News

Apollo Health leads charge in growth of brain food delivery

US-based functional player Apollo Health has launched a home delivery service for its KetoFLEX 12/3 brain health meal plan, a move that points to further expansion in the small but fast-growing food-as-medicine subscription market.

In partnership with clean meal delivery firm Trifecta Nutrition, Apollo is aiming to make the meal plans – which follow the Bredesen Protocol, a personalised, precision medicine approach that claims to fight the signs of Alzheimer’s – more accessible for consumers suffering from cognitive challenges by delivering to doorsteps across North America.

The collaboration is a turning point for Apollo Health, as it makes efforts to tackle cognitive decline through personalised nutrition.

The KetoFLEX 12/3 diet is a mildly ketogenic, plant-rich plan designed to support insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility, with the goal of enhancing brain function and improving future outcomes.

“Trifecta was a natural partner for us,” Julie Gregory, chief health liaison at Apollo Health, told Ingredients Network.

“They’ve built their platform around clean, functional nutrition with a science-first approach – their work is backed by studies like the Stanford Twin Study and other ongoing clinical trials.”

Making food as medicine more accessible

Apollo’s latest venture was adopted after the team found that individuals seeking to adopt a brain-healthy lifestyle often reported being daunted by the time and effort involved in sourcing and cooking meals that meet these specific nutritional requirements.

“We recognised the need to make the KetoFLEX 12/3 nutrition plan easier to execute, more accessible, and affordable,” Gregory said. “With Trifecta, we’re scaling a practical solution for cognitive health across the nation.”

While many meal delivery platforms have targeted convenience and broad dietary coverage, Apollo and Trifecta are drilling down further.

“All of Trifecta’s vegetables are non-GMO, chemical-free, and grown in nutrient-rich soil,” Gregory explained. “They’re also targeting 75% organic produce by the end of the year and prioritise sustainably raised, hormone-free animal proteins.”

A solution for an ageing population

Apollo’s brain-boosting meal service coincides with mounting public health concern over cognitive decline, particularly with ageing populations worldwide driving higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, the number of people worldwide living with dementia in 2020 was 55 million, a figure that is predicted to almost double every 20 years to reach 139 million in 2050.

Much of the increase will be in developing countries where access to functional foods that meet cognitive health requirements remain limited.

By providing a subscription-based model, Apollo hopes to shift the conventional approach from reactive care to proactive prevention, simultaneously broadening its reach to a wider consumer base.

In line with this, Gregory confirmed that the company is already planning whole food delivery boxes tailored for home cooks, featuring seasonal, non-starchy vegetables, clean proteins, and high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil – ingredients that are known to support cognition and reduce inflammation.

“Our goal is to reduce the global burden of dementia,” she said. “Nutrition is one of our most powerful and under-utilised strategies.”

Functional food subscription boom

Apollo is one of a handful of companies to explore this space. Several players in both North America and Europe are moving to meet demand for functional nutrition that targets specific conditions using subscription and delivery models.

Sakara Life and Daily Harvest are both cultivating consumer loyalty with performance-focused meal kits and smoothies designed to support mental clarity, energy, and stress resilience – all of which contribute to brain health.

In the UK, Field Doctor delivers dietitian-formulated frozen meals, many of which follow Mediterranean-style principles known for their cognitive benefits.

While the business is not specifically brain health-targeted, its meal plans are designed to appeal to older consumers and those managing chronic conditions through diet.

Food as medicine enters the mainstream

What all of these offerings share is the fact that they are feeding into the shift in consumer perception that food can play a central role in managing long-term health.

Apollo’s entry into the direct-to-consumer meal space marks a turning point for the functional food category, where efficacy, convenience, and science are converging.

The combination of factors that include an ageing population of consumers who are seeking nutrition solutions that support brain performance, longevity, and disease prevention, points to a growing opportunity for brands to explore this space.