How a new breed of platforms is helping Indians eat smarter

India Today

3 days ago

While shopping at a supermarket these days, what do you find most challenging? Choosing what's healthy, right?And why is it challenging? Thanks to misleading brand packaging, everything seems healthy these days. Some products make big claims about their protein content, while others proudly advertise being free of refined flour or "baked, not fried." Some even go as far as claiming they're sugar-free or contain no chemical additives.advertisementIndia is the fastest-growing health food market, expanding at a 20 per cent CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate), which is three times the global average. It's set to become a $30 billion market opportunity by 2026. What's driving that growth? Of course, the post-pandemic wave of health and wellness awareness plays a big role.
But where does this leave brands trying to position their products in the market? Well, not in limbo, if anything, this gives them a golden opportunity to market products with a 'healthy' tagline. Because let's face it: that sells.But for 'aam customers' like us, it's a big challenge telling the good from the bad, what's actually true to its name, and what's just a marketing sham.And that is exactly where platforms like TruthIn and Pink Tiger by You Care Lifestyle are making a difference.The lie behind the labeladvertisementRavi Putrevu, the founder of TruthIn knows the game all too well. Diagnosed with Acromegaly, a rare condition that made him high-risk for diabetes and heart disease, Ravi was forced into label-reading long before it became trendy. But even then, 'understanding what was safe or not felt like decoding hieroglyphics,' he says.So, with co-founder and doctor Aman Basheer Sheikh, he built TruthIn, an app that functions like a nutritionist with trust issues. You scan a product's barcode and instantly get its TruthIn rating, ingredient breakdown, potential red flags, and even whether it aligns with your personal health goals (yes, it knows if you're diabetic, hypertensive, or just sugar-wary).Now, if you thought it was a bot spewing one truth bomb after the other, you are wrong. Behind the interface is a team of doctors, nutritionists, and data scientists decoding India's most loved (and most dubious) packaged foods in real time.
The TruthIn app rates different food items based on how healthy they are.
The Pink Tiger stampMeanwhile, wellness heavyweight Luke Coutinho found himself asking a different kind of question. He is a pretty well-known name in the health and wellness industry and while working with thousands of people on lifestyle and nutrition goals, he would find himself asking the same questions: Which supplement can we recommend without second-guessing? Which ghee won't sneak in hidden preservatives?advertisementThat's how Pink Tiger, a stamp of trust that now shows up on verified clean products across the You Care Lifestyle platform, was born. Think of it as the clean label equivalent of a blue tick, but only harder to earn.'We're not trying to gatekeep,' Luke says. 'We're just giving consumers a standard they can finally rely on.' To get the Pink Tiger seal, a product goes through three rounds of scrutiny, from ingredient audits to independent lab testing. Fail at any step, and you're out.
The stamp ensures only the safest, healthiest, and highest-quality products make the cut.
And these are not the only players in the market. There are other apps like Food Scan Genius, FactsScan and Trustified that actually understand the pain point of an ordinary customer and help them simplify things.People want to make better choicesadvertisementEven when picking up a bag of atta comes with its own set of challenges, as there are contenders – some offering benefits of multigrain while others endorsing it as organic. So, the confusion is not which one is better and if anything is worth buying at all.According to TruthIn, the most searched items include Maggi, ice cream, paneer, biscuits, and peanut butter. 'People aren't just looking for the 'healthiest' option,' Ravi explains. 'They want to make better choices about the everyday stuff they're already eating.'Search terms like high protein, palm oil free, and low added sugar dominate. Meanwhile, Pink Tiger has noticed spikes in staple-based searches: ghee, oils, flour, and turmeric, things we once assumed were safe by default.This shows a major cultural shift. We're not just worried about what we consume, we're actively cross-examining it.Not everyone seems thrilled, thoughWhen asked if they faced any pushback from companies whose products were flagged, this is what Ravi Putrevu says: 'Some brands see TruthIn as a platform to showcase their clean-label products and reach out to onboard their products. Others sometimes ask us to provide clarification. Our approach is transparent, and we share the basis for every rating clearly.'advertisement'A lot of time and research has gone into developing the TruthIn Rating system. It's patented, and we're now open-sourcing it so that experts and researchers can review, challenge, and help improve it further,' he adds.He reiterates that their ultimate aim is to help consumers make informed choices.'We're not against any brand in particular, we're pro-consumer. We want to work with everyone to make information clearer and drive better transparency across the board.'So, what's next?Both platforms are going beyond food. TruthIn is already beta-testing label analysis in beauty and personal care, with filters that decode parabens and pH levels as easily as it does sodium and sugar.Pink Tiger is gearing up for retail visibility, think dedicated shelves in stores that showcase verified products with their signature stamp. Like Sephora's 'Clean at Sephora,' but made for Indian households.And in a time when being 'label-conscious' risks being another fleeting trend, these two are betting on habit overhype.Because, as Ravi puts it, 'We're building an X-ray for consumer products.' And right now, India's pantry could use one.
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