Indian (Commonwealth Union)_ In a delightful stride towards simplifying meal tracking, Indian health and wellness startup, HealthifyMe, has unveiled a game-changing feature named Snap. This innovative tool harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to effortlessly recognize Indian food from images, making calorie intake logging a breeze for users.
Tackling the diverse array of Indian cuisines, along with the unique challenge posed by the traditional Thaali, HealthifyMe’s Snap rises to the occasion. Users can now snap pictures of their meals and watch as the app works its magic, swiftly recognizing food items within the frame. Alternatively, granting access to the image gallery allows the app to scan food pictures automatically. Later, users can conveniently review these pictures and the food items captured.
With privacy at the forefront, HealthifyMe ensures that the model operates on the user’s device, detecting food images before securely sending them to servers for specific dish recognition. Interestingly, the gallery-based model boasts enhanced accuracy, as it has more time to meticulously identify food items compared to the option of capturing meals in real-time.
Should the model detect multiple items in an image, Snap ingeniously guides users, asking them to tap on the item for calorie tracking. A user-friendly adjustable rectangular box allows for easy focus on different items within the frame.
Tushar Vashisht, the co-founder & CEO of HealthifyMe, reminisces about the company’s roots as a food-tracking app over a decade ago. He emphasizes that food tracking remains the primary use case for their free users, recognizing the occasional difficulty in manually logging food. The introduction of Snap aims to boost user retention and engagement by seamlessly integrating meal tracking into their daily routine.
While HealthifyMe had previously explored image-based food recognition, the advent of more advanced generative AI models paved the way for the creation of Snap. Currently trained to recognize an impressive 150,000 Indian food items, the feature boasts a commendable accuracy rate of 60-70%. Even in cases where the model may not identify a food item correctly, users receive valuable suggestions to aid in the process. The company’s dedicated team of human reviewers meticulously scrutinizes false recognitions, ensuring accurate data. Users can also play a vital role in refining the model by manually tagging misidentified photos.
Looking ahead, Vashisht expresses confidence in the model’s potential to achieve an accuracy rate surpassing 80% in the coming month.
Notably, HealthifyMe isn’t alone in this endeavor. Other companies are also venturing into AI-powered food recognition, with Samsung’s meal planning platform and Snapcalorie, led by former Google Lens engineer Wade Norris, hot on their heels.
In the coming weeks, HealthifyMe is set to roll out more options for food logging. In addition to the recently launched Snap feature, users can now send pictures to HealthifyMe via WhatsApp or tag them on the platform. The team is also hard at work developing a voice input feature, alongside enhancements to their existing AI-powered assistant, Ria.
With over $130 million in capital raised thus far, including backing from esteemed investors like LeapFrog Ventures and Khosla Ventures, HealthifyMe offers a basic paid plan starting at an affordable $4.80 (₹399) per month. This grants users access to an AI-powered fitness and nutrition assistant, meal planning, and a treasure trove of healthy recipes. The company also offers pro-paid plans starting from $48 per month (₹4,000), featuring an AI-based meal planner, dedicated nutrition and fitness coaches, and even a smart scale.
For those seeking an elevated experience, the Pro plans offer additional benefits such as multiple doctor consultations, metabolic panel tests, and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Impressively, over 200,000 users have embraced HealthifyMe, with nearly 40% opting for the Pro plan, a testament to the platform’s effectiveness.
In a noteworthy collaboration in 2020, HealthifyMe joined forces with Indian food delivery service, Swiggy, to curate a selection of wholesome meals and restaurants. The company is currently in discussions with various food and grocery services, poised to share their cutting-edge technology with a wider audience.
With Snap leading the way, HealthifyMe continues to pioneer innovative solutions, empowering users to take control of their health and wellness journey with ease and enthusiasm.
