Japanese snack company Calbee unveils new edible sleep aid strips

The snack food giant takes its next step towards manufacturing foodstuffs of the future by harnessing the powers of nature.

While generally known for its innovative snacks such as these buzzworthy chocolate-covered shrimp crackers, Calbee has announced that its first-ever edible sleep aid product, dubbed Nyumin, is now one step closer to hitting store shelves across Japan. Nyumin takes the form of an orange-scented, dissolvable strip containing crocetin, a chemical compound that occurs naturally in crocus and gardenia flowers. Consumption of crocetin has been shown to improve sleep quality and lessen fatigue in clinical trials.

▼ Nyumin’s product packaging

The new product came about as part of Calbee’s long-term vision titled “Next Calbee” which aims to explore the development of a number innovative foodstuffs derived from natural compounds by 2030. It was developed over a period of 2.5 years in the Calbee Future Labo, a research team which conducts numerous surveys with people in their teens through 70s to pinpoint gaps in the market for new dietary products. It was through this system of deliberate consultation that staff learned of the need for more solutions to target sleep disparities within the general population.

In a conscious effort to eliminate any hurdles for consumption among consumers of all ages, the team specifically designed Nyumin in the form of a dissolvable strip that can be ingested directly before sleeping. No water or chewing is necessary to make the strip work its magic.

Calbee began taking preorders for Nyumin on Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake on November 12 with plans to ship the first boxes in late December. One standard box of Nyumin contains a week’s supply of seven strips and retails for 1,080 yen (US$10.32), but the site is currently advertising a variety of special deals including two boxes for a slightly discounted price of 1,944 yen. The company plans to conduct test marketing through this online forum and will receive feedback from customers before expanding sales of Nyumin to physical store locations.

If crocetin doesn’t do it for you, might we suggest splurging on Uniqlo’s Airism bedsheets promote a healthy night’s rest instead?

Source, images: PR Times
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