Grffn are UK partners with the Bionutrient Food Association and their open source, collaborative project the Real Food Campaign (US). This project aims to develo an affordable, handheld scanner that will test food in real-time for it’s nutrient density. The intention is to set the standard for nourishing, nutrient dense fruits and vegeatables so both growers and citizens can make informed choices about the quality of the food they grow and eat.

Since 2017 the RFC partners have built over 300 handheld spectrometers for testing purposes, initiated a citizen science project and tested over 3,000 samples comprising carrots & spinnach (2018) plus lettuce, kale, cherry tomatoes and grapes (2019).

Key findings from the RFC 2019 Final Report:

  • Farm practices that are widely believed to increase soil biology, such as cover cropping and no-till, was found to be above the median.
  • Biodynamically certified produce was below the median. Organically certified produce was around the median, and Organic but not certified was above the median.
  • Hydroponic & greenhouse-grown produce was below the median.
  • Taste can serve as a useful indicator in predicting nutrient content in produce.