LSN : News : Thought-starter: Are we ready to buy digital art?

Munchies masters the art of cooking with cannabis

Bong Appetit, US

US – The Vice-owned media company has launched Bong Appétit, a cannabis cookbook that features a range of high-end recipes.

The cookbook was inspired by Viceland’s tv show of the same name, which throws elaborate marijuana dinner parties. While the act of cooking with the substance has often been associated with college students and weed brownies, Bong Appétit aims to showcase myriad more sophisticated recipes, from cannabis-inflected blackened shrimp cocktail to after-dinner mint gummies.

In order to provide education on cannabis dosage and pairing flavours, Munchies consulted with chefs and experts, and also features a guide on the science of infusing cannabis, encouraging home cooks to take an experimental approach.

As legal restrictions loosen, brands are approaching cannabis through a more mature lens. While drinks brands have been quick to embrace Alternative Intoxication, food brands have been slow to seize the opportunity.

Deodorant gets an eco-friendly new look

Myro, US

New York – Myro is a plant-based deodorant brand that uses 50% less plastic than disposable alternatives.

The new packaging, which was designed by studio Visibility, is designed to be reused multiple times. When the deodorant runs out, the user can keep the case, which pops open automatically, and plug in a new fully recyclable pod. The deodorants themselves are plant-based and contain 99% natural ingredients.

Available online, Myro’s offering is simplified, with just five gender-neutral scents available: Solar Flare, Big Dipper, Cabin No. 5, Pillow Talk and Chill Wave. Myro is also available through a subscription model, charging $10 (£7.67, €8.68) for a starter pack and each refill, which are delivered quarterly.

In our macrotrend Post-growth Society, we discuss how brands must implement more eco-friendly practices and challenge the unsustainable way products are traditionally designed.

Walmart will use blockchain to track its vegetables

US – The retailer will soon require grocery chain suppliers to submit data to the blockchain.

In response to the recent outbreak of E. coli infections traced back to romaine lettuce, Walmart wants to use blockchain to keep tabs on its food products from farm to shelf. Last week, the retailer announced that its suppliers of salad products will have to join IBM’s blockchain network by September 2019.

According to the brand, Walmart’s vision is that any customer can scan their vegetables at a self-checkout and discover its exact journey to the store, including where it was harvested and distributed.

Although Walmart has already been experimenting with this technology – a recent pilot program found that blockchain could reduce tracking time to mere seconds – the announcement marks the first time a retailer has implemented strict regulations to its suppliers. To discover more about how technology is being used in the world of food and drink, book a ticket to our upcoming Futures Forum.

Dinnerly

The world’s longest flight will offer a wellness menu

Singapore Airlines and Canyon Ranch

Singapore – Singapore Airlines has consulted with nutrition and health experts to improve the wellbeing of ultra-long-haul fliers.

The 18-hour 45-minute flight from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Changi Airport in Singapore will be the longest nonstop journey in the world when it launches on October 12. To prepare fliers for the experience, the airline is working with wellness brand Canyon Ranch to offer meals, stretching routines and sleep and lighting strategies.

The food menu uses ingredients that aim to keep passengers hydrated, such as prawn ceviche with oranges, cucumber and grapefruit, and seared organic chicken with zucchini and tomatoes.

With issues such as stress, fatigue and jet lag affecting long-haul fliers, airlines must become more stringent in addressing the wellbeing of their customers. To see how travel brands are turning their attention to sleep, read our microtrend.

Stat: Emerging youth are positive for the future

Young people in developing nations are more optimistic about their future than their Western counterparts, according to a new survey by Ipsos and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More than nine in 10 teenagers in Kenya, Mexico, China, Nigeria and India said they felt positive about their future, while the most pessimistic nations were France and Sweden.

According to Michael Birkjaer, an analyst for the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark, the discrepancy can be linked to a loneliness epidemic in the West. ‘Young people [in the west] are faced with these stories of millennials being the first generation not to do better than their parents and there’s perhaps an emerging, collective perception in the developed countries of scarcity of opportunities,’ he told the Guardian.

Visit LS:N Global’s Youth sector to see the full selection of our Emerging Youth reports.

Thought-starter: Are we ready to buy digital art?

Rob Anders, the co-founder and CEO of digital art platform Niio, discusses making digital works more accessible, and why retail spaces are ripe for an art-driven revamp.

Niio is a technology company that aims to make digital artworks widely accessible. ‘We are the first platform to provide a home for any different type of art professional who wants to store, share or control digital artworks,’ says Anders. ‘We have private individuals or collectors, or those that have commercial locations that host artists such as galleries, offices, hotels, health environments or Soho House-style locations.’

Anders believes it’s high time we embrace digital art as a medium of our generation. ‘The digital medium not only has the ability to reach a broader audience by virtue of it being digital, but it also resonates with the widest audience. Whether you’re targeting kids or people that don’t go to museums and galleries, if you put something digital in front of them they’re already more comfortable than if they are presented with a painting or a traditional work, where there is this whole notion of exclusivity and scarcity. When it's digital or interactive, there’s already a starting point.’

Read the full Q&A here.