Researchproject: NutriAIDE

Discover the NutriAIDE research project

NutriAIDE - Building smart nutritional environments for better nutrition © University of Augsburg

NutriAIDE - Building smart nutritional environments for better nutrition

The project investigates the dietary behaviour, 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 are 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 - characterised by a high demand for industrially processed food and the associated intake of high sugar, salt and fat content - in favour 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 is 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 is responsible for the management and coordination of sub-project 1 and is pursuing the goal of expanding existing data sets on human nutrition by analysing the relationship between the activity space of consumers in urban India, their eating habits and their state of health. A better understanding of the local drivers of the global obesity epidemic will be used to develop and test an APP-based approach for nutrition-sensitive change in food environments and diets in urban centres.

NutriAIDE - Building smart nutritional environments for better nutrition © University of Augsburg

About the NutriAIDE-App:

India's rapid digitalisation 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 digitalisation 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. 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.

The NutriAIDE app goes beyond the usual calorie counting. As a mobile app - practical and convenient - to improve eating habits. It helps users to organise 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 behaviour and participate in a shared future while eating healthily. Developed by experts - for a healthy diet and a sustainable planet!

The aim is to transform nutritional behaviour by allowing users to analyse their eating habits. This enables them to make more sustainable choices and make a positive contribution to the environment and their own health.

The app helps consumers to measure, evaluate and change their personal eating routines in different social environments - such as grocery shopping and eating out. With the help of the app, consumers can document their eating patterns and change them in favour of a richer, healthier and more regionally produced diet and artisanal food. The app also serves to jointly reshape socially shared food environments to favour the consumption of healthy food, strengthen the position of local food artisans and promote environmental protection.

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Official NutriAIDE Website

NutriAIDE - Building smart nutritional environments for better nutrition © University of Augsburg

NutriAIDE research team at the University of Augsburg

The international team consists of experts from various universities and research institutions. Following members of the University of Augsburg are from the Chair of Urban Climate Resilience and participated in the project.

Prof. Dr. Markus Keck

Chairholder Urban Climate Resilience

Urbane Klimaresilienz