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Implementing a Personalized Nutrition Service in a Real-Life Military Setting: Feasibility and Consumer Acceptance
Sandra van der Haar1, Meeke Ummels1, Suzan Wopereis2
1Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Background:
Despite growing evidence that personalized nutrition (PN) can improve dietary behavior and health outcomes, the implementation of PN food services in real-world settings remains largely unexplored.
Objectives:
This study evaluated the feasibility of a PN service to deliver personalized nutrition products (PNPs) in a military setting and assessed consumer acceptance following repeated consumption.
Methods:
A PN service was developed to design, produce, and distribute PNPs. Twenty-five participants from the Royal Netherlands Army took part in a feasibility study, using a single-cohort pretest posttest design. Each participant consumed a PNP (in-between meal) on 10 consecutive days during a combat training exercise. Product liking was assessed through daily questionnaires, whereas broader user experiences were assessed at baseline (t = 0), 1-wk follow-up (t = 1), and 2-wk endline (t = 2).
Results:
The PN service was successfully implemented during a military training exercise. In total, 229 PNPs were produced and distributed. Participants evaluated all aspects of the PN service as slightly positive (4.5 ± 1.4 to 5.0 ± 1.7 on 7-point scales), except for variation in products, which was rated as slightly negative (3.4 ± 1.6). Across the different product combinations, mean overall liking and all sensory attributes were slightly positive (5.7 ± 1.7 to 6.1 ± 1.6 on 9-point scales). Overall product liking did not change over time (F (9, 194) = 1.242, P = 0.27). Attitudes toward a PNP service in the army were positive at study start but decreased to neutral at study end.
Conclusions:
This study supports the feasibility of a prototype PN service in a real-life military setting. The PNPs received modestly positive evaluations, and repeated exposure did not change the overall liking of the products. Initial positive attitudes toward the service declined over time. Therefore, further optimization of both the service and the PNPs is needed before implementation at a larger scale can be considered.
