John Lewis has launched two pop-ups with DNA testing start-up DnaNudge in London, as the retailer looks to help customers make “healthier choices”.

The retailer will be opening DnaNudge pop-ups at its Waitrose Canary Wharf and John Lewis White City stores for three months initially.

DnaNudge allows customers to participate in an in-store DNA test, taken by swabbing the inside of the cheek with a cotton bud.

The sample is then analysed and used to give customers a guide to which food items they should purchase based on their genetic predisposition to a variety of factors such as risk of obesity, high blood pressure or the time it takes to metabolise caffeine, within an hour of the swab.

Customers can access this information by scanning over 500,000 food and drink product barcodes, either through the DnaNudge smartphone app or a wrist-worn DnaBand.

The opening of the two pop-up stores follows on from a clinical trial that Waitrose supported with DnaNudge and Imperial College London.

Nutrition and health manager at Waitrose, Moira Howie said: “Retailers have an important role to play in helping shoppers who want to be healthier, so we are pleased to be teaming up with DnaNudge to offer this new technology which enables customers to make more informed choices based on the dietary aspect of their DNA.”

Customer experience director at John Lewis, Peter Cross said: “We’re always looking for ways to make our customers’ shopping experience more personalised and relevant to them which is why we’re pleased to give them an opportunity to make more informed purchasing decisions based on their own DNA.

“This technology currently helps our customers make healthier decisions about the food they purchase but it could also have the potential to broaden out into categories such as skincare in the future.”

The DNA testing start-up recently opened its first standalone store in London’s Covent Garden