FLTRD, the Dutch app that rates how processed supermarket food is, has closed a pre-seed round of more than €500,000 led by impact investor 4impact capital. The startup plans to launch in Belgium before the end of the year.
Credit: this report is based on a story first published by IO+. Read the original at ioplus.nl.
As reported by IO+, FLTRD has raised more than €500,000 in a pre-seed round. Impact investor 4impact capital led the round, and several angel investors from the food and consumer goods industry joined it.
The investment is supported by the European Union under the InvestEU Fund, according to the report.
What the money is for
FLTRD will use the funds for three things: growing its team, launching in Belgium before the end of the year and starting to license its rating, the PureScore, to food producers and supermarkets.
Shoppers scan a product's barcode to see whether it is ultra-processed, and the app suggests less processed alternatives. It now covers more than 150,000 products from seven supermarkets and has more than 35,000 users on iPhone and Android. The company's stated ambition is 100 million people shopping with the PureScore within five years.
How the score works
The PureScore runs from 0 to 100 and builds on NOVA, a widely used system for classifying food by how processed it is. FLTRD developed it with certified nutrition experts, and scientists at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences reviewed it. The company says producers and retailers cannot pay to influence the score.
Ingredients count for 75% of the score, processing methods for 20% and organic certification for 5%.
The investors' view
Victor Straatman, partner at 4impact capital, said transparency is becoming a commercial priority for the food sector as Europe works out how to define and regulate ultra-processed food. In his view, FLTRD has the data and method to measure processing objectively.
Angel investor Jeroen Lubbers, who backs healthy food ventures after a long career in the industry, has followed FLTRD from the start, IO+ reports.
Regulatory backdrop
In July, the European Commission asked its scientific advisers how the EU should define ultra-processed food, and their advice is due in March 2027. The Commission also sought input from FLTRD co-founder Anke Kuik.
According to the announcement, more than 70% of products on Dutch supermarket shelves are ultra-processed. Kuik points to France, where one in three people already use a similar app, as a sign that shoppers want guidance. "We believe everyone has the right to understand the impact of what they eat," she said.
Original source: IO+, "Ultra-processed food scanner app FLTRD raises over €500,000"
