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TellSpec's Food Scanner Knows What's in Your Nachos

TellSpec divines calories, allergens, and nutrients in 1,500 foods

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By Olga Kharif

April 25, 2014 at 2:22 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

BusinessWeek Cover Image (14_18, 1600x2398)

This article is part of the April 28, 2014 issue of businessweek.

Innovator: Isabel Hoffmann
Age: 52
Chief executive officer and co-founder of year-old, 18-employee startup TellSpec in Toronto.

Form and function: TellSpec is a rechargeable, handheld spectrometer that can analyze the light reflected by foods and beverages to provide information about their ingredients, calorie content, nutrients, and allergens.