Brainfood San Francisco Introduces New Technological Advancements in Food

The Brainfood Summit, hosted by Spoon University, at the Williams Sonoma Headquarters in San Francisco.

On July 22, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Brainfood Summit at the Williams Sonoma Headquarters in San Francisco.

The event, hosted by Spoon University, was filled with foodies and leaders in the food industry that explained how the industry was changing and what the future held for the industry. One intriguing part of the event was the new food technology, and how it’s soon going to change the way we experience food: here are two new advances that I believe are going to have a huge impact on how we view and consume food in the future.

Nima

Nima

Nima is a new device in the food industry that is basically like a mini chemistry kit. It’s a portable device that allows consumers to test their food before eating. Right now the device only tests for gluten, but future versions are going to include tests for: peanuts, milk, and tree nuts. The device launched in January of 2017 and thousands have already been sold.

There’s also an app that connects to the device directly, that way those results can be posted on the devices website in the hopes that people can see what restaurants have been tested and where they can eat based on their dietary restrictions.

60 percent of the time this device is used outside of the home, and the rest are for packaged foods. According to the device’s website, “1 out of 3 ‘gluten-free’ foods contain gluten” so this device will ensure that people who cannot consume gluten are protected. This device is changing the lives of people who regularly never go out to eat due to fear of their dietary restrictions, but now that they can easily test their food, that stress can be taken away from them.

The device can be purchased here.

Sally the Salad Making Robot

Sally the Sald Making Robot

Sally is a robot that, yes, you read that right, makes salads.

Currently, there are  5 pre-programmed signature, chef inspired salads that it can make. It has the capacity to make 100 pre programmed salads that can all be customized as well. There’s also an option to create your own!

The machine gives up-to-date nutritional information for each salad created and even shows the nutritional facts as users select ingredients. This way users can make informed decisions about the salads they are creating.

It currently takes around 80 seconds to dispense the custom salad, but the creators are currently working to bring that number down to 45. The machine has 21 canisters full of different ingredients that go along with a salad, users can create about 50 entree salads before having to refill Sally.

Right now, there is a huge demand for Sally because it is available 24/7. Currently, it’s mainly being used in offices, but the creator stated that now restaurants and hotels have shown interest in the device as well.

When asked about the robot’s future, the engineer stated that it will “soon help children eat healthier at school, stating that kids get excited when their food comes from a robot and not just a boring salad bar.”

There’s definitely a lot that can be done in the future with this device, so be on the lookout for Sally in the future.

The event was also filled with free food from amazing restaurants like Sushiritto and Humphry Slocombe and was an overall great way to spend a Saturday. I have nothing but good feelings toward the future of our food industry, and can’t wait to see what next year’s Brainfood has in store.

*This article was in collaboration with Spoon University. All opinions expressed in the article belong to the author. 

• food
• foodie
• health
• technology