#Japan #Tsukuba #Tsukuba City #PHR Data #Calomeal

Innovative Initiative for Health in Tsukuba

In a bid to enhance the health longevity of its citizens and prevent lifestyle-related diseases, Tsukuba City has embarked on an innovative pilot project that leverages Personal Health Record (PHR) data. This initiative is a collaborative effort involving three main partners: Alfresa Corporation, Welcia Pharmacy, and Life Log Technology Co., Ltd.

Background and Objectives

Tsukuba City is committed to creating an inclusive community aimed at resolving citizens' hardships and enhancing their quality of life. The city promotes the 'Tsukuba Super Science City Concept,' which aims to offer new options through science and foster diverse well-being among its residents. In the health and medical sector, the city actively implements advanced services focused on extending healthy life expectancy and preventing lifestyle diseases.

The ongoing project is part of this larger initiative, utilizing a meal tracking app that allows individual participants to monitor their eating habits. By analyzing this data, tailored product suggestions and health support services will be provided to enhance dietary habits. Given the significant impact of daily eating habits on health, this project aims to determine whether personalized support utilizing PHR data can influence product choices, purchasing behavior, and meal contents.

Overview of the Pilot Project

Project Name

The pilot project is officially named the Tsukuba City Personal Food Recommendation Service Study.

Overall Scheme

In this initiative, participant monitoring will be accomplished through the health management app 'Calomeal,' which will capture meal tracking data. Using the acquired data, each participant's eating and nutritional intake patterns will be analyzed to provide recommendations that cater to their specific dietary needs, such as 'low protein' or 'high salt intake.'
Welcia Pharmacy will sell suggested products across 20 locations within Tsukuba City, with three of those stores offering a nutritional concierge service led by registered dietitians.
The goal is to assess potential behavioral changes in product selection, purchasing actions, and meal planning that lead to improved eating habits through these initiatives.

Roles of Participating Companies

1. Alfresa Corporation: In charge of the project design and overall coordination, ensuring alignment with local government efforts to push the project forward and consolidate outcomes.
2. Welcia Pharmacy: Utilizing their store presence and customer interactions to sell recommended products and provide nutrition and health support services via their Nutritional Concierge program.
3. Life Log Technology: Responsible for obtaining and analyzing data through the Calomeal app, offering recommendation functions powered by AI technology.

Features of Calomeal

Developed and operated by Life Log Technology, Calomeal is a meal, exercise, and weight management app that allows users to record their meals simply by taking a photo. Utilizing artificial intelligence, the app automatically calculates and logs nutritional values, including calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, salt, sugars, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals—28 in total. This enables users to manage a balanced diet, not just for weight loss but for overall health management. The app also includes features for exercise and vital statistics management, thus achieving 'total health management.' As of July 2026, there are over 7 million registered users of Calomeal.

Implementation Period and Activities

The pilot project is scheduled to run from September 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027. During this period, participant recruitment, data collection through Calomeal, product recommendations, and health support services will take place, concluding with an evaluation of the outcomes post-pilot.

Future Developments

Based on insights gathered from this project, the aim is to explore applications in the areas of preventive health and to develop service models for broader societal implementation.

Contact Information

For inquiries, please reach out to:

• - Alfresa Holdings Corporate Communications Department (Phone: 03-5219-5102, Email: [email protected])
• - Welcia Pharmacy Public Relations Department (Email: [email protected])
• - Life Log Technology Public Affairs Team (Email: [email protected])