Revant Himatsingka A.K.A FoodPharmer: A Voice Brightening The Health World

Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. On this special occasion, we wish to highlight a voice that is brightening the dark world of health illiteracy: Revant Himatsingka a.k.a. FoodPharmer. His life’s aim is to make India ‘Health Literate.‘ The crusader of healthy eating, FoodPharmer wants food and beverage brands to stop marketing junk food as healthy food.

With ‘Label Padhega India,’ Revant started a health movement to equip people with the knowledge to read the labels of packaged products and make informed choices. The content creator has started a health school to further this cause. FoodPharmer launched ‘Label Seekhega India‘ to teach the masses how to be ‘health literate.‘ Revant Himatsingka’s goal is to enable citizens to decode food labels and understand what they’re really consuming through ‘Positive Aggression.’

Source: t2online

In a decade-long journey, FoodPharmer’s efforts bore fruits as huge FMCG companies listened to his claims and agreed to make the necessary changes in their products and packaging. He was recently featured on Forbes India’s Top 100 Digital Stars list at Rank 15! Revant was also awarded the ‘Social Influencer Of The Year’ Award at the CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2024.

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Revant Himatsingka’s unbreakable spirit is truly commendable. It is definitely not easy to fight these huge corporations and make the entire nation aware of why they must look out for their health.

How does FoodPharmer do it all? Hear it from the man himself:

Fighting against large MNCs with vast resources and legal teams is no joke. As FoodPharmer, what are the biggest obstacles you face while calling out their misleading health claims?

There are many obstacles. One is the legal cost – the top lawyers are very expensive. Since MNCs hire top lawyers, you also have to hire top lawyers. Second is the reputational risk. They say you are fear-mongering, you’re not scientific and they try to put labels on you like you’re doing this wrong. That is a very stressful part. And the family gets very stressed when this happens.

What motivates you to keep pushing for health literacy in India, especially when these powerful corporations try to squash your claims?

What motivates me is that people’s lives are getting changed. Those who were spending their hard-earned money for so many years on something they thought was healthy realised that it was actually making them diabetic. So that is very powerful that I am able to change some people’s lives. A mother once e-mailed me that she named her child Revant because she was very fascinated by the courage I showcased online and wanted her child to have similar qualities. That was such an encouraging moment for me.

What strategies or resources do you rely on when verifying health information and addressing deceptive marketing practices?

I keep looking at all medical sources online, talking to doctors and ensuring that anything we are saying is not just on Google like it’s not just the first link on the search engine. We always look at very very credible sources, we won’t ever show Google or Wikipedia, it has to be some medical source. And instead of just going on Amazon I actually go to the grocery store to see what the products are and things like that.

What’s been the most rewarding or impactful outcome so far in your ‘Label Padehga India‘ and ‘Label Seekhega India‘ programs? How do these victories fuel your mission?

The most rewarding outcomes have been when these companies have themselves changed their packaging. There have been many products which have reduced their sugar and detained their palm oil. Lay’s recently announced they’re going to stop using palm oil. Similarly, there are so many companies which are making changes so that I think is the biggest victory.

How can consumers and smaller organizations support your work and help push back against misinformation in the health and food industries?

The consumers can start by literally reading the label and making sure they are buying from cleaner businesses. The best way to support my work is to not support the work of big corporations. So if you want to support me and my work, stop buying from most of those MNCs which are lying to you. Every single time you buy a product from one of these companies, you are essentially giving money to the lawyers who are fighting against me.

Revant Himatsingka’s passion for making India ‘Health Literate’ is extremely inspiring. He never backs down come what may. And why does he do it? Just to ensure your health is safe. Tum bohot mast kaam karta hai, FoodPharmer! We salute you. Let’s all do our bit to read product labels and learn what are we allowing into our bodies. Since Diwali and New Year mark a new beginning, let’s pledge to keep ourselves healthy every day!