GreenChoice App: How to Make Smarter Grocery Decisions Instantly

Scan Your Food. Know What You’re Eating.

What if you could instantly know whether a food is truly “healthy” while standing in the grocery store? In this episode, Dr. Michael Haley sits down with Galen Karlan-Mason, founder of GreenChoice, to explore a powerful app that scans products, assigns evidence-based health scores, and helps you choose better options in seconds.

🟩 ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In this episode of The Dr. Haley Show, Dr. Michael Haley interviews Galen Karlan-Mason, founder and CEO of GreenChoice—a food intelligence platform designed to simplify grocery shopping decisions.

The GreenChoice app allows users to scan food products and receive a science-based health score from 1–100, along with color-coded guidance (green to red) and personalized recommendations based on dietary preferences.

Galen shares how his personal struggles with food allergies and navigating grocery stores inspired the creation of the app. What started as a simple consumer tool has evolved into a powerful data platform now used by retailers and healthcare systems.

You’ll learn:

  • How the GreenChoice scoring system works
  • Why most grocery stores are filled with highly processed foods
  • How small food swaps can dramatically improve your health
  • Why transparency in the food industry is finally becoming a priority

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to read labels or make healthier choices, this episode gives you a practical, real-world solution.

🟩 RESOURCES

🟩 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 What the GreenChoice app does
00:47 Podcast intro
00:53 Meet Galen & overview of the app
01:44 Should listeners download the app now?
02:03 Why the app was created
03:21 Personal story: allergies & food struggles
06:22 How the app scoring system works
07:11 Personalization & dietary filters
09:04 Business model & retailer integration
10:55 Food as medicine & healthcare partnerships
12:39 Where the data comes from
16:46 Breaking down the scoring system
21:16 Live demo: scanning foods
24:10 Database size & product coverage
26:10 Competition & what makes GreenChoice unique
31:03 How small food swaps improve health
36:22 Ultra-processed food insights
38:48 Grocery store comparisons (Whole Foods vs Kroger)
41:37 Example: frozen pizza scoring range
43:36 Consumer power & food choices
44:00 Call to action: download the app

🟩 FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Below is the full transcript of this episode, cleaned and optimized for readability, SEO, and AI understanding. Filler content and advertisements have been removed for clarity.

Intro:

This transcript explores how the GreenChoice app helps consumers make smarter grocery decisions using a science-based scoring system. Learn how food is evaluated, how to identify healthier options, and why small changes in your shopping habits can significantly impact your long-term health.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Michael Haley:
This is The Dr. Haley Show podcast. I’m Dr. Michael Haley, your host. Today we’re going to learn how to make better grocery shopping decisions.

Our guest, Galen Karlan-Mason, is the CEO and founder of GreenChoice, a food intelligence company dedicated to making transparent, evidence-based nutrition and sustainability data accessible to both retailers and shoppers.

There’s a GreenChoice app you can download and have with you at all times on your phone.

Galen, welcome to the podcast.

Dr. Haley:
For someone listening right now, does it make sense—unless they’re driving—to download the app and follow along as we talk?

Galen Karlan-Mason:
Yeah, absolutely. And first, Michael, thanks for having me. The time is certainly now to be thinking about what’s in our food and the choices we’re making.

If you’re not driving, check out the GreenChoice app. It’s available on Android and iOS. It’s totally free to use. It’s not how we monetize as a business—it’s our gift to the world. We believe this information should be accessible.

Dr. Haley:
What inspired you to create the GreenChoice app?

Galen:
GreenChoice began a little over six years ago. I was a graduate student in Boston and struggling to navigate the grocery store.

I grew up with multiple food allergies—specifically almond and hazelnut allergies that can trigger anaphylaxis. I was also a two-sport college athlete, so I had this relationship with food as fuel.

But as a grad student, I was grocery shopping for myself for the first time, trying to make healthier choices. I had to read every ingredient list to make sure it wouldn’t harm me. It was exhausting.

I found myself constantly Googling ingredients, trying to understand what I was eating, but every answer led to more questions.

I grew up in Vermont with parents who were very intentional about food—no added sugars, no artificial colors—but even with that background, I still struggled.

And I realized I wasn’t alone. Many people felt overwhelmed in grocery stores.

At the same time, I saw how food was contributing to chronic illness—but also had the power to improve health.

So I thought: the data exists, but it needs to be accessible in the moment people are making decisions.

Galen (continued):
So we built the app. It’s simple:

You scan a food → you see an evidence-based health score from 1 to 100 → color-coded like a traffic light (green, yellow, orange, red).

Then we show you better alternatives—what we call “swaps”—right in that same store.

Dr. Haley:
That’s powerful. And you can personalize it?

Galen:
Yes. You can set dietary preferences—over 70 different filters. Allergens, nutrients, ingredients you want to avoid.

So when you scan a product, it tells you if it aligns with your personal goals.

Dr. Haley:
Let’s talk about how the business works.

Galen:
GreenChoice is a food health and sustainability intelligence company.

We analyze foods and work with grocery stores, wholesalers, and healthcare providers.

While we started with the consumer app, we now partner with retailers to integrate our scoring into their stores—on shelves, in apps, and online.

So eventually, you may not even need the app. You’ll see scores directly in the store.

Dr. Haley:
Where does the data come from, and how do you prevent manipulation?

Galen:
Great question.

First, we’re a public benefit company, meaning we have a legal responsibility not just to shareholders, but to improving public health.

Second, we have an independent science advisory board that reviews our methodology regularly.

Third, we have a strict conflict-of-interest policy—no company can pay to influence their score.

Dr. Haley:
So how is the score actually calculated?

Galen:
We don’t crowdsource anything.

Each product is evaluated across four categories:

  1. Nutritional quality
  2. Ingredient processing
  3. Ingredient safety
  4. Climate footprint

Each category gets a score from 1 to 100, and the final score is the average.

We use established scientific standards—for example, the NOVA classification for food processing.

And we make everything transparent. You can click into each score to see exactly why a product received it.

Dr. Haley:
I tested the app myself. For example, I scanned coconut milk—it gave me a score, explained why, and showed better alternatives.

I scanned coffee, sea salt, pumpkin seeds—it worked really well.

Dr. Haley:
Does it include products outside grocery stores?

Galen:
Our focus is grocery stores. We’ve analyzed over a million products and continue expanding.

Dr. Haley:
What makes your app different from others?

Galen:
Most apps focus only on nutrition.

But health is more than nutrient density. You can “game” nutrition labels.

We look at the full picture—processing, safety, environmental impact—and personalize it to the user.

Dr. Haley:
Talk about how small changes can impact health.

Galen:
You don’t need to go from a low-scoring product to a perfect one overnight.

Small upgrades—going from a 20 to a 40, then 40 to 60—add up significantly over time.

Dr. Haley:
What are you seeing with ultra-processed foods?

Galen:
We analyzed major grocery retailers.

At stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts, about 15–17% of products are highly processed.

At conventional stores like Kroger, it’s around 40%.

That means you’re far more likely to encounter processed foods in certain environments.

Dr. Haley:
But people still have choices.

Galen:
Exactly. Even in those stores, many better options exist—but you need tools to identify them.

Dr. Haley:
Give us an example.

Galen:
Frozen pizza.

Some score in the 30s. Others score as high as 89.

The difference comes down to ingredients—whole foods vs. additives.

Dr. Haley:
That’s fascinating.

Galen:
At the end of the day, it’s not one food—it’s what you eat consistently.

Are you nourishing your body with real food?

Dr. Haley:
Final question—where should people go?

Galen:
Go to GreenChoice.co for more information.

Or search “GreenChoice food scanner” in your app store and start scanning foods.

Dr. Haley:
Galen, thank you. I appreciate you being here.

Galen:
Thank you, Michael. I appreciate you having me.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GreenChoice app?
The GreenChoice app is a free grocery food scanner app that helps users evaluate products using evidence-based food scores, color-coded guidance, and healthier product swaps.

How does the GreenChoice app score foods?
GreenChoice scores foods from 1 to 100 using four core categories: nutritional quality, ingredient processing, ingredient safety, and climate footprint. The final score is the average of those category scores.

Can the GreenChoice app be personalized?
Yes. Users can build a dietary profile inside the app and set preferences related to allergens, nutrients, added sugar, artificial additives, and other food criteria so recommendations better match their needs.

Is the GreenChoice app free to use?
Yes. The app is free for consumers to use. GreenChoice monetizes its business through partnerships and licensing relationships with retailers, healthcare providers, and other organizations.

What makes GreenChoice different from other food scanner apps?
GreenChoice goes beyond basic nutrition labels by evaluating foods across multiple dimensions, including processing, ingredient safety, and environmental impact, while also allowing personalized dietary filtering.

Does GreenChoice only include grocery store products?
GreenChoice is primarily focused on helping shoppers navigate grocery stores. Its database includes more than a million food and beverage products and continues to expand.

Why is a tool like GreenChoice useful for shoppers?
A tool like GreenChoice simplifies complex food data and helps shoppers make better choices faster, especially in stores with thousands of products and a high percentage of highly processed foods.