LSN : News : Need to know 23 : 11 : 17

1. Fictional restaurant highlights food’s environmental impact

Ratio by The Future Laboratory, London. Photography by Dan Weill

An integral part of any of The Future Laboratory’s forums are the creative activations that accompany the trends. At this year’s Food and Drink Futures Forum the team presented Ratio, a dining experience that emphasised the various factors affecting the sustainability of different food and drink options.

Drawing on the thinking featured in our report on Educated Eating, guests were presented on arrival with a menu containing a selection of drink and dessert options individually marked with an environmental score, which had been derived from four metrics. People were invited to choose four options that fell within their designated 100 socio-environmental impact points.

As consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental effects of their actions, they will increasingly expect brands to help them make more informed choices.

2. Consumers increasingly champion food’s medicinal value

LS:N Global case study Pandora Symes. Film by James Maiki

One speaker at the event, Dr Rupy Aujla, discussed the growing interest in using food as medicine and how consumers are increasingly adopting a more holistic approach to wellbeing. Rejecting fad diets and quick-fix solutions, this group of hyper-educated consumers view healthy eating as an essential element in ensuring overall health.

As part of LS:N Global’s exploration of different consumer mindsets, we identified The Upstreamists, a tribe of consumers who believe that every food choice they make has a direct impact on their body.

‘I am very conscious of what I eat in terms of how I treat certain conditions,’ says dietician Lilian Correa and an Upstreamist tribe member.

3. MOT Mag helps to change the dialogue on veganism

MOT Mag by Ministry of Tomorrow, Los Angeles

Los Angeles – MOT Mag is a vegan lifestyle magazine that creates a new visual identity for consumers who wish to make more responsible consumption choices. The online magazine offers a new visual identity that diverges from the traditional eco-warrior approach and instead highlights ethical issues through a more provocative lens. Launched by eco-fashion brand Ministry of Tomorrow, MOT Mag is aimed at a younger audience of ‘people who are educated, individualistic, and crave authentic and meaningful life experience’.

Covering a range of topics and themes, from high fashion to profiling whistleblowers and activists, as well as touching on spirituality and music, the magazine has been designed to cover topics that don’t usually receive much mainstream media attention.

4. A growing number of consumers are eating more sustainably

LS:N Global case study Flemming Hansen. Film by Tue Blichfeldt, edited by James Maiki

In light of a growing collective consciousness about the detrimental effect of certain food choices on the environment, LS:N Global is highlighting the consumers that are choosing to eat in a way that they know limits their impact.

For this group of Low-impact Eaters, their interest in ethical eating is intertwined with a love of new and exciting flavours, and they are looking for products that can cater equally for both of these needs.

This food tribe of Low-impact Eaters is looking for a transparent approach to food labelling to avoid the confusion that often permeates the conscious food market, as people struggle to ascertain whether terms such as ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ are indeed synonymous with sustainable.

5. Libeeration helps alleviate the symptoms of menopause

Libeeration by The Portsmouth Brewery, US

Portsmouth, US – The Portsmouth Brewery has launched Libeeration, a new gruit – a type of beer flavoured with herbs – designed to lessen the symptoms associated with the menopause. Co-founder Joanne Francis explains that traditionally beer has been a male-dominated industry and the brand wanted to target this often under-represented demographic.

The drink contains ingredients such as motherwort, lemon balm, chamomile and stinging nettle, all of which help to support the hormonal changes that occur during the menopause.

‘After consulting with women health practitioners and herbalists, our team came up with ingredients believed to relieve symptoms such as sleeplessness, hot flushes and mood swings,’ says Francis. ‘We want to shift the mentality from focusing on the negative aspects of this stage in life to celebrating the liberating aspects.’

6. Thought-starter: Why should brands help people eat sustainably?

Insight editor Daniela Walker explores why we are entering an era of Educated Eating, when businesses must be proactive and educate consumers on how they can make their diets more sustainable.

In recent years sustainability and transparency have become key business imperatives for brands in a variety of industries. Consumers increasingly want to know more about the products they buy, from their provenance to their impact on the planet.

But despite the fact that more consumers are seeking out organic food and meat from grass-fed animals there is still much work to be done to ensure that their consumption habits are in line with their good intentions. Many do not know about or fully understand the complex supply chain behind the food and drink products in their refrigerators and kitchen cupboards.

‘Consumers are largely ignorant of just how many ticking time bombs there are within the food system,’ says Dr Pamela Mason, nutritionist and co-author of Sustainable Diets.

As the global shift towards health and wellness raises consumers’ awareness of provenance, ingredients and processes, big brands and small start-ups alike must take action.

For more on the special feature, Educated Eating, contact us about an in-house presentation.