ShopWell is for doing the latter. Operated under registered dietitian nutritionist Lara Felton, the app offers personalized food scores for users’ unique needs and tools like Quick Tips and Smart Lists for specific conditions, from high cholesterol to food allergies. The company’s goal is to make nutritional information digestible (pun intended) so that it’s easy to bring home healthy food from the grocery store.
ShopWell’s scoring system is particularly interesting. Scores are based on a variety of factors, including age, gender, and users’ ingredient and nutrition preferences. Personalized scores are generated on a 1-100 scale, and then color coded as green (strong matches; between 70-100), yellow (medium matches; 40-69), and red (weak matches; 0-39). Naturally, green items are considered best for you, while yellow indicates caution and red means that you should reconsider or eat only in moderation. A warning is shown if a product contains one of the allergens you’ve listed.
ShopWell’s algorithm is based on carefully gathered information from registered dietitians and medical professionals. Furthermore, a team of registered dietitians, Stanford University statisticians, and engineers work to continuously evaluate food products and assess the nutritional value of products on the market. “I’m pretty intent on making sure the ingredients are updated and accurate,” said Felton in an email to Digital Trends.
“As the digital dietitian for the ShopWell community, I feel a true responsibility to ensuring every consumer has access to their nutrition information, can easily use our app to see how well they are shopping for their families, and above all, offer healthier recommendations,” said Felton. “I can’t tell you how much I enjoy seeing that over 70 percent of people buy the better-for-you recommendations we make!”
ShopWell is available on iOS and Android devices, as well as on the Web.
