JP7764054B2 - Information provision system and food products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system and food products. More specifically, it relates to an information provision system and food products that allow consumers to make product selections with confidence.

Consumers have traditionally focused on product safety, particularly food, and when choosing a product, they are increasingly interested in the product itself and the ingredients that make up it.

For this reason, product providers provide their products by listing information about the ingredients, origin, and manufacturing date of the products and their raw materials on labels affixed to the product packaging or by recording it on an IC tag.

However, simply providing written or recorded information attached to products makes it easy to falsify or counterfeit that information, and in fact, information has been falsified or counterfeited in some cases, leading to low consumer trust and making it difficult for consumers to select products with confidence.

The inventors of the present invention have therefore proposed a technology in which food is provided with a sample of raw material powder made from powdered ingredients, rather than simply attaching written or recorded information to the food (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-5656

The quality of various products, including food, is strongly influenced by various factors in the process leading up to the product being delivered to the consumer.

For this reason, although food ingredient powder samples are a factor in obtaining information about food quality, they are only one factor, and the technology described in Patent Document 1, in which food is provided with ingredient powder samples attached, may not be sufficient to achieve the goal of allowing consumers to select products with confidence.

The present invention was devised in light of the above points, and aims to provide an information provision system and food products that allow consumers to select products with even greater peace of mind.

To achieve the above objective, the information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and is equipped with: a production information recording means that records production information, such as the place of production and/or time of production of the food; a quality information search means that, upon receiving a request from the consumer's terminal to output information useful for understanding the quality of the food, searches for information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means; and an information output means that outputs the information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched by the quality information search means to the consumer's terminal.

The information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and includes: a production information recording means for recording production information, such as the place of production and/or time of production of the food; a search signal output means for outputting a search signal to a specified quality information search means for searching for information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched by the quality information search means to the consumer's terminal.

Furthermore, the information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and includes: a production information recording means for recording production information, such as the place of production and/or time of production of the food; a quality information generation means for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means to the consumer's terminal.

The information provision system of the present invention is an information provision system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a specified food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal, and includes: a production information recording means for recording production information, such as the place of production and/or time of production of the food; a generation signal output means for outputting a generation signal to a specified quality information generation means for generating information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal; and an information output means for outputting the information useful for understanding the quality of the food generated by the quality information generation means to the consumer's terminal.

By the way, it is known from experience that food quality is affected by the "place of production" and "time of production." Therefore, it is important to provide consumers with "information that helps them understand food quality" according to the "place of production" and "time of production."

For example, if a substance (contaminant) that adversely affects food quality leaks into the Fukuoka region in October 2022, the "information useful for understanding food quality" will be different if the production area is far from the Fukuoka region or if the production period is up to September 2022, compared to if the food was produced in or around the Fukuoka region after October 2022.

For this reason, the information provision system of the present invention is configured to search for and generate "information useful for understanding food quality" based on production information recorded in a production information recording means, and output "information useful for understanding food quality" according to the "food production area" and "food production period."

Furthermore, by outputting "information useful for understanding food quality" according to "food production area" and "production period," food quality can be fully communicated to consumers, allowing them to make food selections with even greater confidence.

In addition, information that may affect food quality (including both "information that has a positive impact" and "information that has a negative impact") cannot always be known in advance (hence, it is difficult to record it in the information provision system in advance), so it is important to consider the information available at the time the information is output from the information provision system (for example, the latest available information).

For this reason, the information provision system of the present invention does not output information that has been recorded in the information provision system in advance, but instead searches for and generates "information that is useful for understanding food quality" according to the "food production area" and "food production period" on the condition that a request for the output of "information that is useful for understanding food quality" is received (i.e., at the time a request for the output of "information that is useful for understanding food quality" is received).

Here, if the information provision system is equipped with a "quality information search means" that searches for information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information provision system, the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be exchanged with an external party (outside the information provision system), and the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

Similarly, if the information provision system is equipped with a "search signal output means" that outputs a search signal to a specified quality information search means to search for information useful in understanding food quality, even if the "information useful in understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information provision system, it can work in cooperation with an external quality information search means and exchange "information useful in understanding food quality" with the outside (outside the information provision system), thereby outputting "information useful in understanding food quality" from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

Here, when the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in external information recording means separate from the information provision system (for example, when searching a recording means that records only "information useful for understanding food quality"), the search target is limited, allowing for a quick search and smooth search for "information useful for understanding food quality."

In addition, when the quality information search tool searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" published on the Internet, it can search through a huge amount of information, including the latest "information useful for understanding food quality," and it is expected that consumers will be able to find "information useful for understanding food quality" that meets their needs.

Furthermore, when the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding food quality" recorded in the Internet information recording means, which records information that has been made public on the Internet, the search only targets information recorded in the Internet information recording means. Compared to searching for information useful for understanding food quality made public on the Internet (information made public on the Internet, not limited to information recorded in the Internet information recording means), the amount of information searched is less, but by creating a search index, search results can be obtained more quickly.

Furthermore, if the information provision system is equipped with a "quality information generation means" that generates information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information provision system or externally (outside the information provision system), the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be generated and output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

Similarly, if the information provision system is equipped with a "generation signal output means" that outputs a generation signal to a specified quality information generation means to generate information useful for understanding food quality, even if the "information useful for understanding food quality" is not recorded within the information provision system or externally (outside the information provision system), the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be generated in cooperation with an external quality information generation means, and the "information useful for understanding food quality" can be output from the information output means to the consumer's terminal.

In addition, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided that records basic information useful for understanding the quality of food, and the quality information generation means generates "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on "information for identifying food,""productioninformation" recorded in the production information recording means, and "basic information useful for understanding the quality of food" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.
In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information generation means can generate "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

Similarly, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided that records basic information useful for understanding the quality of food, and the quality information search means searches for "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on "information for identifying food,""productioninformation" recorded in the production information recording means, and "basic information useful for understanding the quality of food" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.
In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information search means can search for "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and the "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

In addition, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided that records basic information useful for understanding the quality of food, and the generation signal output means outputs a generation signal for generating "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on the "information for identifying the food," the "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and the "basic information useful for understanding the quality of food" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.
In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information generation means can generate "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

Similarly, if a "basic quality information recording means" is provided that records basic information useful for understanding the quality of food, and the search signal output means outputs a search signal for searching for "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on the "information for identifying the food," the "production information" recorded in the production information recording means, and the "basic information useful for understanding the quality of food" recorded in the basic quality information recording means, the quality of the food can be communicated to consumers more fully.
In other words, "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)" is recorded as "basic information that is useful for understanding food quality," and the quality information search means can search for "information that is useful for understanding food quality" based not only on the "place of origin of the food" and the "time of production of the food," but also on the "information that is known in advance (information that is useful for understanding food quality)," so that the quality of food can be communicated to consumers more fully.

Here, when the reference information generation means generates reference information (reference information for "information useful for understanding food quality") based on the selection criteria information, it is possible to obtain reference information to be used when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" generated by the quality information generation means.

The reference information generated by the reference information generation means may be referenced not only when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" generated by the quality information generation means, but also when selecting "information useful for understanding food quality" to be output from the "information useful for understanding food quality" searched by the quality information search means.

Furthermore, when the information selection means selects the "information useful for understanding the quality of food" to be output based on reference information ("reference information generated by the reference information generation means" or "reference information sent from the consumer's terminal"), the "information useful for understanding the quality of food" to be output can be selected based on the information sent by the consumer ("selection criteria information" or "reference information"), even if the consumer does not select a specific "information useful for understanding the quality of food."
The "information useful for understanding the quality of food" to be selected by the information selection means as an output target may be singular or plural.

Furthermore, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as the "criteria for the information they want to select," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (the criteria for the information they want to select) can be considered as "model information to be output (i.e., the information the consumer wants to select)."
Therefore, if selection criteria information is sent as the "criteria for the information you want to select,""information that is useful for understanding the quality of food" that has a high similarity to the reference information (model information) will be selected.

Similarly, when consumers submit reference information as "reference information for the information they want to select," they will select "information that is useful for understanding food quality" that is highly similar to the reference information (model information).

On the other hand, when a consumer sends selection criteria information as "criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select," the reference information generated based on the selection criteria information (criteria for information that the consumer does not want to select) can be considered "negative example information for the information to be output (i.e., information that the consumer does not want to select)."
Therefore, if selection criteria information is sent as the "criteria for information you do not want to select,""information that is useful for understanding food quality" that has low similarity to the reference information (information that serves as a negative example) will be selected.

Similarly, even when consumers submit reference information as "reference information for information they do not want to select," they will select "information useful for understanding food quality," which has low similarity to the reference information (negative example information).

In addition, compared to sending "criteria for information you do not want to select" as selection criteria information, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information allows you to more directly identify the information that the consumer wants to select, so in terms of fully reflecting the consumer's wishes, sending "criteria for information you want to select" as selection criteria information is preferable.

Similarly, in order to more directly identify the information that the consumer wants to select and fully reflect the consumer's wishes, it is preferable to send "reference information for the information that the consumer wants to select" as reference information.

Furthermore, if the quality information generation means reads the identification information displayed on the food using the consumer's terminal, identifies the food based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and generates "information useful for understanding food quality" for the identified food, the "target food" can be identified based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, without the consumer having to identify the "target food (food for which "information useful for understanding quality" is output)." In other words, the "target food" can be identified simply by the consumer reading the identification information.

Similarly, when the "quality information search means" reads the identification information displayed on the food product using the consumer's device, identifies the food product based on the information sent from the consumer's device, and searches for "information useful for understanding the quality of the food product" for the identified food product, the consumer can identify the "target food product" simply by reading the identification information.

Furthermore, if the generation signal output means reads the identification information displayed on the food product using the consumer's terminal, identifies the food product based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and outputs a generation signal for generating "information useful for understanding the quality of the food product" for the identified food product, the consumer will be able to identify the "target food product" simply by reading the identification information.

Similarly, if the "search signal output means" reads the identification information displayed on the food product using the consumer's terminal, identifies the food product based on the information sent from the consumer's terminal, and outputs a search signal to search for "information useful for understanding the quality of the food product" for the identified food product, the consumer will be able to identify the "target food product" simply by reading the identification information.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the food product of the present invention is a food product comprising a specified food product and identification information displayed on the food product, and the identification information allows access to a website that contains information useful for understanding the quality of the food product according to at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food product.

Furthermore, the food product of the present invention comprises a specified food product, an accessory provided with the food to help understand the quality of the food, and identification information displayed on the accessory, and the identification information provides access to a website that lists information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food.

Here, by using identification information that allows access to a website that contains "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on at least one of the food's place of production and the time of production, consumers can be made aware of "information useful for understanding the quality of food" based on the "food's place of production" and "food's time of production."
Furthermore, by providing consumers with "information that helps them understand the quality of food" according to "where the food was produced" and "when the food was produced," consumers will be able to make food selections with even greater confidence.

Incidentally, "food" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products."
In addition, "food" here includes not only foods and drinks intended for nutrient intake or enjoyment (fresh foods, animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning ingredients, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed ingredients, etc.), but also pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It also includes feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other products intended for fish and animals.

In this context, "food (primary products)" refers to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables such as radishes and cabbage, or raw meat such as chicken and beef. It also includes fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish, for example.

In addition, "food (secondary products)" here refers to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, and unprocessed plant foods, such as mochi (rice cakes), buns, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steaks, hamburgers, ramen, bento boxes, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned goods, bottled tea and juice, coffee, and soft drinks.

Furthermore, the term "secondary products" here not only includes secondary products processed using primary products as raw materials, but also includes secondary products processed using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) made by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and frying them. Furthermore, the term "secondary products" here also includes secondary products purchased using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes boxed lunches filled with purchased tamagoyaki (rolled omelet).

The information provision system and food products of the present invention allow consumers to select products with confidence.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a food product. 1 is a schematic diagram (1) for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a production information recording means. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a quality information recording means. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining how to use the food information providing system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (2) illustrating an example of the configuration of a food information providing system.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in the following order.
1. First embodiment 2. Second embodiment 3. Third embodiment

1. First embodiment
[Configuration Description]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a food product to which the present invention is applied, and the food product A shown here is configured to include a food 1.
Specifically, food product A is a food product 1 wrapped in a vinyl 2 with a sticker 3 attached to the vinyl 2.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the sticker 3 displays identification information 4 (e.g., a two-dimensional barcode) that allows access to quality information about the food product 1 (here, "quality information" is the same as "information useful for understanding the quality").
The identification information 4 (two-dimensional barcode, etc.) here has a URL recorded on it, and by reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, it is possible to access a website via the Internet that contains "quality information for food 1."

Specifically, by scanning the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 with a consumer terminal, the consumer can access a website that lists "quality information about food 1" according to the "production area of food 1" and "production period of food 1."

Note that the "quality information of food product 1" here refers to the search results obtained by a specified quality information search means, or the results generated by a specified quality information generation means, based on the "production area of food product 1" and the "production period of food product 1" at the time the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 is read by the consumer terminal.

[effect]
In the example of a food product to which the present invention is applied described above, "quality information of food 1" according to the "place of production of food 1" and "time of production of food 1" is posted on a website accessed via identification information 4, thereby allowing the "quality information of food 1" to be fully communicated to consumers, allowing them to select foods with even greater confidence.

Incidentally, even when "quality information of food 1" is posted on a website without taking into consideration the "place of production of food 1" or the "time of production of food 1" (for example, when certain "quality information of food 1" is posted regardless of where the "place of production of food 1" is and when the "time of production of food 1" is), it is possible to convey a certain degree of "quality information of food 1."
However, the "production area of food 1" and the "production time of food 1" have a significant impact on the "quality information of food 1," so it is important to communicate the "quality information of food 1" according to the "production area of food 1" and the "production time of food 1."
Therefore, in one example of a food product according to this embodiment, "quality information of food 1" is displayed according to the "production area of food 1" and the "production period of food 1," so as to fully communicate the "quality information of food 1" to consumers.

[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which "quality information of food 1" is displayed according to the "place of production of food 1" and the "time of production of food 1." However, "quality information of food 1" according to the "place of production of food 1" or "time of production of food 1" may also be displayed.

[Modification 2]
In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which "quality information of food 1" is displayed according to the "place of production of food 1" and the "time of production of food 1." However, it is also possible to display "quality information of food 1" according to "basic quality information of food 1 that is known in advance" in addition to the "place of production of food 1" and the "time of production of food 1."
Specifically, when the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 is read by the consumer terminal, the search results obtained by a predetermined quality information search means or the results generated by a predetermined quality information generation means may be posted on a website based on the ``place of production of food 1,'' ``time of production of food 1,'' and ``basic quality information of food 1 that is known in advance.''

2. Second embodiment
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.

The food information provision system 11 shown in Figure 2 is configured to be able to exchange various information with consumer terminals 13 used by consumers via the Internet 12.

The food information provision system 11 also includes a production information recording means 14, a basic quality information recording means 15, a quality information search means 16, a selection criteria information recording means 17, a model information generation means 18, an information selection means 19, and an information output means 20.

Here, the production information recording means 14 is configured to be able to record "information on food aaa," "information on food bbb," and "information on food ccc."

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the place and time of production of food aaa are recorded under "control number 1."
Specifically, information such as the name "aaaa," the place of production "Fukuoka," and the production period "January 2022" is recorded.

Additionally, the place and time of production of food bbb are recorded as "control number 2."
Specifically, information such as the name "bbb," the place of production "Fukuoka," and the production period "March 2021" is recorded.

Furthermore, the place and time of production of food ccc are recorded as "control number 3."
Specifically, information such as the name "ccc," the place of production "Saga," and the production period "October 2021" is recorded.

Furthermore, the basic quality information recording means 15 records "basic quality information of food aaa,""basic quality information of food bbb," and "basic quality information of food ccc."
It should be noted that "basic quality information" refers to "food quality information" that is already known when various information is recorded in the food information providing system 11 (when data is entered).

In addition, the quality information search means 16 is configured to be able to access a quality information recording means 21 that is provided separately from the food information provision system 11, and the quality information search means 16 accesses the quality information recording means 21 and searches for various types of quality information recorded in the quality information recording means 21.

As shown in Figure 4, the quality information recording means 21 in this embodiment includes quality information recording means 21A for recording "quality information where the place of production is Fukuoka," quality information recording means 21B for recording "quality information where the place of production is Saga," quality information recording means 21C for recording "quality information where the place of production is Nagasaki," quality information recording means 21D for recording "quality information where the place of production is Kumamoto," quality information recording means 21E for recording "quality information where the place of production is Oita," quality information recording means 21F for recording "quality information where the place of production is Miyazaki," quality information recording means 21G for recording "quality information where the place of production is Kagoshima," and quality information recording means 21H for recording "quality information where the place of production is Okinawa."

In addition, the quality information recording means 21A records "quality information 21Aa for which the production period is 2022," "quality information 21Ab for which the production period is 2021," and "quality information 21Ac for which the production period is 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21B records "quality information 21Ba for production in 2022," "quality information 21Bb for production in 2021," and "quality information 21Bc for production in 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21C records "quality information 21Ca for a production period of 2022," "quality information 21Cb for a production period of 2021," and "quality information 21Cc for a production period of 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21D records "quality information 21Da for production in 2022," "quality information 21Db for production in 2021," and "quality information 21Dc for production in 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21E records "quality information 21Ea for production in 2022," "quality information 21Eb for production in 2021," and "quality information 21Ec for production in 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21F records "quality information 21Fa for production in 2022," "quality information 21Fb for production in 2021," and "quality information 21Fc for production in 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21G records "quality information 21Ga produced in 2022," "quality information 21Gb produced in 2021," and "quality information 21Gc produced in 2020" separately.

Similarly, the quality information recording means 21H records "quality information 21Ha for production in 2022," "quality information 21Hb for production in 2021," and "quality information 21Hc for production in 2020" separately.

In this embodiment, when a consumer requests quality information on food product 1 (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the information on "production location" and "production time" recorded in the production information recording means 14 is checked, and "quality information on food product 1" is searched for according to the check results.
Specifically, it is as follows:

(1. In the case of food AAA)
First, if the food 1 shown in FIG. 1 is "food aaa," the "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2022 (production period)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed.
Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2022 (production period)", the quality information recording means 21 is searched and "quality information 21Aa with a production period of 2022" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

(2. In the case of food bbb)
Next, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb", the "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2021 (production period)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed.
Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Fukuoka (production location)" and "2021 (production period)", the quality information recording means 21 is searched and "quality information 21Ab with a production period of 2021" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

(3. In the case of food ccc)
Furthermore, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc", the "Saga (production location)" and "2021 (production period)" recorded in the production information recording means 14 are confirmed.
Then, based on the confirmation results such as "Saga (production location)" and "2021 (production period)", a search is performed in the quality information recording means 21, and "quality information 21Bb with a production period of 2021" is determined as the output candidate quality information.

In addition, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records the "selection criteria information for selecting quality information of food 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "selection criteria information")" sent from the consumer terminal 13 used by the consumer.
In this embodiment, the selection criteria information recording means 17 records "criteria for quality information of food products that consumers want to select" as selection criteria information.

The model information generating means 18 also generates "model information for the quality information of food 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "model information")." The model information generating means 18 is an example of a "reference information generating means."

Here, when selection criteria information is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generation means 18 inputs the "selection criteria information" into a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI) (not shown) and generates model information by obtaining the output results of the generation AI. Note that when new model information is generated, it is registered in place of (overwrites) the previous model information.

For example, the selection criteria information may include:
If it is recorded that (1) the explanation is given using simple expressions without using technical terms, (2) the explanation is given using specific data, (3) information on the soil of the production area is included, and (4) information on the pesticides used in production is included, then the contents of (1) to (4) are input into the generation AI to generate model information.

In addition, the information selection means 19 selects the "quality information of food 1" to output based on the model information. Note that the "quality information of food 1" selected by the information selection means 19 may be one, or two or more.

Here, when model information is generated, the information selection means 19 selects "quality information of food 1" that has a high degree of similarity to the "model information" from the "output candidate quality information" searched for by the quality information search means 16.

In other words, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded, the model information generation means 18 generates model information, and then the information selection means 19 selects the "output candidate quality information" that has a high similarity to the model information as the output target.
Specifically, it is as follows:

(1. In the case of food AAA)
First, when the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food aaa," the quality information that is highly similar to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "quality information 21Aa produced in 2022" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

(2. In the case of food bbb)
Next, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb," the quality information that is highly similar to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "quality information 21Ab produced in 2021" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

(3. In the case of food ccc)
Furthermore, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc," the quality information that is highly similar to the model information is selected as the output target from the quality information recorded in "quality information 21Bb produced in 2021" that the quality information search means 16 has determined as the output candidate quality information.

Furthermore, the information output means 20 outputs the quality information selected by the information selection means 19 to the consumer terminal 13 .
Furthermore, the information output means 20 also outputs the basic quality information recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15 (if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food aaa", the basic quality information of food aaa is output, if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food bbb", the basic quality information of food bbb is output, and if the food 1 shown in Figure 1 is "food ccc", the basic quality information of food ccc is output).

Specifically, the "quality information" selected by the information selection means 19 and the "basic quality information" recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15 are posted on a website that can be accessed by the consumer terminal 13 reading the identification information 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how to use the food information providing system 11 described above.
In the following, the explanation will be given on the assumption that the consumer (new customer) 40 is collecting information when considering whether or not to purchase food product A (food 1) from the food provider 30.

[1. Recording of various information]
In one example of a method of using the food information providing system 11 of the present invention, in order for consumers 40 to obtain quality information, various types of information need to be recorded in the food information providing system 11. For this purpose, the recording of various types of information in the food information providing system 11 will be described below.

In one example of a method of using the food information provision system 11 of the present invention, first, the food provider 30 uses a food provider terminal (not shown) to send information on "food aaa,""foodbbb," and "food ccc" to the food information provision system 11 (step indicated by symbol (1) in Figure 5).

Specifically, the following will be transmitted: "Information on the production location of food aaa," "Information on the production time of food aaa," "Basic quality information on food aaa," "Information on the production location of food bbb," "Information on the production time of food bbb," "Basic quality information on food bbb," "Information on the production location of food ccc," "Information on the production time of food ccc," and "Basic quality information on food ccc."

After recording the various information as described above, it becomes possible to provide the various information to the consumer 40.

Note that, here, we have only explained the case of recording various information about "Food aaa,""Foodbbb," and "Food ccc" provided by food provider 30, but the information recorded in food information provision system 11 does not only relate to "Food aaa, Food bbb, and Food ccc provided by food provider 30," but also includes information about "other foods provided by food provider 30" and "foods provided by food providers other than food provider 30."
That is, in this embodiment, an example will be given in which a consumer 40 obtains quality information about food aaa, food bbb, and food ccc provided by food provider 30 (described later), but the food information providing system 11 can also provide information about "foods other than food aaa, food bbb, and food ccc provided by food provider 30" and "foods provided by a food provider other than food provider 30."

[2. Provision of various information]
A consumer 40 who wishes to receive various information related to food product A (food 1) provided by a food provider 30 uses a consumer terminal 13 (not shown in Figure 5) to access the food information provision system 11 via the Internet 12 (step indicated by symbol (2) in Figure 5).

Specifically, when the identification information (identifier such as a two-dimensional barcode or color code) 4 displayed on the food product 1 is read by the consumer terminal 13, information about the food product 1 (food information) is sent from the consumer terminal 13 to the food information providing system 11, and the food product 1 for which the consumer 40 wants quality information is identified based on the food information.

Once food 1 is identified, the quality information search means 16 checks the "production location" and "production period" information recorded in the production information recording means 14, and determines the "output candidate quality information" based on the results of this check.

In addition, when the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1 is read by the consumer terminal 13, the "selection criteria information" pre-recorded in the consumer terminal 13 is transmitted to the food information providing system 11 and recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17.
For example, selection criteria information such as "(1) explanations are given in simple terms without using technical terms, (2) explanations are given using specific data, (3) information on the soil of the production area is included, and (4) information on the pesticides used in production" is sent.

If the "selection criteria information" is not recorded on the consumer terminal 13, the consumer will be prompted to enter the "selection criteria information" when reading the identification information 4 displayed on the food product 1.

Next, when the "selection criteria information" is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means 17, the model information generation means 18 generates model information, and the information selection means 19 selects quality information to be output from the "output candidate quality information."

When the information selection means 19 selects quality information, the information output means 20 outputs the quality information to be output together with basic quality information (the quality information and basic quality information are posted on a website, and the quality information is displayed on the consumer terminal 13).

Thereafter, when consumer 40 receives food product A from food provider 30 (when purchasing food product A from food provider 30), food provider 30 provides food product A to consumer 40.

[effect]
In the food information providing system 11 to which the present invention is applied described above, when a consumer requests quality information on food 1, quality information according to the "production area of food 1" and the "production period of food 1" is output, thereby making it possible to adequately convey the "quality information of food 1" to the consumer, allowing the consumer to select foods with even greater confidence.

Furthermore, the consumer 40 only needs to send "selection criteria information" and the information selection means 19 will select quality information that is highly similar to "quality information that the consumer 40 wants to select," so the consumer does not need to select specific quality information from multiple "output candidate quality information."
Furthermore, since the information selection means 19 can select the most appropriate quality information (i.e., in line with the consumer's 40 selection intention), it is expected that the "quality information of food 1" can be communicated to the consumer more fully.

[Modification 3]
In the second embodiment described above, an example is given in which "selection criteria information" is sent from the consumer terminal 13 and the model information generation means 18 generates model information, but the "model information" may also be sent from the consumer terminal 13.
In this case, a "model information recording means" is provided instead of the "selection criteria information recording means 17 and model information generating means 18," the "model information" sent from the consumer terminal 13 is recorded in the model information recording means, and the information selection means 19 selects quality information based on the "model information" recorded in the model information recording means.

[Modification 4]
In the second embodiment described above, the information selection means 19 selects quality information based on "model information" as an example, but the information output means 20 may also output the "output candidate quality information" determined by the quality information search means 16.
That is, instead of selecting from the "output candidate quality information", the information output means 20 may output all of the "output candidate quality information".

[Modification 5]
In the second embodiment described above, the example is given of accessing the food information providing system 11 by reading the identification information 4 displayed on the food 1, but it is sufficient if the food information providing system 11 can be accessed.
For example, the food information providing system 11 may be accessed by reading the identification information displayed on an accessory provided with food product A (an accessory provided to understand the quality of food 1).

[Modification 6]
In the second embodiment described above, food 1 is identified by reading the identification information 4 displayed on food 1, but it is sufficient if food 1 can be identified, and the method is not limited to reading the identification information 4, and a consumer who accesses food information providing system 11 may select food 1.
Specifically, by accessing the food information provision system 11 from the consumer terminal 13, a list of food providers that can provide information is displayed on the consumer terminal 13, and the consumer 40 selects "food provider 30" from the displayed list. Then, when "food provider 30" is selected, a list of foods provided by the food provider 30 is displayed, and the consumer 40 selects "food 1" from the displayed list.

3. Third embodiment
[Configuration of the present invention]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food information providing system, which is another example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.
In the following, the differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described, and the same points as the second embodiment will not be described.

The food information provision system 31 shown in Figure 6 has a quality information generation means 32 (instead of the "quality information search means 16" in the second embodiment, the third embodiment has a "quality information generation means 32").

Here, the quality information generation means 32 is configured to be able to access a generation AI 33 that is provided separately from the food information provision system 31.

For example, for "quality information on food aaa," "information on the name of food aaa," "information on the place of production of food aaa," "information on the time of production of food aaa," and "basic quality information on food aaa" are input as input information into a general-purpose generative AI (generative AI) 33, and the output results of generative AI 33 are obtained to generate "quality information on food aaa." Furthermore, by adding information (preferences) of the consumer who is the recipient (output destination) of the quality information to the input information, it is possible to generate quality information that is more in line with consumer needs.

In other words, when a consumer requests quality information for food product 1 (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read), the quality information generation means 32 checks the information on "production location" and "production time" recorded in the production information recording means 14, and also checks the "basic quality information" recorded in the basic quality information recording means 15, and generates "quality information for food product 1" according to the check results (generating "output candidate quality information").

[effect]
In the food information providing system 31 to which the present invention is applied as described above, the quality information generating means 32 can generate "quality information for food aaa,""quality information for food bbb," and "quality information for food ccc," so that even if the quality information is not recorded inside or outside the food information providing system 31, the information output means 20 can output the quality information to the consumer terminal 13.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Food 2 Vinyl 3 Sticker 4 Identification information 11 Food information provision system 12 Internet 13 Consumer terminal 14 Production information recording means 15 Basic quality information recording means 16 Quality information search means 17 Selection criteria information recording means 18 Model information generation means 19 Information selection means 20 Information output means 21 Quality information recording means 31 Food information provision system 32 Quality information generation means 33 Generation AI

Claims (6)

An information providing system that outputs information useful for understanding the quality of a predetermined food in response to a request from a consumer's terminal,
a production information recording means for recording production information, which is at least one of the place of production and the time of production of the food;
a quality information retrieval means for retrieving information useful for understanding the quality of the food based on information for identifying the food and the production information recorded in the production information recording means, on the condition that a request for output of information useful for understanding the quality of the food is received from the consumer's terminal;
a reference information generating means for inputting selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, the selection criteria information being for selecting information useful for understanding the quality of the food, into a general-purpose generating AI, and generating reference information by obtaining an output result of the generating AI;
and an information output means for outputting to the consumer's terminal, from among the information useful for understanding the quality of the food searched by the quality information search means, information that is highly similar to the reference information generated by the reference information generation means, or information that is less similar to the reference information generated by the reference information generation means, depending on the selection criteria information. a selection criteria information recording means for recording the selection criteria information;
The reference information generating means generates the reference information when the selection criteria information is recorded in the selection criteria information recording means.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The quality information search means
The identification information displayed on the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food is searched for.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The quality information search means
The consumer's terminal reads identification information displayed on an accessory provided with the food in order to understand the quality of the food, and the food is identified based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal, and information useful for understanding the quality of the identified food is searched for.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The reference information generating means
The identification information displayed on the food is read by the consumer's terminal, and the selection criteria information transmitted from the consumer's terminal is input to the generation AI to generate the reference information.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . If the selection criteria information is not recorded in the consumer's terminal, the consumer is prompted to input the selection criteria information when the identification information is read.
The information providing system according to claim 5 .