Food Tracker
Helping kids make healthier food choices.
Eating habits start early. Food Tracker was an experiment in using something teenagers already understand — social interaction and competition — to encourage healthier choices at school.
How the idea works
Schools partner with a company that pledges money to a cause chosen by the students. Healthy choices earn points toward the school's goal.
The sponsor gets visibility on campus and in the app. Students get something more meaningful than another badge: their choices contribute to a cause they care about.
Age group
The concept was designed for students between 13 and 18 that are old enough to make more independent food choices and young enough for schools to still play an important role in shaping those habits.
The app
Small rewards, bigger goal
Students earn badges as they make healthier choices, but individual rewards are only part of the system. Their points also contribute to the school's larger goal and, eventually, to the sponsored cause.
A healthy competition
Rankings add a little competition between students and schools. The idea wasn't to turn eating into a game, but to make progress visible. And give students another reason to participate.
A student can also challenge a friend directly, adding a more personal layer to the competition.