In a world of ever-changing dietary trends and customer preferences, the foodservice industry must continually find ways to innovate in order to stay competitive. While there are many strategies available to foodservice providers, research shows that clever use of data is the key to staying ahead of the game. Enter ‘nutrition facts databases’, robust databases that collect, store and analyze nutrient and ingredient information specific to the foodservice industry.
Nutrition facts databases can be invaluable resources for foodservice providers interested in managing their food offerings. Restaurateurs can use them for menu and recipe analysis, sourcing new ingredients and mapping customer behavior towards health conscious alternatives. Foodservice technology companies also use these platforms to make their solutions more efficient and value-endowed. As a result, most of the leading companies in the foodservice industry have started investing in comprehensive nutrition facts databases.
Here, we provide a step-by-step guide to help restaurant owners, foodtech firms and other industry stakeholders get started with a nutrition facts database.
First and foremost, organizations should compile a list of the food products they want to include in the database. This includes items like fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy and other food ingredients that the restaurant/food service firm processes or sells. It is best to make use of nutrition facts labels provided with the food products for accuracy.
Next, organizations should research for a suitable nutrition facts database software. The software should be based around a mobile-friendly nutrition fact label and should be features rich with user friendly interfaces. It should preferably offer fast search and easy sorting capabilities to streamline the process of data entry. Automated data extraction capabilities are also a bonus.
Thirdly, organizations should determine what type of information they want to include in the nutrition facts database. Depending on the type and scale of the organization, this could include data on allergens, nutrition facts and other related material facts. On a broader level, it is also wise to include recipe nutrition data from external sources. This enables the database to serve as a precise reference point for food labeling, allergen statement, nutrition claims and much more.
Fourth, organizations should consider getting their nutrition facts database certified for accuracy. This is essential as certified databases are constantly kept up-to-date with health regulations and changes in the food service industry. Organizations should seek national or regional body certification since this is an essential criterion for managing supplier relationships and accurately mapping the food products consumed.
Organizations should also consider investing in third party audits to externally verify the accuracy of the nutrition facts database.
Lastly, all the data collected should be stored securely when prepping the malnutrition facts database. Furthermore, the systems used should ideally facilitate SQL Injection and be resistant to other types of intrusion.
Organizations who can’t afford to create and maintain a comprehensive nutrition facts database of their own can outsource the job. This entails investing in either a packaged solution or custom-built solutions from data-as-a-service (DaaS) providers such as Brizo.
At Brizo, we understand the importance of nutrition facts databases and offer a robust platform to facilitate building and managing your foodservice market data including restaurant tech data. Our comprehensive yet granular dataset focuses on foodservice menus and ingredients across regions and throughout sectors and significantly reduces the time needed for detailed market analysis and fact-checking.
To get started with a restaurant nutrition facts database, contact us to know more about our offerings.
