NSG Group's Nihon Food Link and Niigata Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Launch "Meally," an AI Menu Planning Cloud Service for the School Meal Industry

NSG Group's Nihon Food Link Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Representative Director: Masaki Saito) and Niigata Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Representative Director: Tatsuya Kuroda) will begin sales of "Meally," a cloud-based support service jointly developed to solve issues in the school meal industry, on Monday, May 18, 2026 (patent pending).

In recent years, in addition to chronic labor shortages in the school meal industry, the conditions required for menu creation have become more sophisticated and complex, including nutritional balance, allergy support, and cost management due to rising food ingredient prices. In such circumstances, menu creation tasks place a significant burden on registered dietitians, contributing to work specialization and long working hours. This service implements AI in a practical way, based on on-site data and operational know-how accumulated by Nihon Food Link, which has been operating school meal services for approximately 20 years.

Service Overview

Service Name: Meally Launch Date: Monday, May 18, 2026 Delivery Method: Cloud service Target: Contract school meal companies, childcare facilities, welfare facilities, etc. Developed by: Nihon Food Link Co., Ltd., Niigata Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Co., Ltd.

URL: https://j-foodrink.co.jp/meally

[Image Impression]

Figure 1: Menu creation screen based on user instructions Figure 2: Dashboard screen for nutritional value, price, etc. Figure 3: Constraint checking screen for menu generation

Features of "Meally"

### ① "Field-originated" AI system led by a school meal company

Developed based on data and operational know-how accumulated over many years in the school meal business. The design is adapted to the actual work conditions on site, realizing an AI system that can be practically utilized. Furthermore, it specializes in menu creation and can be used in conjunction with existing nutritional management software, allowing for smooth introduction without changing existing workflows.

### ② Significantly reduces the burden of menu creation tasks

AI creates a base draft of the menu, streamlining the menu creation process that previously took a long time. This supports the reduction of working hours and improvement of operational efficiency on site.

### ③ Eliminates reliance on specific individuals and achieves stable operations

A system that does not depend on the skills of specific personnel enables consistent quality menu creation, regardless of who is in charge. It is easy to handle handovers and personnel changes, supporting the establishment of a stable operational system.

### ④ Optimal menu creation through collaboration between AI and dietitians

AI proposes menus, and dietitians are responsible for final judgment and adjustments, reducing their burden while achieving high-quality menu creation. Operations can leverage on-site judgment.

### ⑤ Cloud service that is easy to integrate into existing operations

Designed to be easily introduced into existing workflows, requiring no special equipment or system modifications.

Future Outlook

Going forward, we will promote its introduction to contract school meal companies nationwide, as well as childcare facilities, welfare facilities, and more. Through continuous improvement based on operations at implementing facilities, we aim to further enhance practicality and operability.

Furthermore, by reflecting usage data and feedback from the field, we will promote optimization according to the conditions and needs of each facility, and also work towards standardizing menu creation tasks.

In the future, we aim to position this system as one of the foundations in the school meal industry, contributing to solving issues such as labor shortages and operational burdens, establishing a sustainable school meal service provision system, and realizing an environment where dietitians can focus on "tasks only humans can do."

About Nihon Food Link

Nihon Food Link Co., Ltd., established in 1986, is a school meal service company that operates contracted school meal services mainly in Niigata Prefecture, including medical and welfare facilities and schools. With approximately 1,000 employees, it has a track record of providing meals to diverse facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, elementary and junior high schools, and kindergartens.

Under the management philosophy of "Creating health through food," we contribute to the health promotion of the local community through safe, secure, and continuous meal provision.

About Niigata Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

With the concept of "AI that is close to people, regions, and the earth," we develop AI-powered products and support customers in solving problems and making decisions through comprehensive analysis and reporting of various data dormant within companies. We also focus on nurturing AI talent through seminars and collaborative projects with educational institutions such as universities, vocational schools, and academies, as well as educational material development.

About NSG Group

The NSG Group is a corporate group comprising 101 companies that primarily operate in education and medical/welfare/nursing care businesses, and also engage in a wide range of other businesses including health/sports, construction/real estate, food/agriculture, trading, advertising agencies, ICT, hotels, apparel, beauty, human resources services, and entertainment.