The animal welfare and biodiversity impact of food and beverage products within inoqo are currently covered through qualitative information originating from a broad set of reliable data sources.
Product data
We use databases such as GS1, as well as product data provided by individual retailers and food brands to get access to data about the ingredients, allergens, packaging, etc. of food products. This data is consequently mapped with other data sources to estimate the environmental and social impact of products. Next to using publicly available data as a basis, we will soon give food producers the opportunity to provide us with additional data about their products. They will be able to share with us where the ingredients they are using originate from, under which standards (e.g. organic, free-ranged, etc.) they have been produced as well as information about production, transportation and packaging. If a producer decides to not share data with us we will calculate the impact based on “worst-case” scenarios (e.g. non-certified palm oil, caged eggs, etc.) and inform our users that the given brand has not provided data to us, but that the respective product may worst-case contain ingredients that are not aligned with your personal preferences. This way, brands that are transparent with regards to the ingredients used in their products have a higher chance to be in line with the values of our users and consequently are more likely to be purchased. This way we provide a positive incentive for brands to be more transparent and can make sure that we recommend the most sustainable products out there. By doing so we ultimately would like to create a culture of transparency within the food industry.
Independent organizations and research institutes
inoqo relies on data and information provided by renowned organizations (e.g. WWF, Albert Schweitzer Stiftung,...) and research institutes (e.g. IFEU).
Scientific publicationsOur team is constantly researching and enriching our databases based on the latest scientific publications and reports. Studies and data often vary in the scope and system boundaries of their methodology and are used by us as input very cautiously.Inoqo pays attention to the credibility of experts and databases and ensures that they come from independent and governmental institutions. For example, inoqo uses information from European environmental ministries (e.g. Bilans GES), the database Our World in Data, the Albert Schweitzer Institute as well as from several environmental NGOs (e.g. Greenpeace and WWF).
LabelsLabels demand for certain minimum standards in food production. We are therefore analyzing trustworthy and certified labels and standards and extract the specific information that is relevant for you as a user. To give an example, a pork product that’s certified with the Austrian AMA organic seal originates from a pork that has not been fed with soy from the Amazon.However, as there are now several hundred different eco-labels, private labels and quality seals, it is often difficult for consumers to know which labels and actors they can trust. Inoqo has therefore worked its way through the seal jungle and extracts the standards that a label stands for in detail. Here and here you can find more information about the credibility of quality seals, the criteria by which a product is judged and whether this assessment has been verified by independent experts.Quality labels that inoqo refers to include:DemeterNaturland Fair AMA Organic Seal EU Organic ASCMSC
To give an example: If you care about animal welfare and you buy an organic chicken, you will receive following message:
“Dieses Bioprodukt garantiert Hühnern etwa doppelt so viel Platz in der Haltung als konventionellen Masthühnern.”Disclaimer: We are humans, so mistakes can happen. If you come across information that seems implausible to you, please contact us at support@inoqo.com or via our feedback form in the app.
