Going grocery shopping can be one of the most fun but difficult tasks in an adult’s life. How can one combine grocery shopping with environmental action to help sustain the planet? GreenChoice recently launched a beta version of their mobile app that “makes conscious eating and grocery shopping easy, fun and more affordable for consumers who care about health, ethics and the environment,” according to a press release.
Started by Galen Karlan-Mason ’16 MBA ’17, GreenChoice evaluates and scores different grocery stores based on their health and sustainability. “Our data sources include federal agencies, research institutes, third-party certifiers, new sources and more,” according to the GreenChoice website. “Through comprehensive product scoring, personalized user feedback and increased connectivity, GreenChoice hopes to foster large communities of informed consumers purchasing with their values.”
Unlike most companies, GreenChoice is a public benefit corporation (PBC), meaning that “GreenChoice has a legal obligation to prioritize our public benefit to society and the environment alongside financial returns,” according to their website.
The company’s charter states that their public benefit is “to empower people to create a healthy, just and sustainable world.” They do this by empowering consumers to make informed choices, conducting operations with integrity and transparency and fostering a work environment of integrity, courage, curiosity and collaboration, according to their website.
This past Thursday, March 14, Karlan-Mason presented the beta app at Mass Innovation Nights, a monthly event held all around the greater Boston area for entrepreneurs to gain more visibility on their current projects.
According to the press release, the app will “allow users to quickly and easily find products that match their values which work with their financial and dietary needs. Users will be able to search or scan barcodes to see GreenScore© data on nutritional value, processing concerns, food safety and environmental impact of around 50,000 foods and beverage products.”
The app will also allow users to compare product prices between ten different grocery retailers to help build the most cost-effective shopping lists at the best prices. Online orders and earning rewards for better products are currently in progress.
