19 December,2011 08:42 AM IST | | Dhananjay Khadilkar
Nilesh Mahajan is quietly confident about Clearkarma doing well in the ever crowded world of social networking. And why not? The company (www.clearkarma.com) was a finalist at the start ups competition in Le Web 2011, one of the biggest and most prestigious internet conferences, which concluded in Paris on Friday.
The Nashik-based web developer is the chief technical officer of clearkarma, one of the few companies that actually make a difference to the users by providing a solution about food products.
"Many people are anxious about the kind of food they eat since they are prone to allergies. Similarly, there are others who opt for food based on the manner in which it is made. Clearkarma helps users make food choices based on their preferences through website and mobile applications," Nilesh, who was in Paris for the conference, remarked.
The concept behind this project is quite simple. The free application, which is currently available on iPhone, helps the user create profile for food choices, either because of allergies or special dietary requirements. The user can then scan the barcode on the food packet they buy at the supermarket.
Once scanned, the application tells the users if the particular food product matches their preferences by providing information about the ingredients. Depending on the user's response, the application then provides an alternative product.
According to Sylvie Chin, the founder CEO of the company, "Food labels are not easy to understand. I am a vegetarian. From my experience, maintaining dietary habits becomes especially challenging when you travel. Clearkarma helps the user to make proper food choices," she said.
The application, though currently available only on iPhone, will soon find its way to the Android and Blackberry App space.
Also, currently, the food products and the relevant information about stores are restricted to France. Other countries in Europe and North America will follow in 2012.
Nilesh, who heads the technical team, has been responsible for executing the idea into a product. "We started working on the technical side from September 2011 and finished in two months time," he said.
Considering the appeal of this concept and the fact that India too has a large number of people who are diabetic, allergic to certain kind of foods or have other dietary restrictions, this is one product that many Indians would love to have at their disposal.
