Revant Himatsingka, widely known for his social media platform ‘Food Pharmer’, has hinted at a new direction for his content while opening up about the challenges of maintaining an independent voice in the food industry.
Despite building a massive online presence—with over 2.7 million Instagram followers and 1 million YouTube subscribers—Himatsingka acknowledged the need for change. In an Instagram post, he invited suggestions for “Food Pharmer 2.0”, reflecting on his journey of quitting a highly lucrative job in the United States to expose misleading marketing tactics in the pre-packaged food industry.
Himatsingka left a job in the US that paid him Rs 2 crore per annum and returned to India with the mission of holding food companies accountable for deceptive marketing practices. Over the past 18 months, he claimed to have turned down hundreds of lucrative brand deals, including offers from both junk food manufacturers and so-called clean food brands.
“The money these companies offered could have changed my life,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). However, his commitment to remaining 100% unbiased in his reviews led him to refuse all promotional offers, ensuring that his content remained independent.
While his stance has won him credibility and public trust, it has also come at a financial cost. Himatsingka admitted that for the first 14 months of running ‘Food Pharmer’, he made no money.
Himatsingka revealed that his relentless work schedule has taken a toll on his mental health. “I have worked every day since April 2023 without a break. I make videos on mental health, but my own mental health is not the best,” he admitted.
He further disclosed that despite his platform’s popularity, financial sustainability remains a challenge. “In the last 1.5 years, I’ve received an immense amount of love, support, likes and shares. But love, respect, support, likes and shares do NOT pay bills,” he stated.
The influencer highlighted the difficulty of scaling his impact with limited resources. “Everything requires money and a team. But I have no mentor and only a team of two college freshers. I’ve worked every single day for the past two years without taking a day off, and I am very burnt out,” he wrote.
While Himatsingka made it clear that he is not struggling financially on a personal level, he expressed frustration over his inability to expand his platform’s reach. “I am struggling to scale our impact,” he said, indicating the need for a new approach.
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