Peapod unveils 'virtual nutritionist'

MMR, April 21, 2008

SKOKIE, Ill. -- The online grocery ordering and delivery service Peapod, a unit of Ahold NV, has developed NutriFilter, a "virtual nutritionist" designed to make shopping easier for people with dietary restrictions.

A new software program Peapod has developed essentially reads product labels for its customers, sifting through all the products available online and highlighting those that meet a customer's needs.

Peapod offers five preset plans (gluten-free, peanut-free, United States Department of Agriculture good fiber, USDA low-fat, and USDA low-sodium), with more to come in the future. Customers also have the option of creating custom plans.

Online shoppers start with a blank nutrition panel--like those seen on food packages--and they can select as many nutritional criteria as are important to them, specifying maximum calories, grams of fat, milligrams of potassium and so on. Once they activate the filter they can shop the online store and select from those products that meet their needs.

Aside from the convenience it offers to people with dietary restrictions, NutriFilter is designed to be a health resource, the company says.