At Reach, we’re deeply interested in solutions that help people live longer, healthier lives, especially when those solutions integrate naturally in the flow of daily life. That’s why we’re thrilled to share that we’re co-leading the FoodHealth Company’s (formerly known as Bitewell) $7.5M Series A alongside our friends at Ulu Ventures, with participation from Rethink Food and existing investors LEAD VC and Refinery.
More than half of American adults suffer from chronic diseases tied directly to diet. Each year, these diseases lead to more than a million deaths at a cost of over $1 trillion. Further complicating matters, while most Americans want to eat healthier, 80% say they’re confused about what is actually healthy. Many often rely either on calories as a marker for “healthy” food or whatever the fad diet is at the time making it difficult to maintain a research-driven healthy diet.
Samantha Alexander was inspired to solve this challenge after navigating her own complex health journey. She leveraged the marketing and strategic expertise she developed during her time at Estee Lauder to build the Food Health Company, whose proprietary technology is the Food Health Score (FHS). Backed by evidence-based nutrition research and experts, this score evaluates the nutritional value and ingredient quality of food products on a scale of 1–100, offering a simple, effective tool that’s already changing how consumers purchase food.
Imagine you are a busy parent doing your weekly grocery shopping for your family. There’s already a lot to balance – dietary preferences, allergies, the astronomical cost of eggs, and thinking through what meals you’re going to cook. You don’t have the time to sift through complicated nutritional facts to determine if something is truly healthy.
This is where the FoodHealth company comes in. They overlay each food item via their API with a simple Food Health Score to give you a sense of how healthy that item is. If you’re in the store or online, you can see the score on the product’s label. And, if you’re an online shopper, they will even suggest healthy swaps and additions to improve your overall Food Health Score, thus making it easier for consumers to eat healthier without having to change their shopping process.
And retailers are responding. With a reduction in grocery spending due to GLP-1 usage and a tightening consumer wallet, retailers are looking for ways to better improve shopper’s experiences and basket size. They see the FHS as a solution. Kroger, the third largest retailer in the country, announced a partnership with the FoodHealth Company to roll out the FHS to their tens of millions of shoppers across the country – with the goal of integrating the score with consumer health data via their pharmacy in order to connect their diet-related decisions to their overall health.
Most importantly, the Food Health Score will drive real health outcomes. The score is FoodMed Certified and their analysis showed that for every 10 point increase in the FHS, there are meaningful improvements across blood pressure, cholesterol levels, a1c, body mass index, and more.
In a world where navigating your healthy journey can feel overwhelming and complex, we love that the FoodHealth Company makes it easy for consumers to make better nutritional choices for themselves and their families. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to Reach’s growing healthcare portfolio. If their mission resonates with you, check out their open roles here!