See what goes into your food with GoodGuide

March 16, 2009 | Anthony Ha | Comments | |

I’ve been a big fan of GoodGuide — the online database for information about whether a product is healthy, environmentally friendly and ethical — since it launched at the TechCrunch50 conference in September. But as much as I admired GoodGuide, I didn’t actually use it all that much, simply because the site used to focus on products that I don’t spend much money on — namely personal care and household cleaning products, with the recent addition of toys. Now the Berkeley, Calif. company has some information that I plan to use much more frequently: Food listings.

Since GoodGuide’s big selling point is the comprehensiveness of its data, it’s no surprise that the company took its time before adding such a big category. At the same time, this is something that needed to happen. I  spend a lot more time thinking about my health and carbon footprint in relation to food than, say, my shampoo. Most of my friends would say the same. And we’re not the only ones — just take look at the success of stores like Whole Foods.

At the same time, most people are aware that just slapping an “organic” label on a food product may not mean much, so GoodGuide offers detailed information about your food, such as the environmental practices used by its manufacturer, how its nutrition stacks up against similar products and more. GoodGuide even allows you to check its listings while you’re out shopping via its iPhone application.

GoodGuide has raised $3.73 million in a first round of funding. Competitors include World of Good, which focuses less on data and more on connecting ethical businesses with ethical shoppers.

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About the Author, Anthony Ha

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on enterprise technology, cloud computing, and tech policy. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.

  • Sam
    Personally, I like www.foodfacts.com, but I'll need to spend some time on GoodGuide to compare.
  • If you get a chance, would be interested to hear what your impressions are.
  • Foodfacts.com is indeed a great resource for weight loss management, nutrition and food ingredients. At GoodGuide, we have attempted to add some key information to serve the needs and interests of almost anyone - additives, banned ingredients, certifications, environmental and social performance, and tens of thousands of products in other categories, such as personal care, household cleaners, and toys. Our aim is to provide comprehensive information for all interests and values, and allow consumers to choose products based on what's most important to them. Like Anthony, we would love to hear your impressions and feedback! Thanks for the great post.