NutriAIDE – Building smart nutritional environments for better nutrition
India’s rapid digitalization has not spared the food environment in urban India, but has instead led to major changes. The digital transformation was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns. As the results of the project’s baseline study show, the digitalization of the urban food sector has had contradictory effects. While app users are pinning their hopes on a better range of information on healthy eating, it must also be noted that 70% of respondents who noticed a change in their personal eating habits due to the advent of online delivery services stated that they have been eating more unhealthily ever since.
Shaping food environments to the good by offering an app-based solution developed by experts
The NutriAIDE app developed as part of the project is therefore of particular importance, as it represents an alternative to the apps currently available on the Indian market, as it is neither filled with information by a food company nor solely by other (sometimes ill-informed) users, but is based on scientific findings and thus represents a trustworthy source for a healthy and sustainable diet.
Beyond the usual calorie counting, Nutri-Aide is helping in shaping food environments. As a mobile app – practical and convenient – to improve eating habits. It helps users to organize their eating habits more consciously! Diverse aspects such as nutritional quality and environmental impact provide insights into our eating environments. But above all, NutriAIDE is an innovation in the field of sustainability that makes it fun and knowledgeable to promote sustainable eating behavior and participate in a shared future while eating healthily. Developed by experts – for a healthy diet and a sustainable planet!
See more about Nutri-Aide at the project website.
Download the Nutri-Aide App in the appstore.
About the project Nutri-Aide
The project investigates the dietary behavior, nutritional decision-making and self-quantification of overweight and obese urban middle-class consumers in India and develops an app-based approach to transform their respective nutritional environments.
Nutritional sciences, geography, psychology and sustainability research were designing and testing an application software (app) called NutriAIDE together with the private Indian software developer Calvry Wellness Solutions Ltd. and then putting it into operation. With the help of the app, consumers will be empowered to change their dietary patterns – characterized by a high demand for industrially processed food and the associated intake of high sugar, salt and fat content – in favor of eating nutritious, locally produced and plant-based foods. The app helps consumers to measure and change their personal dietary routines in different social settings.
The transdisciplinary project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. In addition to the University of Augsburg, the Wuppertal Institute, ICMR National Institute of Nutrition, the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke and the Indian app developer Calvry Wellness are also involved.
As part of the joint project, the University of Augsburg was responsible for the management and coordination of sub-project 1 which I accompanied through the whole process.
