HealthTech member
myfood24
Prof Janet Cade, Director and Founder of myfood24, chats to Eagle Labs HealthTech about her company.
Tell us about your business.
Dietary Assessment Ltd was founded by Prof Janet Cade to continue the development of myfood24, with a vision to reduce diet-related disease, globally.
myfood24 is a quick and easy-to-use online food diary system that automates the diet tracking and analysis process, providing information on 100+ nutrients, vitamins and minerals instantly. It was originally developed at the University of Leeds by Prof Janet Cade using robust and evidence-based methodologies. myfood24 has been validated against independent nutrient biomarkers, the gold standard. It is also underpinned by a unique food and nutrient database, representative of the wide range of items available at supermarkets and food outlets.
myfood24 supports international research organisations study the impact diet has on health conditions such as diabetes, cancer and motor neurone disease. Currently there are 5 country specific versions of myfood24 available, with more under development! myfood24 has also been tailored for use in education supporting face-to-face and remote online teaching.
We’re now getting ready to launch a version specifically for healthcare, which includes a patient facing app. This will support accurate dietary monitoring to help patient’s better manage their conditions and to identify those who may benefit from additional nutritional support, ultimately to improve health outcomes.
When did you start your business?
Dietary Assessment Ltd was spun-out from the University of Leeds in 2017.
What's been your biggest highlight?
My biggest highlight so far has been seeing my vision coming to fruition. We’re getting ready to launch our healthcare app designed to support people understand more about what they are eating and the nutritional value of it to improve their health and I couldn’t be more excited! We have our company catch-ups on Monday mornings, hearing about all the progress that’s being made and the adventure our company is going on is really something I look forward to every week!
What's been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge, of which there have been a few, has been around getting myfood24 into the NHS. It’s something that I would love to see adopted as I believe we could deliver real patient benefit but there’s a lot of hurdles to jump over and navigate through particularly in regards to regulations. As an academic, I’m used to pushing boundaries and being on the cutting-edge so it can be a little challenging at times when faced with such a complex regulatory landscape.
Advice for entrepreneurs starting out
I think the most important thing is having a clear view of what it is that you want to achieve and being able to communicate this effectively with others, there’s no point in having a good idea if you can’t communicate it– so practice that elevator pitch! And be sure to stick with your vision through the high and lows, keeping this in mind will get you through the tougher days. Also, surround yourself with the right kinds of people, you can’t be successful as a one-man band so make sure you have people you can trust with the right skills and experience to help you through.