Issue # 8 of Nu Connexions Nutrition Software News and Reviews
An occasional online newsletter - bringing you noteworthy news about food and nutrition software!
August 12, 2002

A Global Functional Comparison of Professional Nutrient Analysis Software Systems

This article written by Steve Kinsley, RD

An updated functional comparison of professional nutrient analysis software systems has just been published on the Nu Connexions professional nutrition software portal. The comparison formerly on this site dated back to 1999, was based on user feedback, and was essentially limited to North American software. This time, the software vendors themselves were surveyed, and the scope was expanded to be global.

Nineteen companies and organizations (out of forty-five approached) were progressive and confident enough to respond to the survey. Twenty-six companies or organizations chose not to respond, either for competitive reasons or they felt their software was not primarily intended to provide nutrient analysis functions for the professional market.

This comparison is not intended to be a critical review of the software systems included in it. Rather, it is a functional comparison of software that can utilize nutrient databases from specified countries.

Note: Reported functionality is based on software versions shipping as of June, 2002 (unless features were specified by the vendors as becoming available by the end of 2002).

Suggestions for software systems produced outside North America were obtained through an e-mail broadcast sent to a number of relevant professional listservs.  As stated in the e-mail and survey sent to vendors, qualifications for inclusion in this survey/comparison were as follows:

• The software must be intended for use by food/nutrition/healthcare professionals.  Software or editions of the software that are primarily targeted for use by consumers or the general public do not qualify for inclusion in this functional comparison survey.  [Note: Three online software systems designed for self-use by the general public were later sent the survey for inclusion in the comparison due to the fact that they are used as a vehicle for counseling interactions between consumers and health professionals.  Only one of these three chose to respond.]

 

• Nutrient analysis [or food intake analysis] must be a primary function of the software.  It is recognized that additional functions may be performed by the software (or by add-on modules of the software), but nutrient analysis must be one of the functions performed.

Click here to access this functional comparison of software systems from around the globe!

Allergy Advisor Uses Survey Results to Launch a New Professional Development Newsletter

This article written by Steve Kinsley, RD (supplemented with information from a press release by Karen du Plessis of Allergy Resources International)

Results from a market research survey jointly run in the Spring of 2002 by Allergy Resources International and the Nu Connexions professional nutrition software portal have led to the launch of a new professional development e-mail newsletter.  Targeted towards dietitians and other health professionals interested in the field of food allergies and intolerances, the free 1-2 page newsletter will be edited by Dr. Harris Steinman of South Africa, Professor Janice Joneja (RD) of Canada, and Sabine Spiesser (RD) of Australia.

The newsletter will focus on a different topic each month, which will be illustrated by a case study. The case will be presented with a step-by-step guide on how to deal with such a case and an information piece on the allergy/intolerance in question.

Subscribers will be invited to send suggestions of topics they would like to have covered, or their own case studies (for which a fee will be paid) for consideration for a future newsletter.

If you are interested in subscribing to this new, free professional development newsletter, click here to send an e-mail to Karen du Plessis, writing "subscribe" in the Subject box.