Metagen, Inc. (Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; President and CEO: Shinji Fukuda; hereafter “Metagen”), a company utilizing cutting-edge science to design the gut environment to achieve personalized health, has partnered with Calbee, Inc. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Makoto Ehara; hereafter Calbee), which envisions creating the future of food, and Cykinso, Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yu Sawai; hereafter Cykinso), the company conducting the largest number of gut microbiota tests in Japan, to develop “Body Granola,” a granola subscription service which involves the testing of individual gut microbiota (*1). This jointly developed service was launched by Calbee on April 25, 2023.

Since our establishment, Metagen has been promoting R&D and business development to implement “gut environment-based personalized healthcare,” a scientifically based approach tailored to the gut environment of each individual. We are pleased to announce the joint development of “Body Granola” as the first personalized products based on the gut environment. This has been a long-cherished dream of Metagen, and we are pleased to finally bring this product to the market.

(*1) Gut microbiota:  A community of bacteria living in the intestines. Also known as gut flora.

Background

In recent years, the development of various novel techniques and approaches to visualize the genes and metabolites of gut microbiota has led to rapid progress in understanding how the  gut environment affects both body and mind. Additionally, due to the increased health consciousness of the general public caused by the spread of novel coronavirus infections, the gut environment market has grown to approximately 150 billion yen (*2) in size.

※2）based on a study by Fuji-Keizai, “The gut  environment market”

Since our founding, Metagen has consistently focused on the gut environment and aims to contribute to the health of mankind based on the concept of “Gut Design”. This approach involves harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to control the gut environment for optimal health outcomes. We believe that a personalized approach based on this concept will lead to the prevention and treatment of various diseases throughout the body, such as improving immune function and promoting the maintenance of good health.

In the summer of 2020, while Calbee was searching for new growth opportunities to realize its long-term vision “NEXT Calbee & Beyond” toward 2030, the presidents of Metagen and Calbee, Shinji Fukuda and Makoto Ehara, met in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, where Metagen’s head office is located. They agreed on the concept of personalized healthcare focusing on the unique gut environment of each individual and began a full-scale joint research in the spring of 2021. Since then we have focused on creating a new business model centered around the gut environment of each individual. During the process of commercializing this business model based on the concept of prebiotics (*3), the gut microbial testing technology of Cykinso was introduced to the collaboration, resulting in the creation of a service that maximizes the unique strengths of all three companies involved.
※3）Prebiotics are substances that serve as food for gut microbiota

The gut environment is unique to each individual, arising from one’s lifestyle and long-term eating habits. It is not an exaggeration to designate the ability of each individual’s body to maintain the unique balance of its gut environment as a person’s “constitution”. We would like to make personalized healthcare a norm for the next generation, where people can “see” their own gut environment, their constitution, and “know” the best approach for themselves. We will continue to accumulate research findings and build databases related to the gut environment, developing products and services based on scientific evidence together with our partners. Our aim is  to create a “gut design market” where 100 out of 100 people can all be healthy, thus enabling individuals to pursue their desired way of life. 

About Body Granola

■URL：https://bodygranola.jp/
■Ordering Process：
(1)Order the gut microbiota test kit from the website, and send fecal samples back to us via post.
(2)Receive the test results
(3)Based on your test results, we will suggest suitable granola (varying combinations of prebiotic toppings) which you can then order.
(4)Scheduled, routine delivery of your personalized granola.

■Pricing：
・Gut microbiota test kit　9,800 JPY (Tax excluded) + shipping
・Body Granola subscription 3,500 JPY (Tax excluded)/month ＋shipping
(Granola base 640g ＋ Prebiotic Toppings 120g×3 types/ 20 servings)

■How to enjoy our Body Granola
(1) Add all three packets of prebiotic toppings to the granola base
(2) Zip up the granola packet
(3) Give the packet a good shake to mix everything up
(4) Place a serving of 50g into a bowl and enjoy with yogurt or fresh milk.