Piloting a food quality-based digital app with AI technology
This 12-month HRC-funded project is focused on pilot testing our newly developed dietary assessment app, HISS – the Human Interference Scoring System. HISS is designed to categorise food and beverages based on their level of processing, offering a simple, three-tiered classification system:
- HISS Group 1 includes mostly whole, unprocessed foods
- HISS Group 2 captures moderately processed foods
- HISS Group 3 identifies ultra-processed foods
The app uses AI to analyse digital photos of meals, automatically recognising food items and assigning them to the appropriate HISS category. As part of the pilot, we are testing the app with diverse population groups (adolescents, tertiary students and Māori / Pacific health coaches) to evaluate its usability, accuracy, and user experience. In the future, we aim to empower users by showing how processed or unprocessed their overall diet is in a clear, visual way.
Building on this foundational work, HISS is now being integrated into multiple ongoing and upcoming research projects, including several PhD studies. We currently hold two research grants using the app: one exploring its role in health coaching for adolescents and individuals with low nutrition literacy, and another investigating its application in health delivery settings, particularly among older adults at risk of sarcopenia and those living with type 2 diabetes. These projects will further develop HISS as a practical tool for improving dietary awareness and supporting personalised health interventions.