Ajinomoto Co. Begins Sales of Commercial Version of 'AI Menu Planner' After Demonstration Experiment with Kai Technology Co., Ltd.
Ajinomoto Co. and Kai Technology Co., Ltd. have launched the commercial version of their 'AI Menu Planner' service on May 11, 2026, after successful demonstration experiments. This AI-powered menu generation service aims to significantly reduce the workload of dietitians in the school lunch industry and will be integrated with Kai Technology's 'Mr. Kondateman Web' system, targeting elderly care facilities and nurseries.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 14:31
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Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (President: Shigeo Nakamura, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) has collaborated with Kai Technology Co., Ltd. (President: Hitomi Hara, Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as Kai Technology), a company specializing in system and package software development for the school lunch industry, to conduct demonstration experiments on the utility of their jointly developed AI menu automatic generation service, 'AI Menu Planner' (beta version). Following the insights gained from these trials with five school lunch operating companies, Ajinomoto will begin sales of the commercial version of 'AI Menu Planner' in May 2026.
Recently, the school lunch industry has been facing chronic labor shortages, with high workload on registered dietitians being a significant challenge, especially in menu creation, which is largely manual. Against this backdrop, Ajinomoto and Kai Technology have been promoting the demonstration experiment of 'AI Menu Planner' since July 2025 (Note 1), a service characterized by its ability to automatically generate menus that meet conditions set by registered dietitians, aiming to simplify and streamline operations and reduce workload through the introduction of digital technology. The experiments, conducted in collaboration with registered dietitians and nutritionists working in actual school lunch facilities, confirmed the service's benefits in reducing the workload for menu creators at these facilities, such as standardizing nutrient content, leveling and suppressing costs, and selecting/modifying dishes to improve menu quality. Some reports even indicate a significant reduction of approximately 70% in menu creation workload (Note 2).
Note 1) Kai Technology led the initiative, with five school lunch operating companies participating.
Note 2) Source: From the website of Ars Co., Ltd., one of the participating companies mentioned in Note 1: "Participated in a demonstration experiment for AI-driven menu creation."
For the commercial version of 'AI Menu Planner' now being released, functionalities have been expanded based on the insights gained from the demonstration experiments. Specifically, these include an AI automatic menu generation function that can create menus ranging from one meal to three meals a day, for up to several months, tailored to the rules of each school lunch facility; flexible customization and improved intuitive operability achieved through our proprietary algorithms and GUI; and high versatility as a SaaS (Note 3). Additionally, convenient features (Figures 1, 2) requested by menu creators during the demonstration experiments have been added, and further support for reducing workload is anticipated.
These features aim to alleviate the menu creation workload for creators, thereby supporting the creation of an environment and time for them to engage in other tasks.
Note 3) Software as a Service that supports school lunch management and menu creation.
Regarding the deployment of this service, Kai Technology plans to initially promote its introduction to the five school lunch operating companies that participated in the demonstration experiment, as an linked function of its nutrition and school lunch management software 'Mr. Kondateman Web.' Subsequently, sales will gradually expand to other school lunch operating companies. Furthermore, with an eye on future overseas expansion, validation is underway to collaborate with some overseas affiliates of the Ajinomoto Group.
In line with our purpose to "Contribute to the well-being of people, society, and the Earth through AminoScience®," we will continue to develop products and services that address societal and individual food challenges, and strive to spread them to a wider range of people, including expanding digital touchpoints through collaboration.
Service Overview
(1) Product Name: AI Menu Planner powered by Ajinomoto Co.
(2) Target Sales Country: Japan
(3) Provision Format: Provided as a linked function of "Mr. Kondateman Web"
(4) Target Menu Type: Regular meals only (standard meal type that does not require special restrictions or adjustments) (Note 4)
Note 4) Functional updates are planned periodically after sales commencement. Automation for specialized diet meals is also under consideration for implementation.
(5) Target Facilities: Elderly care facilities, kindergartens, nurseries
(6) Sales Price: Service usage fee (reference selling price) 5,467 JPY/month per facility (incl. tax) (Note 5)
Note 5) SaaS is exempt from reduced tax rates (4,970 JPY excluding tax). Separate fees for "Mr. Kondateman Web" usage and initial setup support are required.
(7) Sales Start Date: May 11, 2026 (Monday) -
Reference
■Kai Technology Co., Ltd. Overview
(1) Company Name: Kai Technology Co., Ltd.
(2) Location: Okiido Chosha 6F, 87 Naitōmachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
(3) Established: December 17, 2015 (Predecessor Withsoft Co., Ltd. established March 29, 1990)
(4) Representative: Hitomi Hara
(5) Business Description: System development business, Package software development and sales business
(6) Number of Employees: 379 (Group total as of August 2025)
(7) Homepage: https://chitech.co.jp/
■Kai Technology Co., Ltd. Press Release May 11, 2026
Recently, the school lunch industry has been facing chronic labor shortages, with high workload on registered dietitians being a significant challenge, especially in menu creation, which is largely manual. Against this backdrop, Ajinomoto and Kai Technology have been promoting the demonstration experiment of 'AI Menu Planner' since July 2025 (Note 1), a service characterized by its ability to automatically generate menus that meet conditions set by registered dietitians, aiming to simplify and streamline operations and reduce workload through the introduction of digital technology. The experiments, conducted in collaboration with registered dietitians and nutritionists working in actual school lunch facilities, confirmed the service's benefits in reducing the workload for menu creators at these facilities, such as standardizing nutrient content, leveling and suppressing costs, and selecting/modifying dishes to improve menu quality. Some reports even indicate a significant reduction of approximately 70% in menu creation workload (Note 2).
Note 1) Kai Technology led the initiative, with five school lunch operating companies participating.
Note 2) Source: From the website of Ars Co., Ltd., one of the participating companies mentioned in Note 1: "Participated in a demonstration experiment for AI-driven menu creation."
For the commercial version of 'AI Menu Planner' now being released, functionalities have been expanded based on the insights gained from the demonstration experiments. Specifically, these include an AI automatic menu generation function that can create menus ranging from one meal to three meals a day, for up to several months, tailored to the rules of each school lunch facility; flexible customization and improved intuitive operability achieved through our proprietary algorithms and GUI; and high versatility as a SaaS (Note 3). Additionally, convenient features (Figures 1, 2) requested by menu creators during the demonstration experiments have been added, and further support for reducing workload is anticipated.
These features aim to alleviate the menu creation workload for creators, thereby supporting the creation of an environment and time for them to engage in other tasks.
Note 3) Software as a Service that supports school lunch management and menu creation.
Regarding the deployment of this service, Kai Technology plans to initially promote its introduction to the five school lunch operating companies that participated in the demonstration experiment, as an linked function of its nutrition and school lunch management software 'Mr. Kondateman Web.' Subsequently, sales will gradually expand to other school lunch operating companies. Furthermore, with an eye on future overseas expansion, validation is underway to collaborate with some overseas affiliates of the Ajinomoto Group.
In line with our purpose to "Contribute to the well-being of people, society, and the Earth through AminoScience®," we will continue to develop products and services that address societal and individual food challenges, and strive to spread them to a wider range of people, including expanding digital touchpoints through collaboration.
Service Overview
(1) Product Name: AI Menu Planner powered by Ajinomoto Co.
(2) Target Sales Country: Japan
(3) Provision Format: Provided as a linked function of "Mr. Kondateman Web"
(4) Target Menu Type: Regular meals only (standard meal type that does not require special restrictions or adjustments) (Note 4)
Note 4) Functional updates are planned periodically after sales commencement. Automation for specialized diet meals is also under consideration for implementation.
(5) Target Facilities: Elderly care facilities, kindergartens, nurseries
(6) Sales Price: Service usage fee (reference selling price) 5,467 JPY/month per facility (incl. tax) (Note 5)
Note 5) SaaS is exempt from reduced tax rates (4,970 JPY excluding tax). Separate fees for "Mr. Kondateman Web" usage and initial setup support are required.
(7) Sales Start Date: May 11, 2026 (Monday) -
Reference
■Kai Technology Co., Ltd. Overview
(1) Company Name: Kai Technology Co., Ltd.
(2) Location: Okiido Chosha 6F, 87 Naitōmachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
(3) Established: December 17, 2015 (Predecessor Withsoft Co., Ltd. established March 29, 1990)
(4) Representative: Hitomi Hara
(5) Business Description: System development business, Package software development and sales business
(6) Number of Employees: 379 (Group total as of August 2025)
(7) Homepage: https://chitech.co.jp/
■Kai Technology Co., Ltd. Press Release May 11, 2026