Tailored ready meals: Personalized supplement platform broadens reach

09 Jul 2020 --- Personalized supplement company Baze is partnering with ready meal players to broaden its service. Baze customers will now receive food and meal recommendations that target specific nutrient deficiencies. The company has developed an at-home, pain-free blood test for assessing micronutrient deficiencies and the addition of food to its targeted supplement program is touted as providing a more holistic way of addressing deficiencies. Baze’s tests have already been proven to eliminate 73 percent of its customers’ nutrient deficiencies within three months. However, by including food recommendations, it addresses the root cause of the issue – a need for nutrient-dense diets.

“Baze’s approach to personalized nutrition helps consumers understand their nutrient needs through industry-standard diagnostics [so they can] then optimize their nutrient levels. We are currently working with food and prepared meal companies and their dietitians to determine the micronutrient content of their offerings. We are now creating Baze nutrient-dense bundles with companies like Performance Kitchen,” Philipp Schulte, Baze’s CEO, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Through accurate nutrient reporting, coaching and educational content, users taking a personalized approach to nutrition and supplement regimens can actively correct nutritional imbalances, remeasure micronutrient levels every three months and adjust their dosing regimen to address lifestyle and environmental changes throughout the year,” Schulte adds.

A tailored approach
Baze, founded in 2014, has found that 93 percent of the US population is at risk of two or more nutrient deficiencies, even when following healthy diet guidelines. 

Baze’s approach to personalized nutrition helps consumers understand their nutrient needs through industry-standard diagnostics [so they can] then optimize their nutrient levels. “Our objective has been to bring together the worlds of personalized dietary supplements and actionable food solutions. One thing that we are very aware of is that the current state of nutrition solutions is very fragmented, resulting in a lot of complexity that makes it difficult for people to adopt and adhere to new diet habits,” says Schulte.

“We believe a holistic approach will result in even better results in achieving optimum nutrition, and will also reshape how our customers think about food as tools for addressing their micronutrition needs,” he adds.

Baze says that for its products, which have been on the market for two years, to drive meaningful health impact through nutrition, it has to start with the right approach and with the most actionable data. Rather than relying on a “one size fits all” approach to supplementation, nutrition scientists and registered dietitians at Baze have developed a personal supplement program that is based on an individual’s nutritional deficiencies. Baze customers submit blood samples and the company measures their micronutrient levels and, along with a questionnaire and digital biomarkers, they recommend a unique supplement regimen that is tailored to correct identified deficiencies.

“Data privacy has been an issue and is becoming more and more of a concern for DNA collection. Some consumers can’t discern the information that is gleaned from blood biomarkers versus DNA, which can lead to consumers thinking any sort of blood collection results in DNA extraction. Companies will have to continue to work harder to be transparent about how they are using consumer information in order to gain consumer trust. Health is as personal as it gets and we have to protect it at all costs,” Schulte explains. 

Baze’s privacy points include: No DNA analysis; no selling of data; and destroying samples post analysis.

Partnerships pegged for success
Through partnerships like the one with Performance Kitchen, an emerging food innovator developing healthy and convenient frozen meals, Baze has begun to identify leaders in the food industry who are creating nutrient-dense food options that can also have a measurable impact on improving customer’s blood nutrient status. 

In addition, partnering with innovative grocery stores, such as Texan supermarket chain HEB, also adds to the endeavor, as well as getting Baze into retailers to reach as many consumer hands as possible. Working with major supplement manufacturers like Nature’s Way is fueling innovation and pushing the industry forward, he details. 

“Food and supplements go hand in hand. Historically, we’ve focused on helping you fill your nutrient gaps through personalized supplements. However, our long-term vision has always been to not only give you convenient ways to fill your nutrient gaps but also to provide you with personalized solutions to help you build your nutrient foundation,” Schulte concludes. 

By Kristiana Lalou