Need to Know
25 : 03 : 21

Canada – Ikea has launched a collection of recipes that turns leftover food into gourmet dishes, intending to reduce food waste in Canada.

The ScrapBook Cookbook features a series of unique recipes created in collaboration with trained chefs across North America. Creative solutions include recipes that turn coffee grounds into 'French press toast' and old fruit into a 'wilted smoothie'. The cookbook is available to download online for free as a digital e-book and via smartphone app for easy access. The retailer will be posting Instagram livestreams showcasing the chefs cooking with leftover food in a series dubbed #ScrapcookingSundays.

‘In Canada, research tells us that almost two thirds of food scraps that end up as kitchen waste could have been eaten,’ says Johanna Andren, head of marketing at Ikea Canada. ‘Seeing how much waste is created in one of the most important rooms in the home, we set out to inspire Canadians by giving food scraps another look and offering new, creative ways to reduce food waste at home,’ she continues.

Uncover more creative solutions that tackle food waste in our Food Waste Innovation market.

London – The arts centre is inviting people to engage in an interactive online exhibition exploring the history of Black art.

An initiative by Somerset House’s Young Producers Collective – in collaboration with design studio Comuzi – the exhibition allows users to interact virtually with over 16 objects relating to Afro-nowism, Afrofuturism, political arts and disobedient objects. Given the title Decentralise, the digital space draws on materials from Somerset House’s exhibition archive and encourages visitors to create their own artistic creations within the site.

Its aim is to challenge and expand existing ideas around what it means to be Black and British, opening fresh perspectives from people’s personal and collective experiences of this history. Creations designed as part of the programme will also be featured as part of the Decentralise archive – contributing to ongoing research and education within Somerset House’s Anti-Racism Pledge.

Through this collaborative medium, the project is catering to a new generation of Deprogrammers who are using digital tools to liberate themselves from traditional education.

A survey by insights firm NCSolutions reveals pandemic-related changes in behaviour among US consumers.

The research found that some behaviours had increased due to Covid-19. In total, 96% of respondents said they are cleaning and disinfecting their homes as much (55%) or more than (41%) they were pre-pandemic. Looking to the future, almost a third (32%) said they have no plans to go back to their pre-pandemic rates of cleaning. As a result, spending on homecare cleaning products has risen by 36% since the pandemic began.

With Covid-19 pushing consumers’ hygiene concerns to the fore, perhaps the awareness of personal hygiene has manifested into an upswing in household cleaning. In order to stop the spread of Covid-19, US consumers have made cleaning a priority.

As consumers are at home more than ever before, the act of cleaning has never been more relevant. Discover more about the mindful act of cleaning in our Home Cleaning Market.