Giki, a new U.K.-based app, assesses a product’s sustainability, health and fairness credentials by awarding it up to 12 "badges."
The badges include organic, recyclable packaging, local (U.K.-made), low-carbon footprint, responsibly sourced, no chemicals of concern, free from additives, healthier, animal welfare, no animal testing, greener cosmetics, and kinder cleaning. Users scan a product’s barcode to get its ratings in each category. Where a product scores poorly, alternatives are suggested.
There are more than 250,000 products on the app, both branded goods and store brand labels from supermarkets including Waitrose, Co-op, Asda and Sainsbury’s. Pack information, government guidelines and scientific research are added to a database which algorithmically scores product against all the badge options.
And there are more tech innovations on the way:
Refill: Helps you find water-bottle refilling stations near you so that you don’t have to buy plastic bottles.
Farmdrop: Delivers ethically sourced food fresh from farm to your front door. Uses electric delivery vans, paper bags and fully compostable carriers.
Karma: Find leftover food from restaurants, including Aubaine and Hummus Bros., for half the regular price.
Happy Cow: Helps you find a local veggie or vegan restaurant worldwide.
It’s amazing just how much more advanced these food-focused apps are across the pond, as we in the U.S. still struggle with how to offer electronic coupons.