ShopWell, Be Healthy

Shoppers are constantly being bombarded with conflicting health information. ShopWell helps shoppers sort through the clutter.

Enter the age of personalization and customization. At a time when most Americans have at least one food related health issue, think food allergies, diabetes, heart disease and other nutrition related chronic diseases, shopping for meals in the market can be extremely confusing (especially with the various front of pack labeling schemes and flowery product claims). EnterShopWell.com, a website that strives to deliver the most current, accurate, and personalized evaluations of food products, based on specifics like age, gender, allergies, and other dietary restrictions.  
 
Not sure exactly what foods your health condition shuns? No problem as ShopWell does the work for you. Just select a diagnosis or condition, and foods that contain suspect ingredients are automatically rated lower (or a zero if they contain an allergen) when browsing the lists. Personalized scores range from 0-100 and are bucketed into three categories: green (strong match), yellow (medium match), and red (weak match). ShopWell has really thought of it all; when you’ve created a list you can compare products on your list with those that better fit your health profile, known on ShopWell as “trade ups.”
 
What do consumers do with their lists? Lists can be printed or viewed on a mobile phone - and users can even scan products in the markets to see how they score on their ShopWell app. The site helps shoppers navigate the aisles with the satisfaction that they are choosing the most healthful products targeted for specific needs.
 
Supermarkets and in-store dieticians should integrate with sites like ShopWell to help their customers navigate the market healthfully. With one in three Americans struggling with obesity it’s time different players in the food industry team up and work together, ShopWell has developed a great tool to get American eating more healthfully, with treatment, prevention and generally wellbeing in mind. 
 
Beginning in 2008, ShopWell set out to empower shoppers to make better decisions about the food they eat. Why? “Because shoppers who know the facts make better choices.” The website is free and just requires users to register with an email and password.  ShopWell’s algorithm is based on research by dieticians, statisticians, and engineers based on the Institute of Medicine guidelines.