Healthier Fast Food (HFS) apps are helping people in rural India fight hunger, and a major health-related technology firm is looking to the South American country to bring it to India.
Lambda Health, an Indian health-focused startup backed by Sequoia Capital and the US$1.8 billion Google Ventures, is developing the app, which it says will be rolled out across India by 2021.LAMBDA’S APP FOR HUNGER LIVESThe app, called HFS, will help people around the country get access to healthy fast food options by providing a food delivery service for their needs, said Lambda Health’s vice president of product development and operations, Ramesh Shastri.
“Our app will help reduce food insecurity, reduce the number of deaths due to malnutrition and hunger in rural areas,” he said.
The app will be launched in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Chennai by 2021 and by 2019 in other cities.
The new app will offer both traditional and healthier fast food to its users, offering a mix of healthy and healthier options.
The app’s interface will show the current food availability, and show recommendations of nearby restaurants and grocery stores to help consumers make food choices.
The user will also be able to search for restaurants and buy food through the app.
The company said it plans to sell the app in several regions around India, including the North-East, South-East and West-Central regions, and has signed up around 20 million users.
“We have already signed up more than 1 million users and we expect to reach 2 million users in the next six months,” said Shastrini.
The startup said it is working on expanding its network of users in areas such as Uttar Pradesh and Assam.
“HFS is an innovative app that will help millions of people around India access the healthiest food and nutrition,” he added.
The Indian government has launched a Food Security Mission to tackle hunger in India and plans to expand its food distribution network to cover about 30 million people by 2022.
