AI Food Choices: Practical Ideas from Our Webinar
The way people look for nutrition advice is changing. More people are asking how digital tools can help them understand food information, support healthier habits, and make decisions that fit their lifestyle.
On 19 May, the WiseFood and DietWise projects brought these topics together in a joint webinar, Informed Citizens, Empowered Choices: Responsible AI for Healthy and Sustainable Diets. As sister projects, WiseFood and DietWise share a common interest in helping people use technology in a responsible and practical way. This webinar was the result of that collaboration and created a space for discussing how AI food choices can support citizens in everyday life.
Why Are AI Food Choices Gaining Attention?
Food decisions are rarely simple. People balance nutritional needs, health goals, personal preferences, cultural habits, budgets, and sustainability concerns at the same time.
This is where AI food choices are entering the conversation. Instead of searching through large amounts of information independently, people are beginning to explore tools that organise and interpret information in a more accessible way.
But many people still have questions. Can these tools be trusted? Do they replace nutrition experts? How much personalisation is helpful?
These questions formed an important part of the discussion during the webinar.
Meet the WiseFood and DietWise Projects
The webinar opened with introductions to both projects. Dr Dimitris Skoutas from Athena Research Center presented the WiseFood project and its work on digital solutions that support informed food related decisions. Siegfried Dewitte from KU Leuven then introduced DietWise and explained its focus on helping citizens through smart digital dietary tools.
Although the projects approach challenges from different directions, they share common goals. Both are exploring how technology can support people rather than overwhelm them.
AI-Powered Food Information with FoodScholar
People regularly encounter conflicting information online. One source promotes a food as beneficial while another suggests avoiding it. Sorting through this information can become frustrating. This is why one session of the webinar focused on FoodScholar, presented by Vasiliki Pitsilou from Athena Research Center.
FoodScholar aims to support users by helping them access more reliable food related information through AI based systems. During the webinar, Vasiliki also presented a live demonstration, giving participants the opportunity to see how the application works in practice and how users can interact with the information provided.
Moving From Recommendations to Everyday Meals
Another session introduced FoodChat, presented by Elizaveta Kuzmenko from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
FoodChat explored how nutritional guidelines and personal preferences can be translated into meal recommendations that are more tailored to individual needs. Participants could also follow a live demonstration presented by Elizaveta, which showed how the application guides users through recommendations and personalised suggestions.
DietWise Presentation and Development Insights
The webinar also presented outcomes from DietWise tools following their development phase. Nikos Paraskevopoulos from Institute of Communications and Computer Systems of the National Technical University of Athens presented smart ICT tools designed for dietary advice and reflected on experiences and findings from the development phase of DietWise, while Nefeli Kousta joined the session as part of the project team.
Continuing the Conversation
The webinar ended with a question and answer session that brought together many of the themes discussed during the event. The webinar showed that AI food choices are becoming part of wider conversations around food, health, and sustainability. They also showed that people are interested not only in what AI can do, but also in how it should be used responsibly.
Building digital tools is one step. Understanding whether they fit naturally into everyday behaviour is another. People need systems that feel understandable, useful, and relevant to their own circumstances.
As WiseFood and DietWise continue their work, collaboration remains an important part of the process. Anyone interested in this topic can visit the WiseFood and DietWise websites, or follow our LinkedIn page for more updates and similar activities.
If you missed the webinar, the recording is available below.