Implementing a Personalised Nutrition Service in a Real-Life Military Setting: Feasibility and Consumer Acceptance

Background: Despite growing evidence that personalised nutrition (PN) can improve dietary behaviour and health outcomes, the implementation of PN food services in real-world settings remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the feasibility of a comprehensive PN service for delivering personalised nutrition products (PNPs) in a military setting and assessed consumer acceptance following repeated consumption. Methods: A complete PN service was developed to design, produce, and distribute personalised nutrition products (PNPs). Twenty-five participants from the Royal Netherlands Army took part in a feasibility study, using a single-cohort pre-test post-test design. Each participant consumed a PNP on 10 consecutive days during a two-week combat training exercise. Product liking was assessed through daily questionnaires, while broader user experiences were assessed at baseline (t=0), one week follow-up (t=1) and two-week endline (t=2). Results: The PN service was succesfully implemented during a real-life military training exercise. In total, 229 PNPs were produced and distributed. Participants evaluated all aspects of the PN service from just below neutral to slightly positive (3.4 to 5.0 on 7 point scales). Across the different product combinations, mean overall liking and all sensory attributes were slightly positive (5.7 to 6.1 on 9 point scales). Overall liking did not change over time (F (9,194) = 1.242, p=0.27). Attitudes toward a PNP service in the army decreased over time, but remained just-above neutral at study end. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of a personalised nutrition service in a military setting. Both the service and PNPs received modestly positive evaluations, while repeated exposure did not change overall liking of the products. Although further optimisation of the service is warranted, these findings support the potential for broader implementation of PN services in military and other high performance environments.