is often made complex by the use of numbered additives, and the use of a variety of names for particular products.

Many consumers have allergies that result in anaphylactic reactions to the smallest amounts of allergens such as ground and tree nuts, dairy products, wheat and eggs as well as many other products. The interpretation of ingredient panels can be time-consuming and confusing for many consumers.

Other consumers have dietary requirements that require the avoidance of foods with high fat, sugar or other nutritional characteristics. With the nutritional panels it is often difficult to compare products as one product will recite the nutritional characteristics of a serve, a set weight or other measure. For a consumer this does not allow the easy comparison of products.

Whilst some manufacturers provide limited on-line data relating to the compositional and nutritional value of the products that they manufacture, there is no

ready way of comparing the compositional or nutritional characteristics of a variety of products from a variety of manufacturers.

Web sites such as www.nutritiondata.com and www.betbyte.com exist which are based on the use of databases of information for various foods. The use of such databases is also disclosed in various patent documents, including United States Patent 5,478,989 (Shepley), United States Patent Application Publication 2003/0165799 Al (Bisogno), International Patent Application Publication WO 93/07570 (Rudick et al.), and United States Patent Application Publication 2005/0010476 Al (Combs). The www.nutritiondata.com web site provides its users with detailed nutritional information and analysis for searchable foods and recipes. The dependent database that this web site uses is based mainly on the United States Government provided USDA 19 Food Database, which is a list of generic food items with calculated nutritional values. The site does mention that it also collects data of "real" foods from some food manufacturers, but does not specify the quantity. It also lists the nutritional content of foods from all major fast food retailers.

The www.nutritiondata.com web site is limited in that it is structured to provide only analytical and detailed nutritional information for mainly generic foods. Also, it does not have the ability to provide analytical or search capabilities for any ingredients. The recipe functionality of the web site is limited to generic food items only. Moreover, the web site does not provide the ability to tabulate and compare similar product for either nutritional data or ingredient data.

The www.betbyte.com web site is essentially an extensive software program that allows the user to analyse, compare, select and personalise nutritional information from a large database of generic foods that have been evaluated by their nutritional content. The software program sits on top of the USDA 19 Food Database, and the Canadian Government Nutrient File 2005 database. These databases suffer from the limitation that all of the products listed in them are generic and therefore only represent the average nutritional content for food items by category.

The betbyte web site program is consequently structured to only provide analytical and detailed nutritional information from a mainly generic database. The

program is also limited in that it does not have the ability to provide analytical or search capabilities for any ingredients. Moreover, it does not provide a recipe function, and does not provide the ability to tabulate and compare similar product for ingredients. United States Patent 5,478,989 (Shepley) discloses an apparatus and method for providing consumers with personalised nutrition information for food products. The disclosed method includes the steps of:

(i) inputting personal data relating to an individual;

(ii) inputting data identifying at least one food product which the individual intends to purchase or consume;

(iii) accessing pre-stored information relating to the at least one food product which the individual intends to purchase or consume; and

(iv) generating and outputting information about the at least one food product which the individual intends to purchase or consume pertinent to the input personal data.

All attributes for nutritional content concerns nutrients only and does not mention any ingredients, allergens or additives. The stored information further includes "UPC" bar code information, nutritional information including the nutrient content of individual food products, allergy warnings, pesticide levels, and the names of stores which carry the food products. The Shepley patent does not disclose any provision for detecting and/or identifying known allergens, intolerances or additives. Also, it does not disclose any provision for consumer specific recipe development.

United States Patent Application Publication 2003/0165799 Al (Bisogno) discloses a computer program, method and system for monitoring nutrition content of consumables and for facilitating menu planning. A computerised system disclosed by the document is able to dynamically provide nutrition content information for consumables so that a user can monitor, tailor, plan and review their intake thereof in light of a health-related interest or concern, such as, for example, weight-loss, food allergies, or diabetes or other nutrition affected illnesses or disabilities. Consumables are categorised and displayed in lists associated with an appropriate colour to draw attention to relative nutrition content and to facilitate quicker and easier evaluation of a consumable of interest. Summaries are provided of a user's actual intake in light of

a pre-established target intake for a particular day. Detailed reports may be generated showing consumption over a user-specifiable time period.

The computerised system disclosed by the Bisogno application only contains nutritional information, and only provides the ability to remove undesired food types from a database and not a food item shown to contain a specific unwanted ingredient. The detection of allergens by the prior art system is limited to only those that happen to be displayed only in the nutritional section of food labels and not in their ingredient section. All attributes for nutritional content concerns nutrients only and does not mention any ingredients, allergens or additives. Also, there is no provision in the system for detecting and/or identifying known allergens, intolerances or additives, and there is no provision for consumer-specific recipe development.

International Patent Application Publication WO 93/07570 (Rudick et al.) discloses a personal health monitoring device for determining and aggregating the nutritional content of foods consumed during a day. A database containing a list of foods separated into different categories and the nutritional content is used for locating the appropriate values. Additionally, daily nutrition goals are automatically set in relation to personal information, such as height, weight, frame size and sex, of the user. The actual consumption is compared to the goals on a daily, weekly and monthly average to monitor progress. Exercise goals and actual totals are included in the stored information.

The device disclosed by the Rudick et al. application is limited in that all attributes for nutritional content concerns nutrients only and does not mention any ingredients, allergens or additives. Also, it does not provide any provision for detecting and/or identifying known allergens, intolerances or additives, nor does it provide for consumer specific recipe development. Furthermore, the database consists of 1500 food items listed by nutritional values plus the ADA food exchange database of nutrients for a generic range of standard foods.

United States Patent Application Publication 2005/0010476 Al (Combs) discloses a health related method and apparatus for collecting, collating and filtering information, related to specific individuals and/or their families, obtained from purchases made in conjunction with product source shopper loyalty program cards. Authorisation for the collection of the information is made in advance of the

collection. An analysis of the collected information is used to provide a health related report, specific to a given individual or family, of deficiencies in the recipient's diet and/or medicine. The total collected information may be subdivided into groups of entities having certain commonalities. Accompanying the report, coupons are provided for products that are known to be beneficial to correcting health related deficiencies and attributes, for a commonality group of consumers, as well as health related educational material for helping the recipient ascertain which health related products should next be purchased. In addition, the material may provide educational material to inform the consumer about health in general, healthy food preparation recipes, the advertised products specifically, the health benefits relating to types of advertised products and detailed nutritional value listing of advertised products as may be found on the product packages.

Similarly to the other patent documents, the disclosure of the Combs application is limited in that all attributes for nutritional content concerns nutrients only and does not mention any ingredients, allergens or additives. Also, there is no provision for detecting and/or identifying known allergens, intolerances or additives, and there is no provision for consumer specific recipe development. The database of food nutrient data which is disclosed by Combs is for food items specific to individual retail outlets. Also, the Combs method and apparatus are designed to only provide historical analysis of nutritional content of food purchases, and can only make general recommendations for future action - not specific food purchases.

In summary, without exception, all of the above-mentioned web sites and patent documents are based on the use of databases that consist of nutritional information for various foods, and they do not include ingredient information. The compositional information required to be provided on food product labels are listed in four main sections:

1. product description and size;

2. nutritional information;

3. ingredient information; and 4. manufacturer's claims and endorsements.

All of the aforementioned web sites and patent documents assume data is collated from sections 1, 2 and 4, and do not include data from section 3, i.e.

ingredient information. One reason for this is that, generally, sections 1, 2 and 4 are made up of standardised and predictive text and values allowing for data retrieval to be systemised and standardised.

Another reason is that, in most developed countries, governments provide freely available databases consisting of the estimated nutritional makeup of a broad range of generic foods. For example, in Australia and New Zealand, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) provide a nutritional database called AUSTNUT. As mentioned above, the United States has the USDA 19 Food Database, and Canada has the Canadian Nutrient File 2005 database. Ingredient information is also omitted because the weight loss market can be fully catered to with the information provided by sections 1, 2 and 4. Also, a good portion of the special dietary needs market (e.g. people with diabetes) can also be catered to solely with the nutritional information provided in section 2.

It is also extremely difficult to collate any sort of database which includes ingredient information, and which can be utilised systematically. This is because the spelling, definition and constituency of each listed ingredient can vary from country to country and even between food manufacturers.

Moreover, allergies and intolerances have only recently grown to a level in most developed countries where it is now perceived as a serious problem facing the food industry.

Current labelling standards in countries and regions such as the United States, Australia and Europe require food producers to indicate on their food product labels the presence of the following major foods or food groups that account for 90% of all food allergies: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.

Reputable food manufacturers will always indicate on their food labels the presence of any of these allergens in clear and unambiguous language, and they will do this by listing them in the ingredient section (i.e. section 3) of their labels, and not in the nutritional section (i.e. section 2). If the potential exists for an allergen to be present in the food content and this allergen is not a planned ingredient and is therefore not required to be listed in the ingredient section, the food manufacturer is then required to publish the possibility of the inclusion of the allergen in the claims

section (i.e. section 4) of their labels.

Therefore, a database that does not include the contents of the ingredient section (i.e. section 3) of food labels is not able to be used to detect or identify any food allergens that may be present in the make-up of the foods that are listed in the database. For example, collating all of the available data from the nutritional section and the claims section of a particular known confectionary chocolate food product will only detect and identify the potential inclusion of the following allergens, which are not part of the planned ingredients, but which may be present in the product due to production systems: peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds. This information is of no assistance whatsoever to anyone who may be allergic to the following allergens, which are clearly listed in the ingredient section of the product: cereals, dairy, eggs, gluten, lactose and soy.

As another example of this problem, collating all of the available data from the nutritional section and claims section of a particular known chocolate biscuit product will only enable the detection and identification of the potential exclusion of the following allergens, which are note part of the planned ingredients of the product, but which may be present due to production systems: nuts or seeds. This information will not assist anyone who is allergic to the following allergens, which are clearly listed in the ingredient section of the product label: cereals, dairy, egg, gluten, lactose and soy.

It would be desirable to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above.

Summary of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art mentioned above, or to provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In one broad form, the present invention resides in a system for selecting a

product.

Preferably, the system according to the present invention comprises: a storage device that stores collated information relating to a plurality of products, wherein the information includes the ingredients of each product, and values of a plurality of parameters for each ingredient; and user equipment operable to select a parameter from the plurality of parameters, and to display a value of the selected parameter for an ingredient of at least one of the products.

The storage device may be any suitable storage device. Preferably, the storage device is a computer. In a particular preferred form, the storage device is a server computer.

The user equipment may be any suitable user equipment. Preferably, the user equipment is a computer. In a particular preferred form, the user equipment is a personal computer. It is preferred that the storage device and the user equipment are connected to each other via a network. The network may be any suitable network. For example, the network may be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). In one particular preferred form, the network is the Internet.

In another broad form, the present invention resides in a process for selecting a product.

Preferably, the process according to the present invention comprises the steps of:

(i) collating information relating to a plurality of products, wherein the information includes the ingredients of each product, and values of a plurality of parameters for each ingredient;

(ii) selecting a parameter from the plurality of parameters; and

(iii) displaying a value of the selected parameter for an ingredient of at least one of the products.

The system and process may be used for selecting various types of products that include ingredients. For example, the system and process may be used for selecting a food product, a nutraceutical product, or a cosmetic product. In a particular preferred embodiment, the system and process is used for selecting a food

product.

The collated information may be obtained in any suitable manner or combination of manners. For example, the collated information may be obtained directly from the products themselves, from manufacturer of each product, or a combination thereof. In the case where the collated information is obtained directly from a product, it is preferred that the information is obtained from a nutritional and ingredient information panel displayed on a package of the product.

The collated information preferably also includes other types of information.

For example, the collated information for each product may also include: a barcode number of the product; a title or name of the product; a brand name of the product; a price of the product; a name of a store or other outlet where the product information was obtained; a location of the store or other outlet where the product information was obtained; the size or quantity of the product; the number of servings of the product contained in the product package; the product serving size; a description of the nature of a serving of the product; product nutrient information; manufacturer claims for the product; manufacturer endorsements for the product; a description of the product package; or the country of origin of the product.

The parameters for each ingredient are preferably selected from the group comprising allergens, additives, intolerances, ingredients and nutrients. Preferably, the allergen parameters are selected from the group comprising cereals, Crustacea, dairy, egg, fish, gluten, lactose, peanuts, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, and tree nuts.

Preferably, the additive parameters are selected from the group comprising acidity regulator, anti-caking agent, anti-foaming agent, antioxidant, bulking agent, colours, emulsifiers, enzyme, firming agent, flavour enhancer, flour treating agent, food acid, gelling agent, glazing agent, humectant, leavening agent, mineral salt, preservative, propellant, raising agent, sequestrant, stabilisers, sweeteners, thickeners, and vegetable gum.

Preferably, the intolerance parameters are selected from the group comprising gluten and lactose.

Preferably, the nutrient parameters are selected from the group comprising calcium, calories, carbohyrdrates, cholesterol, dietary fibre, energy, fructose,

galactose, iodine, iron, magnesium, omega 3 total, omega 6, phosphorous, potassium, protein, saturated fat, sodium, sugars, total fat, transaturated fat, vitamin A, vitamin Bl, vitamin BI l, vitamin B 12, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B4, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B7, vitamin B8, vitamin B9, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc.

Each parameter may have any suitable number of values. Preferably, the value of each parameter is selected from the group comprising a first value, a second value, and a third value. Preferably, the first value means that the parameter is present in the ingredient. Preferably, the second value means that the parameter may be present in the ingredient. Preferably, the third value means that the parameter is not present in the ingredient.

The selected parameter may be obtained from the plurality of parameters in any suitable manner. Preferably, the parameter is selected from a list of the plurality of parameters. In another preferred form, the selected parameter is determined from a profile. For example, the profile may be the profile of an individual consumer.

The value of the selected parameter that is displayed for at least some of the products may be displayed in any suitable manner. For example, the value may be displayed as text, a colour, or a combination thereof.

A product information panel may be displayed for at least one of the products. This would allow a user to verify the displayed value of the selected parameter for a particular product. The product information panel preferably includes the nutritional and ingredient information panel printed on the label or packaging of the product.

Preferably, the process according to the present invention comprises the steps of:

(i) collation of compositional and nutritional information relating to food products and where the collation is via the collection of compositional and nutritional information from food products or the receipt of compositional and nutritional information submitted by manufacturers; (ii) providing a filtering and sorting tool that permits food products to be selected and arranged based upon food type and the compositional and nutritional information; and

(iii) displaying the selected food products in the selected order with the selected food products flagged according to predefined compositional and nutritional parameters.

The collation, filtering and displaying is conveniently carried out on a computer that is accessible via the Internet whereby a multiplicity of users can access and use the information.

In a preferred embodiment the predefined compositional and nutritional parameters are determined from a profile. The profile may be the profile of an individual consumer or the profile of a group of consumers. The process preferably has predefined compositional and nutritional parameters that are health parameters. Suitably the health parameters are selected from the group consisting of the presence of one or more allergens, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components, the presence of one or more allergens above a predetermined concentration, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components above a predetermined concentration or any combination thereof.

The contra-indicated components may be selected from the group consisting of lactose and other intolerance-causing components, fats, salts, sugars, and other nutritional parameters and any combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment the selected food products may be arranged by selected nutritional information. The selected nutritional information may be selected from the group consisting of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, vitamins and minerals and combinations thereof.

The selected food products may be arranged by selected compositional information, such as the presence particular ingredients. In an important embodiment the selected food products are flagged to indicate recommended food products and contra-indicated food products according to the profile.

The present invention has particular application to the management of the user's pantry. The invention further provides a database of the user's pantry and identifies food products that need to be restocked.

The database may also be used such that the selected food products are displayed with local availability information. Optionally, the selected food products

are displayed with a purchase icon for connecting the user to an on-line ordering service.

Alternatively, the selected food products are displayed with a recipe icon for connecting the user to a recipe database for providing the user with a selection screen for selecting recipes for the selected food product. The recipes may include cumulative compositional and nutritional information for the recipe. The recipes may be flagged according to the predefined compositional and nutritional parameters. The recipes may be selected based upon a database of the user's pantry.

In another important aspect the food products are displayed with a label icon for providing the user with an image of the product packaging with the ingredient lists and nutritional information. This allows the user to verify the label compositional and nutritional information of the product.

Preferably, the process according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (i) collation of compositional and nutritional information relating to nutraceutical products and where the collation is via the collation of compositional and nutritional information from nutraceutical products or the receipt of compositional and nutritional information submitted by manufacturers;

(ii) providing a filtering and sorting tool that permits nutraceutical products to be selected and arranged based upon nutraceutical type and the compositional and nutritional information; and

(iii) displaying the selected nutraceutical products in the selected order with the selected nutraceutical products flagged according to predefined compositional and nutritional parameters. The collation, filtering and displaying is conveniently carried out on a computer that is accessible via the Internet whereby a multiplicity of users can access and use the information.

In a preferred embodiment the predefined compositional and nutritional parameters are determined from a profile. The profile may be the profile of an individual consumer or the profile of a group of consumers.

The process preferably has predefined compositional and nutritional parameters that are health parameters. Suitably the health parameters are selected

from the group consisting of the presence of one or more allergens, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components, the presence of one or more allergens above a predetermined concentration, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components above a predetermined concentration or any combination thereof. The contra-indicated components may be selected from the group consisting of lactose and other intolerance-causing components, fats, salts, sugars, and other nutritional parameters and any combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the selected nutraceutical products may be arranged by selected nutritional information. The selected nutritional information may be selected from the group consisting of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, vitamins and minerals and combinations thereof.

The selected nutraceutical products may be arranged by selected compositional information, such as the presence of particular ingredients. In an important embodiment the selected nutraceutical products are flagged to indicate recommended nutraceutical products and contra-indicated nutraceutical products according the profile.

The database may also be used such that the selected nutraceutical products are displayed with local availability information. Optionally, the selected nutraceutical products are displayed with a purchase icon for connecting the user to an on-line ordering service.

In another important aspect, the nutraceutical products are displayed with a label icon for providing the user with an image of the product packaging with the ingredient lists and nutritional information. This allows the user to verify the labelled compositional and nutritional information of the nutraceutical product.

Preferably, the process according to the present invention comprises the steps of:

(i) collation of compositional information relating to cosmetic products and where the collation is via the collection of compositional information from cosmetic products or the receipt of compositional information submitted by manufacturers;

(ii) providing a filtering and sorting tool that permits cosmetic products to

be selected and arranged based upon cosmetic type and the compositional information; and

(iii) displaying the selected cosmetic products in the selected order with the selected cosmetic products flagged according to predefined compositional parameters. The collation, filtering and displaying is conveniently carried out on a computer that is accessible via the Internet whereby a multiplicity of users can access and use the information.

In a preferred embodiment, the predefined compositional parameters are determined from a profile. The profile may be the profile of an individual consumer or the profile of a group of consumers.

The process preferably has predefined compositional parameters that are health parameters. Suitably, the health parameters are selected from the group consisting of the presence of one or more allergens, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components, the presence of one or more contra-indicated components above a predetermined concentration or any combination thereof.

The contra-indicated components may be selected from the group consisting of irritants.

In an important embodiment, the selected cosmetic products are flagged to indicate recommended cosmetic products and contra-indicated cosmetic products according the profile.

The database may also be used such that the selected cosmetic products are displayed with local availability information. Optionally, the selected cosmetic products are displayed with a purchase icon for connecting the user to an on-line ordering service. In another important aspect, the cosmetic products are displayed with a label icon for providing the user with an image of the product packaging with the ingredient lists. This allows the user to verify the labelled compositional information of the nutraceutical product.

The present invention will now be described with respect to a specific embodiment relating to the selection of a food product although it will be appreciated that the steps and processes will also be applicable to nutraceutical and cosmetic products.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 depicts a system for providing access to an on-line electronic ingredient register;

Figure 2 is a flowchart depicting a process for maintaining and using the online ingredient register;

Figure 3 is a flowchart which includes further details of the process involved in entering and verifying data for the on-line ingredient register;

Figure 4 depicts part of a web page for entering food product data into the register;

Figure 5 depicts another part of the web page for entering food product data into the register; Figure 6 depicts a web page which displays the details of entered food products that contain new ingredients;

Figure 7 depicts a web page for entering or editing the ingredient properties of ingredients;

Figure 8 depicts a web page which displays the details of entered food products that do not contain new ingredients;

Figure 9 depicts a web page which displays a particular product record and location data associated with that record;

Figure 10 depicts a web page which displays food product records that have advanced to a third Data Verification stage; Figure 11 depicts a web page which displays a particular product record which has advanced to the third Data Verification stage;

Figure 12 depicts the profile details page of a web site that provides access to product data stored in the live database;

Figure 13 depicts the dietary analysis page of the web site; Figure 14 depicts a home page of the web site;

Figure 15 depicts a web page which includes the results of a keyword search of the live database using the keyword search section of the home page;

Figure 16 depicts the nutrient report page of the web site; Figure 17 depicts the ingredient report page of the web site; Figure 18 depicts a shopping list that is displayed by clicking on the "Shopping List" button of one of the web pages of the web site; Figure 19 depicts the pantry page of the web site;

Figure 20 depicts an alternative embodiment of the ingredient report page of the web site;

Figure 21 depicts a table that lists some of the ingredients listed in the ingredient database; Figure 22 depicts some of the products listed on the ingredients report page after an ingredient allergen has been selected; and

Figure 23 depicts a nutrition and ingredient information panel which is printed on a label of one of the products listed on the ingredients report page depicted in figure 22.

Mode(s) for Carrying out the Invention

Referring to figure 1, a system 40 for providing access to an on-line ingredient register comprises a server computer 41 which stores an electronic database which includes the contents of the ingredient register. Server 41 is connected to the Internet network 42 so that the contents of the ingredient register can be accessed by users who have access to the Internet.

The contents of the register may be accessed by using one or more personal computers 43 that are connected to the server 41 via the network 42. Computers 43 may be used for accessing the register for a variety of purposes, including for the purpose of managing or viewing the contents of the on-line register via an Internet website.

A flow chart of a process 50 for maintaining and using the on-line ingredient register is depicted in figure 2. As part of the process 50, detailed data of food items/products that are offered for sale in retail food outlets is collected at 51. As part of the collection process, data is collected from various published food labels of food products. Data which is collected from food product labels includes: a complete description of the product, including its size, weight etc.; product nutritional

information; product ingredient information; manufacturer's product claims and endorsements; country of origin of the product; the source of the data (e.g. obtained from product label etc.); and the product bar code number. Where data is collected from product labels, the data will usually be obtained from the ingredient and nutritional information panels that are printed on the labels.

Data for generic foods such as, for example, apples, oranges, carrots, lettuce, eggs etc. is obtained at 52 from Government provided databases and the like.

An interactive database of manufacturer-specific food product labels which include ingredient and nutritional information is maintained as indicated at 53 of the process 50.

The collected data and the data which is contained in the interactive database of manufacturer specific food products labels are then processed at 54. The processed data is then digitised at 55.

The process also comprises applying values for allergen and additive parameters at 56 to every unique ingredient of each product whose details are stored in the database. The values of the allergen and additive parameters that are applied at 56 are linked to all of the other alternative names or codes for each ingredient.

The process also comprises a computerised system and method at 57 for quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) of all inputted data. This includes a: duplication check of the data; first stage approval process for the data; second stage approval process for the data; and a third stage approval process for the data.

Collected data which successfully passes the various aforementioned QC and

QA steps is then transferred at 58 to the user-accessible dynamic food label database which contains nutritional and ingredient data for various specific food products. The database is also referred to herein as the "live" database and is stored on the server 41 of the computer network system 40.

Once food product data has been transferred at 58 to the dynamic food label/live database, users are then able to access the database over the Internet by visiting a particular Internet web site which provides access to the database. Once a user has logged on to the web site, they are then able to search and select foods that are stored on the database, and that are of interest to them as indicated at 59.

As indicated at 60, there is a professional qualified system to monitor and

use all the analytical functions that are available on the web site relative to accepted reference tables to easily provide nutritional and ingredient profiles to people with special dietary needs.

The web site may be used as indicated at 61 to view complete food labels of individual food products whose particulars have been recorded in the database.

The web site may also be used at 62 to compare and analyse the nutritional content of different food products.

Moreover, as noted at 63, the web site may be used to compare and analyse ingredient content for allergens and additives. Also, as noted at 64, the web site may be used to develop, use, analyse and personalise recipes that are made-up on-line with real retail-available ingredients selected to best meet the user's special dietary needs.

Figure 3 depicts a more detailed flowchart of a particular process 70 of collecting, processing, entering and verifying food product label data which is accessible through the web site.

Following the collection of product data as part of a Data Collection stage

71, the data proceeds to a Data Preparation stage 72, which is then followed by a Data

Entry stage 73 in which the data is entered as an electronic data record. After the data has been entered, the data proceeds to a Data Duplication Check stage 74 and then on to a first Data Verification stage 75.

If an entered food product data record includes any new ingredients, the data proceeds to a New Ingredients stage 76. If entered product data does not include any new ingredients, the data proceeds to a No New Ingredients stage 77. If it is determined during the New Ingredients stage 76 that an ingredient included in the record is actually the same as an existing recorded ingredient, but is just spelt differently, the data proceeds to a Same as Existing stage 78, and then to the No New Ingredients stage 77. If it is determined during the New Ingredients stage 76 that an ingredient included in the data record is actually a new ingredient, the data proceeds to a New Ingredient stage 79, and then on to the No New Ingredients stage 77. After passing through the No New Ingredients stage 77, the data proceeds to a second Data Verification stage 80, followed by a third Data Verification stage 81. Next, it proceeds to a Duplicate Holding Spot stage 82, and then on to a Live

Database stage 83 where it is entered into the live database so that it can be accessed by users who wish to view the data on-line.

Data records can be moved from the second Data Verification stage 80 back to the No New Ingredients stage 77 and from the third Data Verification stage 81 back to the second Data Verification stage 80. They can also be moved from the Live Database stage 83, Duplicate Holding Spot stage 82 and the third Data Verification stage 81 back to the No New Ingredients stage 77. Moreover, data records can be moved bi-directionally between the first Data Verification stage 75 and the Live Database stage 83. Further details of the various stages 71-83 of the flowchart 70 are provided below.

Food product data is collected in the Data Collection stage 71 using a variety of methods, including: manual collection from supermarkets and other retail and wholesale grocery outlets; manual/automatic collection from food product manufacturers; and manual/automatic collection from government agencies.

The main method of collecting data is to obtain it from supermarkets and other retail grocery outlets which sell food products. A team of data collectors enter supermarkets with the permission of supermarket management, and collect data as directed by a data management officer who is part of a data management team. Records of food product data may be audio-recorded by the collector reading the label information in a specific order into an audio recorder. The data may also be obtained by writing or otherwise entering it onto a food product label sheet data template which can significantly increase accuracy and efficiency in the data entry stage.

Information provided on the product labels of food products may be obtained directly from food product manufacturers. The information may be in a hardcopy format or a softcopy format. The information may be manually entered into the database, or it may be entered automatically. Manufacturers may be allowed to remotely transfer their data to the web site where it can then be reformatted and accepted. Manufacturers may be allowed to manage their data using the web site. Allowing manufacturers to manage their own data would allow for "dynamic" updating of the data contained in the database so that the data would always have the latest updates. Rather than managing their data using the web site, manufacturers

may be provided with a stand-alone program which could be installed and used on a computer at the manufacturer's location, and which would allow the manufacturer to remotely manage their product data.

Several issues of data verification would need to be addressed if manufacturers were allowed to independently add or edit data on the web site. Some of these issues are covered later on when the data verification process/system is described in more detail.

As mentioned earlier, data may also be obtained from government sources.

For example, data may be obtained from the AUSTNUT database of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). Currently, data for generic foods can be obtained from FSANZ on a "non-commercial" basis. The data (about 1000 records of information) may be entered manually, or it may be automatically reformatted and accepted.

As part of the Data Preparation stage 72, the collected data, including the data from the data templates, is gathered together and is approved by the data management team for entry into the system database. The data is then distributed in either electronic or mail packages to various data entry personnel who belong to a data entry team. The data entry personnel then enter the data directly into the database on-line as part of the Data Entry stage 73. The data entry team is managed by a data management officer. All data is entered through a web site that can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world.

The data entry system is specifically designed to be as efficient as possible, and a variety of automatic rules are employed to protect data quality.

In the case where collected data is handwritten on a data collection template, the data entry process involves the enterer transferring information from the template and into a similar electronic template on the web site. All entered data is logged using the recorded bar code number of the product as a unique identifier. The details of entry (time, name or other identification of enterer etc.) are also logged so as to monitor the performance of the data enterer. Rules embedded in the electronic data entry template mitigate the opportunity for human error as much as possible. These rules are continually evolving as is the layout and practical function of this template to increase efficiency.

Referring to figure 4, a web page 90 for entering food product data is set-out in the form of an electronic template which is similar to a data collection template on which food product data is written during the Data Collection stage 71. The portion of the data entry web page 90 which is depicted in figure 4 includes a user-depressible button 91 which, when clicked by a user's computer mouse, or otherwise activated, enables the user to attach a note to the product data record. For example, if the user is unsure about some data which has been collected and which needs to be entered into the web page 90, they can write a short note in this regard after pressing the button 90. The note remains with the product data record and can be reviewed by other users who are responsible for checking the accuracy of the entered data records.

Web page 90 also includes a user-editable text box 92 into which the unique barcode number of the product is typed. It also has a: user-editable text box 93 for storing the name or title of the product; text box 94 for storing details of the brand of the product; text box 95 for storing the price of the product; and a text box 96 for storing the name and location of the supermarket or other outlet where the food product data was obtained from.

The size/quantity of the product as well as the units in which the size/quantity of the product are given are entered into a text box 97 and a list box 98, respectively. Similarly, the serving size/quantity of the product as well as the units in which the serving size/quantity of the product are given are entered into a text box 99 and a list box 100, respectively. The servings per package of the product as well as the description of the serve are respectively entered into a text box 101 and a text box 102.

Web page 90 also includes a list 103 of nutrients that can each be entered into the product record. Located beside each nutrient in the list 103 are a first check box 104, a first user-editable text box 105, a list box 106, a second user-editable text box 107, and a second check box 108. For each nutrient in the list 103, the user is able to enter the maximum amount of the nutrient per serving of the product by checking the check box 104 beside the nutrient, entering the amount into the text box 105 which is associated with the nutrient, and selecting the appropriate unit of measurement from the associated list box 106. The user is also able to enter the amount of the nutrient per 100 units of the product by checking the check box 108

which is associated with the product, and also entering the amount into the text box 107 which is associated with the product.

Additional nutrients can be added to the list 103 by clicking on a hyperlink 109 which is located below the list 103. The ingredients that are contained in the product can be entered by selecting each ingredient of the product from a respective user-selectable list box 110, and by entering the percentage of the product which the ingredient comprises into a text box 111 located below the ingredient's list box 110. A sufficient number of list boxes 110 and 111 are provided so that all of the ingredients of a product are able to be entered. Referring to figure 5, additional ingredients can be added to the list of ingredients displayed in the list boxes 110 by clicking on a hyperlink 112.

Web page 90 also comprises a text box 113 into which all of the ingredients contained in the product can be entered. Text box 113 can be automatically filled with all of the ingredients of the product which have been selected from the list boxes 110 and which comprise a non-zero percentage of the product by pressing a "Fill Ingredients" button 114.

Below the ingredient text box 113 is another text box 115 into which are entered any manufacturer claims regarding the product.

Any ingredient that the manufacturer claims may be, or is not contained in the product, can be selected from a list box 116. If the manufacturer indicates that a particular ingredient may be contained in the product, a radio button 117 is selected. If the manufacturer indicates that a particular ingredient is not contained in the product, a radio button 118 is selected. These features allow the recordal of information from a food product label that states in the manufacturer's claims that a product "may contain trace amounts" of a particular ingredient due to the "manufacturing process". This is often found on many labels particularly stating this for common allergen ingredients such as nuts, sesame seeds etc.

New claims may be added to the list which is displayed in the list box 116 by selecting a hyperlink 119. Miscellaneous information, including a brief description of the product package and the country of origin of the product are respectively entered into a text box 120 and a text box 121.

Web page 90 also has a button 122 which, when pressed, saves and enters the data record.

After a food product data record is entered, the record enters the Data Duplication Check stage 74 where it is held/remains in the data entry site (in the list of entered products) for 1 week or until it is approved (whichever happens first). The purpose of doing this is so that data enterers can edit the product record, which can be a very useful feature. For example, in the case where a data enterer is unsure about something that they have entered, or if an administrator finds an error in an entered record, a "note" can be attached to the record as a communication tool. Once a product record has been approved or removed from the data entry site the data enterers cannot access the record any more. Records formally approved and later found to have errors, can be demoted through the various Data Verification stages to be re-entered or edited.

As part of the Data Duplication Check stage 74, the records are checked to see if a duplicate record exists in the live database. This involves comparing the unique identifier (i.e. bar code number) of an entered record with existing records to search for a duplicate. If a duplicate record does not exist in the live database, the record continues on to the first Data Verification stage 75 of the data verification process. If a duplicate record does exist, the two records are compared with each other. If there are no differences between the nutritional data, ingredient data, product name, size, manufacturer claims etc. of the compared records, an "age date" data field which is associated with the pre-existing record in the live database is reset so that that record can exist in the live database for another 6 months before needing to be re- checked. If there are differences between the data contained in the two records, this is drawn to the attention of a data management team who decide whether there is an error, or whether there is a possibility of an update being made. Appropriate action is then taken. The pre-existing record is removed from the live database, and the two records are held together until the differences are amended and/or approved.

As part of the first stage of the data verification process 75, the entered data records are divided into two separate categories. Records for food products which include new ingredients that have not been previously entered into an ingredient database which is associated with the product database are put into one category, and

records for food products which do not include new ingredients that have not been previously entered into the ingredient database are put into another category.

Figure 6 depicts a web page 150 of the data entry web site which displays a list of the various food products that have been entered and that include ingredients which have not been previously entered into the ingredient database. Web page 150 includes a table 151 of the newly entered food products which contain new ingredients. Table 151 comprises a respective row 152 for each of the food products which contain a new ingredient. Each row 152 is divided into columns 153 to 157. The first column 153 of each row 152 contains the unique bar code number 158 of the product. The second column 154 contains the brand name 159 of the product. The third column 155 contains the name 160 of the product. The fourth column 156 contains a hyperlink 161 to an edit web page where the details of the product can be edited. The edit web page is similar to the data entry web page 90. The fifth column 157 contains a list 162 of the new ingredients of the product. In addition, web page 150 has an "Approve all products" button 163 which, if clicked on by the cursor of a user's computer mouse, or otherwise activated, will cause all of the products listed in the table 151 to be approved.

Process 70 proceeds to the New Ingredients stage 76 if a newly-entered food product record includes an apparently new ingredient that is spelt differently from all other ingredients that have been previously entered into the ingredient database. During that stage, each record that includes such an ingredient is analysed by a data ingredient expert team to determine whether or not the name of the ingredient is synonymous with a previously entered ingredient.

If it is determined during the New Ingredients stage 76 that an ingredient is actually a completely new ingredient that has not been previously entered into the database, the ingredient is entered into the ingredient database by a data ingredient expert. When an ingredient is added to the ingredient database, values for various parameters for the ingredient are included in the database record for the ingredient. The ingredient parameters include information as to whether the ingredient has any known allergenic, additive or intolerance properties. The ingredient parameter information is entered into the database independently of the food product data stored in the product database, and is associated with a food product by the ingredients that

are contained in the product and that have been entered into the ingredient database. Once the ingredient parameters have been entered, the data record for the food product is entered into a list of other food product data records which have been entered and which do not include any new ingredients. Figure 7 depicts a web page 170 of the data entry web site which is used to enter the parameter values of new ingredients into the ingredient database. Web page 170 includes a horizontal menu bar 171 which includes a plurality of user-selectable menu items 172 which, if clicked on by the cursor of a user's computer mouse, or otherwise selected, will cause a different web page to be displayed on the user's Internet browser.

Located below the menu bar 171 is a user-editable text box 173 in which the name of the new ingredient is displayed. A user-editable list box 174 in which a default unit associated with the ingredient can be entered is located beside the text box 173. A user-selectable check box 175 which is located beside the list box 174 can be selected to indicate that the ingredient is a macro nutrient. Web page 170 also has a user-selectable list box 176 in which the name of a synonymous pre-existing ingredient can be selected so that the name of the pre-existing ingredient can be associated with the data record for the new ingredient.

Also included on the web page 170 is a list of additives 177, a list of allergens 178, and a list of intolerances 179. Located beside each parameter in each list 177, 178 and 179 are three horizontally-arranged user-selectable radio buttons 180, 181 and 182. For each parameter in each list 177, 178 and 179, only one of the radio buttons 180, 181 and 182 can be selected at any one time.

The "No" radio button 180 which is associated with a particular parameter in one of the lists 177, 178 and 179 is selected if that item is not present in the ingredient. The "Maybe" radio button 181 which is associated with a particular parameter is selected if the item may be present in the ingredient, and the "Yes" radio button 182 is selected if the parameter is present in the ingredient. For example, if the ingredient barley, which contains gluten and cereal, is entered into the ingredient database, it is important that this information is attached to the database record for the ingredient by selecting the "Yes" radio buttons 182 beside the "Cereals" item in the allergen list 178 and the "Gluten" item in the intolerances list 179 so that people with

allergies to gluten or wheat can be made aware of this.

Each time that a value for an additive, allergen or intolerance parameter from the lists 177, 178, 179 is assigned to a particular ingredient by selecting one of the three radio buttons 180, 181, 182 for that parameter, three sources which cite the correctness of assigning that parameter value to the ingredient must be referenced to that decision. The sources for allergen parameter values are entered into a table 182 which comprises a respective row 184 for each allergen parameter, and three columns 185 to 187. The first source is entered into column 185, the second into column 186, and the third into column 187. The sources that are entered can only come from a pre-approved list of dietary reference sources.

Similarly, the sources for intolerance parameter values are entered into a table 188 which comprises a respective row 189 for each intolerance parameter, and three columns 190 to 192. The first source is entered into column 190, the second into column 191, and the third into column 192. Similarly to the sources that are entered into the table 182, the sources that are entered into the table 188 can only come from a pre-approved list of dietary reference sources.

Web page 170 also includes a hyperlink 193 which, if selected by the user, enables the user to add macro nutrient information to the record for the particular ingredient. The ingredient parameter values are saved by pressing a "Save Ingredient" button 194. The ingredient can be deleted by pressing the "Delete this Ingredient" button 195.

The issues surrounding attaching ingredient parameter value data such as allergen, additive and intolerance ingredient parameter values are significant mainly because there is no single definitive or comprehensive list of this data as the database is too large - consider, a definitive list for gluten must state yes/no/maybe for every single ingredient that any one user may possibly consume. Rather there tends to be several separate and independent groups that concentrate on one allergen or groups of allergens and try to provide accurate analysis for the most common ingredients. The major challenge we have encountered is not only to bring all this knowledge together in one comprehensive yet evolving database, but to provide sources and scrutiny of this list so as to build credibility of our capability to provide accurate and updated

information.

We have solved this by putting in place the previously described system where a data ingredient expert must create a new ingredient in the ingredient database, and assign allergen, additive and intolerance parameter values to the ingredient. As mentioned earlier, each time that a parameter value is assigned to an ingredient, three sources of this information must be referenced to that decision. The sources can only come from a pre-approved list of dietary reference sources.

If it is determined during the New Ingredients stage 76 that the name of an ingredient of an entered data record is actually a synonym for a pre-existing ingredient record in the ingredient database, the new ingredient is linked to the preexisting record and assumes the same allergen, additive and intolerance parameter values as the pre-existing ingredient record. The data record for the food product is then entered into the list of other food product data records which have been entered and which do not include any new ingredients. If a newly entered data record does not include any new ingredients, the record is transferred directly to the list of other food product data records which have been entered and which do not include any new ingredients. As part of the No New Ingredients stage 77 of the process 70, the records that have been entered into the aforementioned list are manually checked Figure 8 depicts a web page 200 of the data entry web site which displays a list of the various food products that have been entered and that do not include new ingredients. Web page 200 includes a horizontal menu bar 201 which includes a plurality of user-selectable menu items 202 which, if clicked on by the cursor of a user's computer mouse, or otherwise selected, will cause a different web page to be displayed on the user's Internet browser.

Web page 200 also includes a table 203 of the newly entered food products which do not contain new ingredients. Table 203 comprises a respective row 204 for each of the food products. Each row 204 is divided into columns 205 to 209. The first column 205 of each row 204 contains the unique bar code number 210 of the product. The second column 206 contains the brand name 211 of the product. The third column 207 contains the name 212 of the product. The fourth column 208 contains a hyperlink 213 to an edit web page where the details of the product can be

edited. The edit web page is similar to the data entry web page 90. The fifth column 209 contains a button 214 which, if clicked on by the cursor of a user's computer mouse, or otherwise activated, will cause the data record to proceed to the second Data Verification stage 80. In the second Data Verification stage 80, records are manually checked again according to a data verification checklist, and location data is added to each record by a data location expert team. The location data includes aisle, shelf and product type data that identifies the location of the record in a virtual supermarket/grocery store. Each record may exist in more than one location in the virtual store. The location that a product record is located also determines the keywords that the product is associated with, and influences the results of keyword searches. The location data for each record the first time a record is entered will become the location template for future records. Records are then either demoted to the first Data Verification Stage 75 for editing, or are approved so that they advance to the third Data Verification stage 81. Figure 9 depicts a web page 220 on which is displayed the data stored in a particular product data record. In addition to the data that was initially entered into the record, the record now also includes a table 221 containing product location data. Each row 222 of the table 221 corresponds to a unique location in the virtual supermarket/grocery store. Locations provided in table 221 are automatically- generated recommended locations that are recommended based on a simple keyword search. Each row 222 comprises four columns 223 to 226. The first column 223 of each row 222 contains a text description of the particular aisle of the store where the product can be found. The second column 224 identifies the shelf of the store where the product is located. The third column 225 identifies the type of the product. The fourth column 226 includes a hyperlink 227 that, if selected by a user, adds the location specified in the row to the product data record. Web page 220 also includes a hyperlink 228 that, if selected by a user, enables the user to manually add another product location to the record.

Figure 10 depicts a web page 240 on which is displayed all of the product records which have advanced to the third Data Verification stage 81 and which are awaiting approval. Web page 240 includes a horizontal menu bar 241 which includes a plurality of user-selectable menu items 242 which, if clicked on by the cursor of a

user's computer mouse, or otherwise selected, will cause a different web page to be displayed on the user's Internet browser.

Web page 240 also includes a table 243 of all of the product records which have advanced to the third Data Verification stage 81 and which are awaiting approval. Table 243 comprises a respective row 244 for each of the food products. Each row 244 is divided into four columns 245-248. The first column 245 of each row 244 contains the unique bar code number 249 of the product. The second column 246 contains the brand name 250 of the product. The third column 247 contains the name 251 of the product. The fourth column 248 contains a hyperlink 252 to another web page where the product record can be approved or edited.

After a record has advanced to the third Data Verification stage 81, it is again manually checked according to the data verification check list. This is the third occasion on which the record data is independently verified.

Figure 11 depicts a web page 260 for a particular product record which has advanced to the third Data Verification stage 81 and which is awaiting final checking and approval. Web page 260 is displayed by a user by clicking the cursor of their computer mouse on a hyperlink 252 which is associated with the data record, or otherwise selecting the hyperlink 252.

Web page 260 displays all of the data that has been entered for the particular product record, including the data that was initially entered, and the location data that was entered as part of the second Data Verification stage 80.

Web page 269 includes a user-depressible button 261 that allows a user to attach a note to the record. It also has a button 262 that, if pressed by a user, will cause the data record to be demoted back to the second Data Verification stage 80 for further checking. This may be done if, for example, upon checking the location data which is displayed on the page 269, an error is found. Prior to pressing the button 262, a note may be attached to the record which explains the error so that the user who is responsible for checking the record again once it has been demoted back to stage 80 will be able to readily determine why the record was demoted. If the particulars of the record displayed on the web page 269 are completely correct, a button 263 is depressed which will cause the record to be finally approved so that it can be entered into the live product database, and be viewed by a user who is

accessing that database. Once the button 263 is depressed, the record is advanced to the Duplicate Holding Spot stage 82.

All records that have been fully approved and that have advanced to the Duplicate Holding Spot stage 82 are held until they have been 100% duplicated at which point they are automatically approved to the live database which is accessible through a web site. No record enters the live database unless it has been 100% duplicated. Records sharing the same unique identifier but which are otherwise different are sent back to the Data Duplication Check stage 74 for approval.

Once a record has advanced to the Live Database stage 83, it can nevertheless be removed from the live database at any stage and returned back to the verification process with notes attached to it. For example, if a record in the live database is found to contain an error, or if there is a suspicion that the record contains an error, the record can be immediately removed from the live database and demoted through the various stages of the verification process. Notes can be attached to a data record at any stage so that as it is demoted or promoted through the various stages, questions and answers can be communicated between the different officers. Even if a record has advanced to the Live Database stage 83, it can nevertheless be removed from the live database at any time and returned back to the verification process with notes attached to it. Notes can be attached to a data record at any stage so that as it is demoted or promoted through the various stages, questions and answers can be communicated between the different officers/personnel who review the record.

A top priority with all of the entered data is to ensure that it is accurate. There are two types of data failures: errors in data collection and entry, and errors in attached data. Each type of data failure raises different issues.

Errors in data collection are errors which occur during the collection and/or entry stage. Two main methods for data verification have been implemented to mitigate this.

Firstly, there is the duplicate verification system which basically requires all product data from product labels and other sources to be collected and entered twice, with each version being compared with each other and only approved through to the live database upon a 100% match.

Secondly, there is the three-step approval and checking process that each record must go through before being approved.

Errors in attached data are errors in the parameter value data that is attached to each ingredient. Each record has two types of attached data that are added to the raw data which is obtained from the product label or elsewhere. The two types of attached data are the ingredient parameter values, including the allergen, additive and intolerance parameter values, and the location details associated with the product data record.

To ensure that all data in the live database is up to date, an ageing system has been implemented. The ageing system automatically removes any data records that are over 6 months old from the live database and puts the removed records in a list to be re-collected. Prior to being removed, a data management officer is informed that the data record is soon to be aged so that the data in the record can be re-collected and entered again before the record expires. A web page 270 that provides access to the data in the live database is depicted in figure 12. In order to access the web page 270, a user must firstly log on to the web site which includes the page 270. The user can log off the web site by selecting the "Log out" hyperlink 271. If a notepad of the web site is open, it can be closed by selecting the "Close notepad" hyperlink 272. Web page 270 includes a user-editable text box 273 that a user can enter a keyword search term into to search the web site. The web site will be searched for occurrences of the keyword that has been entered into the text box 273 once the user clicks the cursor of their computer mouse, or otherwise activates, a button 274 that is located beside the text box 273. The web site has four main web pages, including the profiles web page 270 which is activated by clicking on a "Profiles" tab 275. The other main web pages include a home page which is accessed by clicking on a "Home" tab 276, an analysis page which is accessed by clicking on an "Analysis" tab 277, and a pantry page which is accessed by clicking on a "Pantry" tab 278. In order to be able to access the profiles page of the web site, a user must have "Level 3" access privileges. Level 3 access privileges are granted to

professionals such as dieticians. If a user does not have Level 3 access rights, the

"Profiles" tab 275 does not appear when they log in.

In addition to being able to access the profiles page, a dietary planner 279 is also available for users with Level 3 access rights. The profiles page is comprised of two sections or sub-pages, namely a profile details page 280 which is accessed by clicking a "Profile DETAILS" button 281 on the profiles page 270, and a dietary analysis page which is accessed by clicking a

"Dietary ANALYSIS" button 282 on the profiles page 270. It is the profile details page 280 that is visible in figure 12. The profile details page 280 includes a profiles section 283, a statistics section 284, a nutrient/minerals section 285, and an allergen, intolerance and additives section 286.

The profiles section 283 enables a user to enter and delete profiles for one or more people. To enter a new profile, a "New" button 290 must be pressed. The name, age, sex, height and weight of the person who the new profile is for are entered into text boxes 291 to 295. If the person is a female and is pregnant, the appropriate selection is made from a list box 296. If the person is a female and is lactating, a check box 297 is checked. The type of physical activity if any, which the person is currently involved, is selected from a list box 298. A text box 299 is provided for entering any miscellaneous notes.

The profiles that a user has entered are listed in a list box 300, and are numbered sequentially.

New profiles or amended profiles are saved in the user's account by pressing a "Save" button 301. Profiles can be deleted from a user's account by pressing a "Delete" button

302.

The Body Mass Index (BMI), Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), estimated energy expenditure and activity factor for each profile listed in the profile list box 300 can be automatically displayed in turn in text boxes 310 to 313 in the statistics section 184. Various other pieces of useful information can be displayed in a text box 314.

The nutrients/minerals section 285 includes list boxes 320 to 324. Nutrient/mineral information can be associated with a profile by selecting that information from list boxes 320 to 324.

The allergen, intolerance and additives section 286 includes list boxes 330 to 334. Allergen, additive and intolerance information can be associated with a profile by selecting that information from list boxes 330 to 324.

Dietary plans for each profile listed in the profile list box 300 can be created using the dietary planner 279 which can be used for pre-planning a diet, recording a diet, planning model diets, or it can be used as a diet diary by clients. To add a new plan to a particular profile, an appropriate selection is made from a list box 340 and a "Save" button 341 is pressed. A plan can have any name, and it can be 1 to 31 days long. The particular day of a plan can be selected from a list 342. When a particular day is selected from the list 342, the dietary plan for that day is displayed in a text box 343. The week of the dietary plan can be selected from a list box 344.

After naming a diet plan, any week of the plan can be selected from the list box 344, and any day of the week can be selected from the list 342. Once the appropriate day has been selected, and its contents are displayed in the text box 343, products can be added to that day directly from the dietary analysis page or from lists by pressing an "Add Product" button 345. Alternatively, recipes can be added to a day of the dietary plan by pressing an "Add Recipe" button 346. Change the day, and continue adding recipes and single products into the plan. It is also possible to select the quantity of a particular product. For example, two oranges or even one serving (or two or more servings) of spaghetti bolognaise can be entered. A plan or a day of a plan can be printed out, deleted or analysed be pressing buttons 347 to 350. If a day of a plan is analysed, all of the products, and products in the recipes of the plan are shown for that day. The nutrient content of each item or of the day as a whole can be analysed.

A "Shopping List" button 351 and a "My Recipe Book" button 352 are located above the dietary planner 279.

Dietary analysis can be taken to a whole new by using the dietary analysis section 360 which is opened by pressing the "Dietary ANALYSIS" button 282.

The profile which is being analysed is displayed in a text box 361 in the top left corner of the dietary analysis section 360. The profile which is analysed in the dietary analysis section 360 can be changed by toggling between the dietary analysis section 360 and the profile details section 280, and by selecting a different profile from the profile details section 280.

The dietary analysis section 360 includes a table 362 that includes automatically calculated dietary information for the profile selected in the profile details section 280. Dietary information that is displayed in the table 362 includes Recommended Daily Intake (RDI), Estimated Dietary Intake (EDI), Adequate Intake (AI), Minimum Goal (Min), and Maximum Goal (Max) values for a range of nutrients. Each of the aforementioned values is displayed in a respective column 363 to 367 of the table 362. Each nutrient is displayed in a respective row 368 of the table 362.

The column values that are displayed in the table 362 can be customised by checking or un-checking check boxes 369 to 375.

The top right-hand corner of the dietary analysis section 360 includes a list box 376 from which a dietary plan for the selected profile can be selected and analysed in the table 362. The selected dietary plan may, for example, be a user's diet diary, or a previous month's dietary plan. Whichever dietary plan is selected will also be displayed in the list box 344 of the dietary planner 279. This allows a user to go through the actual diet in the dietary planner 279 item by item and day by day. The dietary plan that is selected is also displayed in column 377 of the table 362.

The dietary plan can be viewed in total in the table 362 by checking the

"Total" checkbox 378. In this case, as depicted in figure 13, there is just one column 377 which includes the total values for the whole plan. The total values for the plan are the total nutrient information for the dietary plan. The values can be manually compared to the values displayed in the other columns of the table 362.

Alternatively, the dietary plan can be viewed for each day in the table 362 by checking the "Each day" checkbox 379. Rather than the single column 377, this will cause a separate column for each day of the plan that contains information to be displayed in the table 362. For example, if the dietary plan is for seven days, seven columns will be displayed in the table 362 instead of the single column 377. The

values displayed in those columns are the total nutrient information for each day. Those values can be compared with the values in the other columns of the table 362.

By clicking any one of the headings 380 to 384 of the columns 363 to 367

(or any of the other columns that are added to the table by checking the check boxes 369 to 375) of the table 362, the column is highlighted, and the values in the highlighted column are compared with the dietary plan columns (e.g. column 377) of the table 362. Where a value in the dietary plan columns exceeds the relevant value in the highlighted column, the value in the dietary plan columns is displayed in a different colour (e.g. red) to the colour of the other values in the dietary plan columns. This draws to the user's attention that they have exceeded the particular value of the nutrient. For example, in figure 13, value 385 in the column 377 exceeds the RDI value 386 in column 363.

The dietary analysis section enables a user to look at their actual dietary plan and analyse it to see where they went wrong, and to either find a better product or to change the recipes that are included in their plan. What is important is that a user can easily identify where they are going wrong and make changes.

Figure 14 depicts the home page 390 of the web site. The home page 390 can be accessed from other pages of the web site by clicking on the "Home" tab 276.

The home web page 390 also includes a list box 391 which is located beneath the "Shopping List" button 351, and the "My Recipe Book" button 352.

Home page 390 also includes three sections, a "Top 100" section 392, a "Keyword" section 393, and a "Browse" section 394. The top 100 section includes a hyperlink list 395 of the top 100 product types that are stored in the live database. The list 395 is determined by how often the different product types stored in the database are accessed by users. A user can view a record for a product that is listed in the list 395 by clicking on the hyperlink in the list 395 for that product. For example, if a user is interested in viewing the record for the "Pasta Spaghetti" hyperlink in the list 395, they would need to click on that hyperlink using their computer mouse.

The browse section 394 includes a list of folders 396 that correspond to different locations in the virtual supermarket/grocery store. As mentioned earlier, each product record in the database has associated aisle, shelf and product type location data. Each product record can be accessed in the browse section 394 by

clicking on an appropriate folder in the list 396. Each product record can exist in more than one location. For example, a packet of chips can be located in the snacks shelf or in the deli. When a product is entered into the database for the first time it has locations attached to it. These locations are decided by a database manager with the help of suggestions made by a keyword search. Once locations have been attached to a product record, any time that product is entered again, changed or updated, it will automatically assume the same location data as initially assigned. The location data can be updated at any time.

The keyword section 393 includes a user-editable text box 397 into which a user is able to enter a keyword that they wish to search the live database for. After entering the keyword into the text box 397, the user then clicks on a "Search" button 398 to commence the keyword search. There are a number of keywords associated with every aisle, shelf and product type category that a product in the database can be stored under. If the entered keyword is the same as any of those keywords, a list of records that those keywords are associated with are displayed to the user. For example, if a product record is stored in the database in the drinks aisle, on the cordial and syrup shelf, and in the cordial mix product type, that record will essentially possess all of the keywords that are attached to each of those location categories. The drinks aisle location category may, for example, be associated with the keywords "drink" and "drinks". The cordial shelf location category may be associated with the keywords "cordial", "syrup", "cordials" and "syrups". The cordial mix shelf location category may be associated with the keywords "cordial", "mix", "lemon", "lime", "orange", "barley", "blackcurrant", "ginger", "refresher", "raspberry" and "mango".

A keyword search also takes into account words in the title/product name of the product records stored in the live database. For example, with reference to figure 14, it can be seen that the title/product name "pasta" has been entered into the text box 397 as a search term.

After a keyword has been entered, the results of the search are displayed on a web page that is similar to the web page 410 depicted in figure 15. Web page 410 includes a table 411 that includes a: column 412 listing the aisles of the virtual store that are associated with the entered keyword; column 413 listing the shelves of the virtual store that are associated with the entered keyword; column 414 listing the

product types of the virtual store that are associated with the entered keyword; and a column 415 that includes a list of hyperlinks 416 to the specific products located by the search. Each item listed in the aisle column 412, shelf column 413 and product types column 414 has an associated checkbox 417. The user can select a whole aisle listed in the aisle column 412 by checking the checkbox 417 that is associated with that aisle. Selecting a whole aisle will select all of the shelves, product type and products that are located in that aisle of the virtual store.

Similarly, the user can select a particular shelf listed in the shelf column 413 by checking the checkbox 417 that is associated with that shelf. Selecting a whole shelf will also select all of the product types and products that are located on that shelf of the virtual store.

Alternatively, the user may select a particular product type listed in the product types column 414 by checking the checkbox 417 that is associated with that shelf. Selecting a particular product type will also select all of the products of that product type.

It is also possible to select all of the aisles, shelves, product types and products that are displayed in the table 411 by clicking on a "Select All" button 418.

Details of the selected products can be viewed by clicking on a "View selected products" button 419.

The idea of the search results web page 410 is to allow users to refine their search and not include products that they're not interested in, as well as to teach them more about the layout and storage of different products so as to help them use more refined terms when using the keyword search next time. Referring to figure 16, an analysis page 430 of the web site is accessed by clicking on the "Analysis" tab 277. The analysis page 430 includes a nutrient report page 431 that can be accessed by clicking on a "Nutrient Report" button 432. Web page 430 also includes an "Ingredient Report" button 433.

The analysis page 430 is where a user can analyse the results of their searches against nutritional information or ingredient information.

The products located by a search are displayed in a table 434 on the nutrient report page 431. Table 434 includes nine columns, including a: "Highlight Record"

column 435; "Brand" column 436; "Product" column 437; "Product Size" column 438; and five columns 439 to 443 that each include a list box 444 from which a user can select a variety of nutritional information to view for each product that is located by the search and that is listed in a respective row 445 of the table 434. The products displayed in the table 434 can be sorted in ascending or descending order according to the nutritional information selected in any one of the list boxes 444 of the columns 439 to 443 by clicking on either a "Low" radio button 446 or a "High" radio button 447 that is located underneath the list box 444 that displays the desired nutritional information. For example, in figure 16, the products displayed in the table 434 have been sorted in ascending order according to their energy content.

The user can choose to highlight one or more products that are displayed in the table 434 by checking a checkbox 448 that is located in the "Highlight Record" column 435 beside the brand of the product. The user can then do another sort and see how the highlighted product(s) fair, and then highlight other products etc. This all assists the user to decide which product suits their needs best.

It is also possible to select any one of a plurality of allergens (e.g. cereals, nuts, gluten free etc.) that are listed in a list box 449. If a product listed in the table 434 contains a selected allergen, the record for that product will be highlighted in red in the table 434. If a product listed in the table 434 may contain a selected allergen, the record for that product will be highlighted in yellow in the table 434. If a product listed in the table 434 does not contain a selected allergen, the record for that product will be highlighted in green in the table 434.

The amount of the nutrients displayed in the columns 439 to 443 of the table 434 can also be specified by making an appropriate selection from a list box 450. For example, in figure 16, the nutrients that are displayed in the columns 439 to 443 are displayed in terms of the amount contained per 100 g/ml of the product.

If a user wishes to select all of the products that are displayed in the table 434, rather than checking each checkbox 448 of each product, they can select all of the products by making an appropriate selection from a list box 451.

The particular nutrient that is used to sort the products displayed in the table 434 can also be selected from a list box 452.

A selected product in the table 434 can be added to the notepad of the web site by clicking on a button 453.

A selected product that is displayed in the table 434 can be added to a recipe of the user by clicking on a button 454. Selected products in the table 434 can be printed by clicking on a button 455.

Also, selected products that are displayed in the table 434 can be removed from the table 434 by clicking on a button 456.

Referring to figure 17, the analysis page 430 also includes an ingredient report page 460 that can be accessed by clicking on the "Ingredient Report" button 433.

The products located by a search are displayed in a table 461 on the ingredient report page 460. Table 461 includes a "Brand" column 462, a "Product" column 463, a "Size" column 464, and five columns 465 to 469 that each include a list box 470 from which a user can select a particular ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance for each product that is located by the search and that is listed in a respective row 471 of the table 461.

If a particular product listed in the table 461 contains a particular ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, a cell 472 of the table 461 that is located in the same row 471 of the product, and that is located below the list box 470 in which the particular ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance is selected, is coloured red. If the product may contain the selected ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, the cell 472 is coloured yellow. If the product does not contain the selected ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, the cell 472 is coloured green.

Presently, a user can select a different allergen/additive in each column for a different result. However, in other embodiments, these two separate reports may be combined into a single report.

Buttons 453, 454, 455 and 456, and list box 451 of the ingredient report page 460 provide the same functionality as they do in the nutrient report page 431.

Pressing the "Shopping List" button 351 displays a shopping list 480 of products. A checkbox 481 is displayed beside each product in the displayed shopping list. The displayed shopping list 480 is able to be selected from a list box 482.

If a particular product in the list 480 is selected by checking its associated checkbox 481, the selected product(s) can be removed from the list 480 by clicking on a "Remove Selected" button 482.

A selected product in the list 480 can be analysed by clicking on an "Analyse" button 483.

The list 480 can be deleted by clicking on a "Delete List" button 484.

List 480 can be printed by clicking on a "Print" button 485.

An associated recipe can be selected from a list box 486.

The amount of a product in the shopping list 480 can be entered into a text box 487.

A unit that is associated with a product in the list 480 can be selected from a list box 488.

A product in the list 480 can be added to a recipe by clicking on an "Add to Recipe" button 489. The shopping list functionality enables a user to add products, save them into lists, combine lists, print lists, and edit lists.

Clicking on the "My Recipe Book" button 352 enables a user to add products from lists, or from the analysis page 430 to make recipes that can then be shared, printed, and organised. It is also possible to analyse the nutritional content of a whole recipe.

Referring to figure 19, a pantry page 500 of the web site is accessed by clicking on the "Pantry" tab 278. The pantry page 500 is the place where a user can manage their data such as their shopping lists, and recipes.

The pantry page 500 includes a list 501 of product types that the user has or has previously had in their pantry, and indicates beside each product type the number of that product type that they currently have in their pantry.

Products listed in a list box 502 can be added to a user's shopping list by selecting the product from the list box 502, and clicking on an "Add to Shopping List" button 503. The user can manage their recipes in a recipe book page by clicking on a

"My Recipe Book" hyper link 504.

The user can also search the database for recipes created by other users and provided on the website by clicking on a "Recipe Database" hyperlink 505. Also, recipes from the database can be added to the recipes contained in the user's recipe book page, printed etc. as the user sees fit. Moreover, the user can view their shopping list by clicking on a "Shopping

Lists" hyperlink 506.

The user can return to the pantry page by clicking on a "My Pantry" hyperlink 507.

A list box 508 for displaying products, a "Save to:" button 509, and a "Delete" button 510 can be seen in figure 19 beneath the "Shopping List" button 351.

Referring to figure 20, an alternative ingredient report page 520 to the ingredient report page 460 includes a table 521 in which the products located by a search are displayed. Table 521 includes a "Brand" column 522, a "Product" column

523, a "Size" column 524, and five columns 525 to 529 that each can be clicked on to display a list box 530 from which a user can select a particular ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance for each product that is located by the search and this is listed in a respective row 531 of the table 521. The user can select from a list of 37 commonly named ingredients, allergens, additives and intolerances from the list box 530. If a particular product listed in the table 521 contains a particular ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, the word "Red" written in the colour red is displayed in a cell 531 of the table 521 that is located in the same row 531 of the product, and that is located in the column 525 to 529 whose list box 530 includes the selected ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance. If the product may contain the selected ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, the word "Yellow" written in the colour yellow is displayed in the cell 531. If the product does not contain the selected ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance, the word "Green" written in the colour green is displayed in the cell 531.

A user can select one or more products that are displayed in the table 521 by checking a checkbox 532 that is located beside the brand name of the product that is listed in the "Brand" column 522.

Selected products can be printed by clicking on a "Print selected" button 533.

Selected products can be removed from the table 521 by clicking on a "Remove selected" button 534. Further details of a product that is displayed in the table 521 can be displayed by clicking on the name of the product displayed in the "Product" column 523 of the table 521.

If the user selects "Dairy" from the list box 530 as depicted in figure 20, this will inform the user which products listed in table 521 contain an ingredient that relates to the "Dairy" parameter. When "Dairy is selected, the system knows that it needs to look for every single ingredient in the ingredient database that has a diary parameter whose value indicates that the ingredient includes dairy (as dictated by local Government Standards). More importantly, it also knows to look for every single example and variance of that ingredient due to the fact that every basic ingredient can actually be named many different things as there is no standard. Figure 21 displays a table 540 that lists some of the ingredients that can be found in the ingredient database and that include dairy as a parameter. The ingredients 541 are examples of the same ingredient but with a different name.

Figure 22 depicts some of the products listed on the ingredients report page 520 after "Dairy" has been selected from the list box 530 associated with column 525 of the table 521. Occurrences of the word "Red" in column 525 signify that the parameter dairy is present in the product that is listed in the same row in which the word appears. Occurrences of the word "Yellow" in column 525 signify that dairy may be present in the product that is listed in the same row in which the word appears. Occurrences of the word "Green" in column 525 signify that dairy is not present in the product that is listed in the same row in which the word appears.

The presence of the words "No Results Found" in a cell 531 refers to the fact that no ingredients on the label of the product which is associated with the cell 531 match the list of ingredients that are related to "Dairy". As mentioned above, a user can click on the name of the product in the

"Product" column 523 to display further details of the product. Referring to figure 23, the further details of the product are displayed in the form of a nutrition and

ingredient information panel 550 which is printed on a label of the product, and a table 551 that indicates whether there are any allergens or additives associated with each ingredient in the product. The user can then see the exact specific ingredient as written verbatim on the product label, and is able to then make a more informed decision regarding the products they select. The particular label 550 and table 551 that are displayed in figure 22 are for the Tip Top - Up High Fibre + Calcium - White product listed in the table 521 of the ingredient report page 520. A magnified view 552 of the portion of the table 551 that contains information regarding the presence of dairy in particular ingredients of the product is shown in the figure. In summary, by selecting one simple and commonly known ingredient, allergen, additive or intolerance of interest to them, a user is essentially able to search all of the hundreds and sometimes thousands of ingredients and alternative names of those ingredients in their product list related to that search.

The user is returned a simple red, yellow or green result and is then able to view further details of the product in the form of a nutrition and ingredient information panel of the product so as to be able to see the actual specific ingredient as named by the manufacturer (there is no standard for this type of naming), allowing them to make a better more informed decision regarding the products they select.

Throughout the specification and the claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications to the invention described herein will be apparent without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The variations and modifications as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, that reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part

of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.