Known as Body Granola, the personalized nutrition service consists of a microbiome gut health test and a personalized granola subscription.
Users will first undergo a gut microbiome test that analyzes their gut microbiome type, the diversity of gut bacteria present and the proportion of bacteria detected.
Based on users’ test results, the service would recommend specific prebiotics suitable for their gut microbiome.
The prebiotics offered include inulin, resistant starch, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), cacao and a blend of prebiotic fibre commercially sold as BarleyMax. Unlike probiotics, which add live bacteria to the gut, prebiotics help feed beneficial bacteria already present in the gut instead.
The service has been available via Body Granola Singapore’s e-commerce site since yesterday (April 21).
Singapore the first overseas stop
Singapore is Body Granola’s first overseas market.
The service was first introduced in Japan in April 2023 and is said to have been used by more than 50,000 people to date.
“Gut microbiomes vary from person to person, even among healthy people. That means the same foods and habits may not affect everyone in the same way. We believe a personalized approach to the gut microbiome can help support health and wellness in a way that better suits each individual,” said Masae Nakano, chief technology officer at Calbee, Inc. “Singapore marks our first step in bringing the service to more customers beyond Japan.”
According to Calbee, uptake of the service is on the rise in Japan as consumers seek scientifically tailored nutrition that better suits their individual gut health and is easy to integrate into their everyday routine.
“People respond very differently to the same foods in terms of blood sugar spikes and nutrient absorption. Body Granola marks an important step in bringing the latest nutrition science to help consumers eat what works best for them,” added Dr Jeremy Lim, CEO of AMILI.
Preparation for the launch had taken about a year.
Calbee representatives visited Singapore to interview local consumers about the Body Granola concept back in November 2024. Since then, the company has conducted further market research to assess how well the service would resonate locally.
For its Singapore launch, Calbee will work with AMILI on the gut microbiome testing component of the service, while the testing method and results are based on the Japanese service, which Calbee had developed with Metagen.
The gut microbiome test kit is priced at SGD$310 (US$243), and the Body Granola subscription costs SGD$49 (US$38.50) for 20 servings.
Calbee to present in Singapore in July
In fact, Calbee is also presenting its vision of “wellbeing through food”, as well as how it approaches personalized nutrition through its Body Granola service in Singapore, in the upcoming Growth Asia Summit held on July 8 to 10.
AMILI, on the other hand, has been partnering with various industry players in advancing personalized nutrition. By the end of this month, it is expected to launch a personalized nutrition app with Google.
