• myDNA cofounder Allan Sheffield and Be Fit Food CEO Kate Save.
    myDNA cofounder Allan Sheffield and Be Fit Food CEO Kate Save.
Close×

Can you have your cake and eat it too – or just a slice? Doris Prodanovic speaks with Be Fit Food CEO Kate Save and myDNA co-founder Allan Sheffield on their collaboration for personalising meals by combining the science of food with genetics. This article was first published in Food & Drink Business May 2021.

When the team behind meal plan service Be Fit Food appeared on TV show Shark Tank in 2017, they were not anticipating the response that followed. In an old fish and chip shop turned commercial kitchen, bought for a single dollar, production went from 1000 meals a week to 20-30,000 meals a week.

Be Fit Food CEO and co-founder Kate Save tells Food & Drink Business that they didn’t know there was a wider audience for their product.

“We just thought the people who wanted our programs were people seeing dietitians and weight loss doctors.

“We realised there was a much bigger demand when we hit 50,000 visitors on our website within minutes of the episode airing,” Save recalls.

Save, an accredited dietitian and diabetes educator, launched the company in 2015 with bariatric surgeon Dr Geoffrey Draper.

Their goal was to help Australians eat healthier and reverse the rising rates of obesity. They had worked together for a decade, helping around 20,000 patients, and in doing so recognised a gap in the market for a weight loss program and meal plan service that was backed by science and also delivered long term results.

It was in February this year that the Be Fit Food team began its partnership with Melbourne-based genetics company myDNA to take its meal plans to a new level of personalisation.

“The myDNA team approached us and said they loved the science behind what we did,” says Save. “For me, I don’t understand why people can’t know what their DNA is – it’s your blueprint – you should be able to understand your individualised DNA to make your own decisions.

“In very layman’s terms, we should know why one person can eat cake because of their genetics, while someone else’s genetic make-up means they shouldn’t be. This is extremely simplified, but that cake will react completely differently in different human beings – why don’t we know that about ourselves?”

When Save found out through myDNA that the science was available, she knew it would be the way they “could truly be able to change the health of Australians, by giving them the right information.”

Behind the blueprint

myDNA launched its health and wellness mobile app last December with an emphasis on personalisation. Professor Allan Sheffield, myDNA co-founder, tells Food &Drink Business the goal was for people to learn about their genetics and to then take action.

“It’s about looking at someone’s genetics and helping them learn more about their body so they can make better and more individualised choices based on their DNA,” says Sheffield.

“A lot of members on the app chose weight loss as a goal and we saw a strong alignment with what Be Fit Food was doing already with personalised meal plans. With genetics, you can take it down another layer and personalise it even further, which excited both of us.”

CSIRO has backed Be Fit Food’s meals.

To find out their genetics, a customer’s DNA is collected with a painless cheek swab. The swab is sent to the myDNA lab where the team extracts the DNA material.

myDNA then works with BeFit Food by testing around 60genetic markers on each customer’s results.

From there, individuals are categorised into one of four diet profiles that have been developed in partnership with the CSIRO – Mediterranean, Protein Balance, Clean & Lean, and Lite & Trim. The results allow myDNA to maximise the macronutrients of proteins, carbs, and fats in each of the BeFit Food profiles, ultimately providing a more personalised meal plan.

“For example, there’s a gene whereby people are predisposed to snacking more often,” explains Save. “There’s lots of scientific evidence to show that protein can help regulate your appetite regulation, and therefore a protein-balanced diet will keep you fuller for longer and help with your snacking habits.”

The logistics

The Be Fit Food range is all snap frozen. Initially, the products were delivered fresh, but Save says it was “logistically a nightmare”.

“We would deliver but people wouldn’t be home. We needed – and wanted – customers to have the security of knowing the food is safe to eat.”

While being snap frozen helps maintain the integrity of the food, it also allows people to control their personalised weight loss program to when they’re ready to start, rather than when the meals arrive.

“It gives people flexibility to do it as a program and to specialise in what they eat. When people follow their seven day program of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, we get extraordinary results. On average we see customers lose almost 5.6 kilograms in 14 days,” Save says.

Be Fit Food partners with a manufacturer that has a production capacity of 150,000 meals a week and is delivering nationwide.

Ethical science

“We use evidence-based science only – if there’s no evidence, we’re not interested. For us, the key is making sure everything is nutritionally complete. As a team of doctors and dietitians, customers’ health comes first.

“We would never put something in a food that we don’t believe would be enhance their health,” Save says.

Both Save and Sheffield affirm that the data collected in the genetic testing is completely owned by the customer.

Results are not shared without consent, with myDNA only providing advice and not the results to Be Fit Food when meal plans are recommended to a customer.

“We’re always transparent about the privacy around genetics and are committed to not selling or sharing data without the individual’s consent,” says Sheffield. “Our view is that we’re the custodian of their data, so if they want us to destroy it, we will.

“Part of our vision is to say that with all these tests let’s arm people with this information, so they can make better choices and get better outcomes when it comes to their health.”

Where to next?

Save says Be Fit Food is committed to following scientific advancements and will continue its partnerships with myDNA and CSIRO to help impove Australians’ health.

“By keeping abreast with the latest research and its links to nutrition, we can continually improve what we provide to our customers,” says Save. “myDNA looks at the latest DNA research and determines if it can be translated into improving a person’s lifestyle, whether through diet and nutrition, exercise, or other means.”

The team is now working with Deakin University, studying the impact a whole food diet such as Be Fit Food has on gut microbes and, ultimately, mental health.

Save is intent on Be Fit Foods staying at the forefront of scientifically backed solutions for people and their health.

Packaging News

Earlier this month PKN published an article that voiced industry concern over the speculation that Qenos might be closing its polymer manufacturing plants in Australia. Qenos has remained silent on the matter. The MD of Qenos customer Impact International, Aleks Lajovic, wants some answers.

Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, is the proud recipient of eight FPA Awards for innovative and sustainable contributions to the industry.

An impressive number of quality entries into the inaugural Hive Awards created a highly competitive line-up for judges to consider. The packaging category was one of the most strongly contested.