Did you ever wonder how far could smarter food systems take the world? - The Lempert Report

The Lempert Report Food News: Marketing, analysis, issues & trends and the impact on food and retail environments, specifically for the B2B food world with reporting and commentary on consumer and retailing trends by Phil Lempert. Phil can predict the future —and then help businesses and consumers understand it. For more than 25 years, Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained impending trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide. Known as The Supermarket Guru®,http://www.supermarketguru.com, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. To see more of The Lempert Report visit http://www.thelempertreport.com The Lempert Report for Thursday December 18, 2008. Did you ever wonder how far could smarter food systems take the world? After all the dumb things mankind has done to hurt the planet; cause species to go extinct, poison our natural resources, advance global warming, and even poison each other...we are now being told we are not all bad. The essence of IBMs new Smarter Planet initiative is that (man-made) interconnected technologies are changing the way the world works. The company is referring to systems and processes that enable physical goods to be developed, made, bought and sold; services to be delivered, and everything - that is people, money, oil, water -- to move. One outcome, they contend, is smarter global food systems, which is being discussed in a series of their ads. IBM is also about to issue findings of its international consumer study on food-safety concerns. IBMs thought-leadership message on food safety first depicts how the countries the U.S. relies on for food supply, lack consistent standards of quality, processes and accountability. Inefficiencies in food safety, sustainability and cost then lead to opportunities for a smarter global food system. They say in the ad that in the U.S. alone, 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses occur each year. Imports account for nearly 60% of the fruits and vegetables we consume, and 75% of the seafood. Yet only 1% of those foods are inspected before they cross our shores. One example the ad illustrates is how IBM is helping norways largest food supplier use RFID technology to trace meat and poultry from the farm through the supply chain to the store shelf. The lines blur: A smart pill from a TV manufacturer that sounds a lot like a movie with Martin Short. Imagine that drug researchers today, and clinicians in the future, will have a precise ability to pinpoint drug release within a patients body to achieve maximum therapeutic effect with minimum unpleasantness. A new intelligent pill is in prototype from Philips electronics, the Dutch manufacturer of televisions, cordless phones and other communications devices. And it just might be a device that comes along at the right time to treat the increasing incidence of Crohns Disease, colitis, colon cancer and other digestive tract disorders. It is called the iPill, what else?, with a unique electronic drug delivery system. The size of a multivitamin, a person swallows it with food or water as they normally would do. As it is carried naturally through the gut, it sends its location to a control unit outside the body, via a wireless transceiver. It also tells the temperature and acidity of its surroundings. pH value rises sharply when exiting the stomach, and becomes progressively alkaline from the upper intestine moving forward. When the iPill reaches target location, a pre-programmed microprocessor activates the iPills miniature drug pump to deliver a burst, progressive release or multi-location dosing. Similar robotic capsules with built-in cameras have been developed for colon endoscopy, but the iPill is the first to be able to deliver drugs, And by the way, the movie was called "Innerspace" and was released in July 1987 and also starred Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid. To reach me directly, please email me at Phil@SupermarketGuru.com For information on New Products, visit our weekly videocast: http://www.ratefoods.com/