NUTRATECH Ltd, the York company which has developed a way for people to use their mobile phones to fight the flab, has been declared the Most Innovative Business of the Year by Startup Awards 2005.

The firm's ground-breaking lifestyle application, Nutracheck, allows users to key product barcode numbers into mobiles for its detailed dietary information, drawing on a database of 35,000 food products.

One estimate is that sales of the programme could reap £16 million. Nutracheck costs £7.99 for one month's online membership, £13.99 for two months and £19.99 for three.

It works in conjunction with an online food diary to keep dieters on the straight and narrow and is available on 47 makes and models of mobile phones.

Businessman Paul Cookson, who with his partners, Tim Vryenhoef and Rachel Hartley, developed the concept, said: "We were absolutely delighted to win this award.

"It's taken five years of research and hard work to develop the service and this is fantastic recognition.

"In today's climate where people are information hungry, we felt that a cutting edge lifestyle application for a mobile phone, that could easily help people eat more healthily, would be really beneficial.

"It's particularly useful for those individuals who are keen to lose weight."

The service is also backed by GP and leading weight management and obesity specialist Dr Ian Campbell, who said: "Nutracheck is a very useful tool, helping people to consistently focus on their food choices and how much exercise they do."

The Startup Awards are about acknowledging, celebrating and rewarding the UK's best business start-ups.

They are also endorsed by Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt, who said: "Our future economic wellbeing depends on creating a nation where enterprise is truly open to all, which is why awards like these are so important in allowing us to celebrate the success of our best start-up businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them."

Updated: 10:42 Tuesday, November 15, 2005