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Optimised food products design & offers based on trends that consumers discuss to identify what are the “fashionable” and/or “in demand” that consumers believe are healthy
About
Our innovation starts by executing intelligent data mining in social media posts, discussion forums, health-related websites, online newspapers and magazines etc. It uses technologies in Big Data processing and news mining to extract and collect what consumers are talking about relating to healthy eating, so-called ‘superfoods’, celebrity diets and new diet trends, sustainable diets, etc. Applying analyses with Machine Learning tools, it processes these discussions to identify the trends in healthy food consumption. We will identify separately what is fashionable, and what is based upon actual nutrition and scientific facts. We will also identify what is speculation or myth, or anything that is potentially detrimental to good health or sustainability, so these are removed. A second step in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) involves holistic optimisation techniques to combine these trends with valid scientific nutritional knowledge of the components of such trend, by looking at the evidence in peer-reviewed scientific journals and other reputable sources. This may identify either whole foods or individual components of foods (e.g. anti-oxidants, vitamins etc.) which are beneficial to health. With this information we can ascertain which new products would fulfil those trends and/or health benefits, and which would complement and potentialise or supplement these trends or benefits. A recommender system (an AI based recommendation tool) will be optimised to match current products, popular healthy ingredients and food combinations, to create novel suggestions for products and for marketing these products. In addition, further marketing can be supported by suggestions to consumers that will “help” them make the most of the product; for example, recipes that fulfil a health trend and match a product “perfectly”! Our innovation can then feed an optimisation system to find the best way to parametrise the new products’ design and manufacturing. We have mature optimisation tools that can enable this stage.
Key Benefits
Our innovation will allow the client to keep abreast of emerging dietary trends and move quickly to identify potential new products before other companies in the market. This will enable the client to provide the best product to promote health and satisfy consumer demand, making the most of what consumers are likely to buy at any given time. Our product, once developed can be applied to other food products, and therefore has commercial application to potentially be sold to other companies within the wider Associated British Foods group, or other companies in the food industry.
Applications
To inform marketing, by making the most of the information gathered from current consumer trends. To inform product research and development. It can be applied to any food and drink product and has unlimited potential to be used by other companies in the food industry. To support supply chain optimisation, including quickly looking for upscaling / repurposing of products / ingredients. Supporting in turn a more sustainable supply chain and operations.