Amidst all the recent packaged foods controversies, 

Bangalore-based Unbox Health, founded by Arjun Anjaria in April 2024, uses unbiased third-party lab testing to rate packaged foods and health supplements in the market.

Driven by his personal commitment to health and nutrition, and a general sense of scepticism, Arjun began sending samples of commonly consumed products to local food labs in Bangalore last year. What he found was deeply concerning. Top-ranking products, including top-ranking bestsellers on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, failed miserably in these lab tests.

It soon became obvious that there was a pressing need for a transparent and unbiased ratings platform in this space.

Unbox Health uses unbiased third-party lab testing to rate products in the market, with the goal of bringing more trust and credibility to the packaged foods industry. It partners with top food labs in the country all NABL-accredited and FSSAI-certified - to rigorously test products in the market. The startup then uses these lab test findings to rate products based on label accuracy, toxicity limits and nutritional guidelines.

"Our core mission at Unbox is to help everyday consumers make informed decisions, while enabling high-quality ethical brands to build credibility." Arjun told Startup Pedia.

The packaged foods and health supplements sector in India today is plagued by significant trust issues.

Consumers are becoming increasingly sceptical about the authenticity and safety of products.
With the rise of social media personalities like (Revant Himatsingka (Food Pharmer) and TheLiverDoc (Dr Cyriac Abb Philips) using their platform to shed light on these issues, awareness levels among consumers have never been higher. Recent high-profile controversies, such as Bournvita, MDH and others have further exacerbated these concerns.

Unbox Health's robust methodology for rating products is based exclusively on unbiased lab testing data, leaving no room for subjective opinions or expert reviews. After extensive trials and evaluating dozens of food labs across the country, the platform now partners with top European-owned labs that meet their standards for testing quality.

Arjun explained that Unbox Health's product ratings (ranging from D to A+) are based on three scoring criteria. Each product is assigned a Label Accuracy Score, a Non-Toxicity Score & a Nutritional Profile Score using data coming from lab test results.

The Bangalore-based startup ensures full transparency and autonomy by procuring products directly from the market without involvement from the brand or manufacturer. Each product sample undergoes testing in multiple labs to guarantee accuracy, and all reports and documentation are publicly available on the platform.