The Indian health and wellness startup, HealthifyMe, has unveiled a new AI-powered feature that can instantly identify Indian dishes from images, streamlining the process of logging calorie intake. This innovation enables users to monitor their meal consumption with greater efficiency.
Recognizing Indian dishes from images poses a significant challenge due to the extensive diversity in cuisines. Additionally, a considerable portion of the population consumes meals on a traditional plate called a “Thaali” in Hindi, which consists of multiple compartments with various food items. An effective model must accurately identify these items and assess portion sizes.
HealthifyMe has introduced a new feature named Snap, enabling users to capture images of their meals and attempt to identify the food items within the frame. Alternatively, users can grant access to their photo gallery, allowing the app to automatically scan food pictures. Later on, users can review these images and the food items within them, providing the flexibility to capture photos and manage calorie logging at a convenient time.
Regarding privacy, the company explains that the on-device model identifies food pictures and then transmits them to servers for precise dish recognition. Additionally, the company highlights that its gallery-based model performs more effectively since it has more time to accurately recognize food items compared to the option of capturing real-time meal pictures for recognition.
When the model identifies multiple items in an image, Snap will prompt users to tap on a specific item to add it to their calorie tracking. Users will have access to an adjustable rectangular box, allowing them to focus on different items for precise tracking.
According to HealthifyMe’s Co-Founder & CEO, Tushar Vashisht, the company initially began as a food-tracking app nearly 11 years ago, and this remains the main purpose for its free user base.
“It’s hard to engage with food tracking at times because you have to physically type and remember to log food. So we wanted to increase retention and engagement with a feature like Snap,” he said.
Vashisht mentioned that the startup had made attempts to incorporate image-based food recognition over the years. However, with the advancement of improved generative AI models, creating Snap became more streamlined. The company revealed that the feature is presently trained to identify 150,000 Indian food items.
HealthifyMe asserts that it currently provides a 60-70% accuracy rate in automatically recognizing food items. Even when the model doesn’t correctly identify a food item, users receive suggestions regarding the potential identification, according to the company. The company employs human reviewers to address inaccuracies in recognition and make corrections. Furthermore, users have the option to manually tag falsely recognized photos to enhance the model’s performance. Vashisht expressed confidence that within the next month, the model’s accuracy will surpass 80%.
HealthifyMe is not the only player in the field, as other companies are also diving into the realm of AI-powered food recognition. Samsung’s meal planning platform, Samsung Food, is set to unveil a similar feature next year. Additionally, Snapcalorie, a startup led by former Google Lens engineer Wade Norris, is tackling the same challenge with support from prominent investors such as Y Combinator, Index Ventures, and Accel.
Read More: Samsung unveils AI-driven food platform, redefining home cooking experience
In the coming weeks, HealthifyMe plans to expand its food logging options for users. With the introduction of Snap, users can now share food pictures with HealthifyMe via WhatsApp or tag them on X using food images. The company is also in the process of developing a voice input feature and enhancing its existing AI-powered assistant, Ria.
HealthifyMe, which has secured over $130 million in funding from investors such as LeapFrog Ventures and Khosla Ventures, offers a fundamental paid plan that begins at $4.80 (INR 399) per month. This plan grants users access to an AI-driven fitness and nutrition assistant, meal planning tools, and a selection of healthy recipes. Additionally, the company provides pro-paid plans starting at $48 per month (INR 4,000), which include advanced features like an AI-powered meal planner, personalized nutrition and fitness coaching, and integration with a smart scale.
The higher tiers of the Pro plans offer additional benefits, including multiple doctor consultations, metabolic panel tests, and access to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Notably, HealthifyMe has amassed a subscriber base of over 200,000 users, with nearly 40% of them choosing the Pro plan.
In 2020, HealthifyMe entered into a collaboration with the Indian food delivery service Swiggy to curate healthier meal options and identify fitness-conscious restaurants. The company is currently in discussions with several other food and grocery services, exploring opportunities to integrate its technology for their benefit.
