Around 80 percent of consumers say that they want to buy products from companies that share values like sustainability–but when they actually get to the store, most people don’t actually choose the greener product. Part of the problem might be the fact that it’s hard to tell which companies are actually doing a good job.

A new app called HowGood is designed to solve that challenge in grocery stores. The app rates foods using dozens of different criteria–sometimes incorporating week of research on a particular product–and then provides a simple score that makes any similar products easy to compare.





“The big problem we found is self-marketing,” says Alexander Gillet, CEO of HowGood. “One company can have amazing practices but they can only put so much on the packaging. Another company might do two things well, and advertise that very largely and ignore the other practices. So how do you start to create a system of trust where consumers can really start to understand and buy products that they feel good about?”

The company spent years developing a reliable rating system. Once they had a system that worked, they started adding it to shelves in selected stores, so a consumer can see “good” or “great” next to the price tag for products with the best environmental and social practices. (The worst products don’t get any label at all.)





The app helps anyone who wants more detail. “Typically when someone’s grocery shopping they’re in a rush,” Gillet says. “They’re going home to cook dinner, or it’s right after work and they’re tired, so it’s actually not the best time for someone to spend an enormous amount of time researching. But if you can give them access to that information once they’re at home, it’s a great way to assist.”

Since the in-store labels are time-consuming to produce–HowGood works with each store to painstaking research every single product they offer–it’s not available in many stores yet. The app is a way to reach everyone else.

The stores that do have labels have seen a huge impact. On average, products with a “great” label increase in sales by 32%, helping incentivize producers to use best practices even when that costs more.