Dive Brief:
- Campbell announced last week that it is now the sole investor in Habit, a personalized nutrition meal delivery startup, Food Business News reported.
- Campbell's association with Habit began with Neil Grimmer, Habit's founder and CEO, who was previously co-founder and head of Plum Organics, which Campbell acquired in 2013.
- Habit employs a team with a wide range of expertise, from nutrition scientists and health advisers to chefs and food scientists, to develop customized dietary recommendations for consumers. Set to launch early next year, the service also delivers meals specially tailored to that individual's biology, metabolism and personal goals based on the results of an at-home test kit.
Dive Insight:
Personalized nutrition, also known as nutrigenomics, has taken off in recent years. More consumers recognize that individual bodies react differently to food because of various genetic factors and predispositions. This enables consumers to optimize food and beverage intake for achieving maximum health and wellness or treating certain ailments.
Habit takes this concept one step further — and closer to consumers' doorsteps — by combining personalized nutrition consulting with a meal kit delivery service. Meal kits have also surged in popularity, with more branded manufacturers signing partnership deals to have products featured in meal kits. One key benefit for manufacturers like Campbell is not having to set up the delivery infrastructure.
Campbell has been a leader in the industry's transparency and nutrition efforts. The company led the rush of manufacturers to voluntarily label GMOs before Congress passed a national mandatory standard.