Nima food sensors continue to sniff out those food allergies
Nima, the pioneer in connected food sensors, recently announced a new online tool that provides users with information on gluten-free and peanut-free dishes found at nearby chain restaurants. A large testing initiative was conducted in order to give individuals with food allergies information on the ability to dine out with Nima-tested data from their favorite chains. The chains have been found to use the same menu, same ingredients and same food preparation protocols. Dishes that have tested gluten-free at one location can provide extra information on other locations near you with the same options.
Shireen Yates and Scott Sundvor are the Co-Founders of Nima who have long struggled with various food allergies and sensitivities. The two met at MIT in 2013 and decided to build a company to bring clarity and trust back to the dinner table. Thousands of survey results later, they found that their same anxieties when eating out were shared by millions of other people in the United States.
“One of our key values at Nima is data for decisions,” said Shireen Yates, CEO and Co-Founder of Nima. “Our ultimate goal is the democratization and transparency of data as it relates to food allergens and this new platform brings us one step closer to our mission.”
The community of Nima owners have tested and contributed over 10,000 foods in the app. Their staff went to various locations and tested multiple menu items for a presence of gluten or peanuts using Nima Gluten and Nima Peanut sensors. Over 100 popular chain restaurants and over 250,000 restaurant locations were mapped have 3 million dishes labeled “Nima-tested” across the globe.
Nima’s revolutionary Gluten Sensors and Peanut Sensors are the first and only, pocket-sized devices that allow testing for their food for allergens. The team had secured an A-round of $10 million and two SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) from the National Institutes of Health to develop the sensors. Nima uses an anti-body based chemistry to test samples of food for the proteins found in gluten, the sensor just need a small amount of food in one of the disposable test capsules, insert the capsule into the sensor, push a button, wait a few minutes and see the results!
“Nima is not designed to replace any of the precautions people with food allergies or sensitivities are already taking at mealtime,” Yates said. “Our program is designed to provide one additional data point that when someone does a search, they will get Nima-tested results, regardless of where they are located.”
The Nima Start Kit (Gluten) is available at a price of $159 and the Nima Starter Kit (Peanut) is available at a price of $159. If you would like more information on Nima you can visit their website at www.nimasensor.com. Nima is available to download for iOS devices on the App Store and Android devices on the Google Play Store. You can also stay up to date with them by following them on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.