Nima Brings Food Transparency to Those with Peanut Allergies with the First Portable Peanut Sensor – Now Available
San Francisco, CA – September 6, 2018 – Today, Nima, the pioneer in connected food sensors, announces the availability of the Nima Peanut Sensor. This is the company’s second product and comes on the heels of the groundbreaking Nima Gluten Sensor.
“Millions of people with peanut allergies are eating at restaurants every day, not knowing whether or not hidden sources of peanuts in their food is going to make them sick,” said Shireen Yates, CEO and co-founder of Nima. “We are so eager to get this device into their hands to help them make more informed decisions about what they eat.”
Nima Peanut Sensor
For the 15 million Americans with food allergies, eating foods they haven’t prepared themselves can be incredibly dangerous. Peanut allergies are particularly risky, with reactions varying from stomach aches to skin reactions, and in extreme cases, anaphylaxis. With the introduction of the Peanut Sensor, Nima hopes to remove some of the anxiety that comes with eating out. It’s a quick and portable device that tests for the presence of the peanut proteins that cause allergic reactions.
The Peanut Sensor can detect 10 parts per million (ppm) of peanut protein and above with 97.6 to 99.2 percent accuracy based on robust validation testing. You can view the full results of the Nima and third party validation testing here. For more information on the scientific validation behind the Peanut Sensor, visit here.
“Nima has been great when there’s that question of whether or not someone missed something or when packaging says a product has been produced in a facility that also handles peanut,” said Jeremy Scott, beta user of the Nima Peanut Sensor. “When my son eats peanut, he can’t breathe. We like our son to breathe, so that’s why we got a Nima Peanut Sensor.”
Testing with the Nima Peanut Sensor
Testing with Nima is quick and easy. Start by placing a pea-sized sample of food into a one-time-use capsule and screw on the cap. Then, insert the capsule into the device and press the power button. Testing takes about five minutes, depending on the food or liquid.
Once testing is complete, if peanut has been found, the sensor will display aclear “Peanut Found” message, along with a peanut icon. If no peanut has been found, a smiley face will appear, and the user is free to enjoy their food. Nima designed the Peanut Sensor to be easy for families and kids of all ages to use.
“Nima is not designed to replace any of the precautions people with food allergies or sensitivities are already taking at mealtime,” Yates said. “As someone who has food sensitivities and allergies, I use my Nima to supplement my mealtime diligence, and let Nima take the first bite when I need more information about my food. It’s still extremely important to do your due diligence and continue to take precautions when eating out. Nima is designed to provide one additional data point about your food to help users make a more informed decision before they take the first bite.”
The Nima Community
Nima is growing their community of users through their connected sensor and iOS and Android apps. The Nima App allows users to sync the sensor to their phones via Bluetooth and add results of their tests and restaurant reviews to Nima’s database. Community members can rate restaurants and packaged foods based on their sensor’s test results and their experience with the restaurant’s ability to accommodate their dietary restrictions.
Community members use Nima’s database to search for packaged foods by brand to see community ratings and test results. Additionally, users can access a crowdsourced map of Nima-tested restaurants in their area, with green icons designating restaurants with gluten- or peanut-free test results, and orange icons for menu items that tested positive for containing an allergen. The Nima App is available to download for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The Nima Peanut Sensor is available at www.nimasensor.com/peanut for $229.99, and a Starter Pack including both the Peanut Sensor and 12 peanut test capsules is available for $289.99. Additional 12-packs of test capsules will be $72 each or discounted to $59 per pack as a part of Nima’s subscription service. The sensor and capsules will also be available on Amazon.
To purchase the Nima Peanut Sensor or for more information about Nima products, and the mission, science and validation behind Nima, visit www.nimasensor.com.
For all press materials, including high-resolution images click HERE.
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About Nima
Founded in 2013, Nima is a science-driven technology company making the world safer for people who want and need to know what’s in their food. Through people-friendly products that identify individual ingredients in food, and a growing community of users and data, every day Nima enables people to enjoy what’s on their plates. Co-founders Shireen Yates and Scott Sundvor created Nima out of personal experience with food intolerances. To date, Nima has raised more than $15 million, including financing from Foundry Group, Upfront Ventures, SoftTech VC, SK Ventures and Lemnos Labs, with additional federal grants from the National Institutes of Health. For more Nima news, visit our blog or press section.
