Need to Know
18 : 11 : 19

London – A new range of underwear aims to educate young women about checking their breasts, in order to detect signs of breast cancer.

Breast awareness charity CoppaFeel! has worked with fashion brand Boohoo and creative agency AMV BBDO to create the Life Saving Lingerie collection. Comprising three graphic bras that use different patterns to guide wearers on how to check their breasts, the collection’s release coincides with the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Washing labels inside the bras will also describe the other symptoms for young women to be aware of.

In addition to working with 12 female illustrators on a series of campaign artworks, AMV BBDO has created a 60-second film promoting the bras. ‘We’re really pleased for the opportunity to spread our message with Life Saving Lingerie,’ says Kris Hallenga, founder of CoppaFeel! ‘CoppaFeel! exists to stamp out the late detection of breast cancer by educating young people about their boobs and encourage them to get anything abnormal checked out.’

Earlier this year, Topshop and Topman similarly sought to turn garments into wellbeing manifestos by introducing a series of care labels that encourage wearers to take better care of their mental health.

US – Microbial sciences company Seed is asking consumers to #GiveaShit in the name of global gut health.

The company, which is focused on the future of probiotics, has launched the platform in a bid to build the world’s first and largest database of poop images. It’s calling on members of the public to submit photos of their stools to the platform to support scientific research.

Working with Auggi, short for Augmented Gastroenterology, Seed aims to collate 100,000 images for the purpose of training Auggi’s AI to spot and identify issues with gut health. The companies note that one in five US citizens suffer from gut and intestinal issues, such as Crohn’s disease, IBS and bloating. ‘[We want to] really destigmatise this very important topic that also happens to be a very important data point for our health,’ Ara Katz, co-founder of Seed, tells AdAge.

Consumers’ growing understanding of the impact of gut bacteria on overall health – as well as mental wellbeing – is fuelling this growing sector. For more, explore our Gut Health Market.

A new report from Ketchum outlines growth in how comfortable young consumers feel about consuming foods grown using technology.

Its 2019 Food Tech Consumer Perception Survey asked consumers across the age spectrum whether they would be comfortable to try food grown with technology. Among Generation Z, 77% indicated they are more likely to try a food grown with technology, while 71% are more comfortable overall with the use of technology to grow food than Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers.

According to Ketchum, there is a growing opportunity for food producers and brands to use marketing and communication about the benefits of food technology to elevate products among Generation Z audiences, in particular where they can use scientifically supported facts and insights.

As explored in Uprooted Diets, as societies look to a future of disrupted food production, GMO ingredients shaped by technology will become the norm, with gene editing potentially helping to secure the future of crops or soon-to-be-extinct flavours.