Hungry for heritage: Meal kit provider Gousto offers new DNA-inspired recipe boxes

09 Oct 2020 --- Cuisine often ties into a person’s identity, which meal kit provider Gousto took as inspiration to launch its new DNA-inspired recipe box scheme. In partnership with biotech company Living DNA, the recipe box specialist is helping consumers discover new dishes they have never tried, based on their genes.

By taking a simple swab test, consumers can submit their DNA for analysis and have meal kits customized through a smart algorithm, based on the countries they are found to have originated from.

Gousto has partnered with UK celebrities, rapper Professor Green and presenter AJ Odudu, to trial the service and prepare meals based on their genetic heritage.

Survey respondents noted they would be more excited to try new dishes if they could associate these meals with their heritage.After taking a DNA test, Professor Green discovered that he is French (35 percent), Northwest Germanic (20 percent) and Irish (12 percent). Meanwhile, AJ Odudu was found to be of Nigerian (95 percent), Burkina Faso (3 percent) and Cameroonian (2 percent) descent.

“I was convinced I was Scottish, if anything. Finding out I have these connections has definitely made me want to be more experimental with my cooking as I’ve always been a bit of a pizza, pie and mash man, but I now I want to try new dishes from these countries,” says Professor Green.

AJ Odudu comments: “Having never met my grandparents, I now feel like I can connect with them further in some way through the food I cook, and I’m mega excited to get my mom around for dinner to cook some of the new recipes I’ve learned.”

DNA Dishes debuts after eight in ten (84 percent) of 2,000 adults surveyed by Gousto revealed they are uncertain about their genetic heritage. Half of respondents noted they would be more excited to try new dishes if they could associate these meals with their heritage.

Evolution of meal kits
Gousto previously announced plans to triple capacity by 2022, while noting the spike in demand for online retail and consumption shifts to at-home dining, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toward this end, Gousto has secured a further three fulfilment centers across the UK, where their recipe boxes are assembled and delivered from.

As interest in at-home deliveries intersects with demand for personalized nutrition, meal kit companies have set to offer more customizable recipe boxes.

As reported on FoodIngredientsFirst’s sister platform NutritionInsight, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded a US$2.9 million grant for “food as medicine” research that will focus on using medically tailored meal delivery as an effective health care intervention for diabetes. 

By Benjamin Ferrer