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Dining app to help people navigate restaurants and menus according to their dietary needs

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An app that caters to people with dietary needs has now expanded to a multitude of Sunshine Coast restaurants.

Foodini enables diners to build a profile and match menus specific to their dietary requirements.

More than 100 local restaurants have joined the platform, using accredited dietitians who review the ingredients on menus.

Foodini caters to more than 50 different dietary needs, including all mandatory allergens from coeliac disease and lactose intolerance to veganism, pescatarians and more.

The app, founded in 2020, has already been welcomed in major centres like Sydney and Melbourne, with one in three Australians having specific dietary needs.

Foodini was founded by Dylan McDonnell and Timo Kugler, who have dietary needs, so they decided to create a way for people to easily navigate menus.

The app is easy and quick to use. Picture: Leigh Griffiths.

“Together, we wanted to create a solution that makes it easy to navigate food confidently based on a person’s individual dietary needs,” Mr McDonmell said.

“Food is more than just the body’s fuel source. It’s also a key part of culture, gatherings, socialising and holidaying, which we believe everyone should enjoy. Travelling with dietary needs can be a pain point for some.

“Our app allows all people, regardless of their needs, to not only enjoy the experience of dining out, but to enjoy their holiday with comfort and confidence using reliable, transparent and credible information.”

Mr Kugler said Foodini was “an excellent solution for those with dietary needs seeking somewhere safe to dine out while on holidays.”

“Once downloaded, users easily create a customised profile detailing their specific requirements and matching them to relevant restaurants, cafes and other venues in the area. Users can then see a breakdown of what they can and cannot eat on each menu,” he said.

The Foodini app features more than 3500 restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and is also currently launching in Byron Bay and Gold Coast, with the aim to be in all major Australian cities by the end of 2023.

Locals and visitors can download the app on the Play Store or the App Store.

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