News 02.12.2022

Need to Know

Climate-resilient homes for wellbeing in Tanzania, FDA approves first lab-grown cultivated meat and China’s outdoor sport industry to surpass £348bn.

Climate-resilient homes for wellbeing in Tanzania

Star Homes by Ingvartsen architects. Photography by Julien Lanoo, Africa
Star Homes by Ingvartsen architects. Photography by Julien Lanoo, Africa
Star Homes by Ingvartsen architects. Photography by Julien Lanoo, Africa

Tanzania – Can more considered housing improve family health? It’s a question being answered by The Star Homes Project, which consists of 110 identical, single-family structures built throughout 60 villages in rural Mtwara, one of the more underdeveloped regions of the country.

‘To our knowledge, it is the first time that a new house has been used as a unit of randomisation in a clinical trial,’ say the global multidisciplinary team behind the project.

In development for over a decade, the project will explore ways to develop novel, low-cost, comfortable and insect-proof housing to enhance the health of people in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa – often with a high incidence of malaria, respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea. These houses form the basis of a trial, which aims to provide robust data to show whether improved housing can improve family health.

‘In the long term, we hope that elements of the [house’s] design, such as elevated screened bedrooms, will find broader uptake and integration in the millions of new houses required for the rapidly growing population of Africa.’

Uncover more insights about domestic design in our Home & Family Series while we delve into sustainable building in our Sustainability and Climate Crisis Series.

Strategic opportunity

Improving health via spatial design should be a universal goal yet this project highlights how even the simplest of innovations can have a massive impact on human wellness for some of the poorest on our planet.

FDA approves first lab-grown cultivated meat

US – Although the concept of lab-grown meat is not new, it has not made the jump into commercial availability in our grocery stores – until now. Berkeley, California-based Upside Foods has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its lab-grown meats are safe to eat.

‘This is a big moment for the future of food,’ says Upside COO Amy Chen, adding that the company plans to launch its lab-grown chicken first in restaurants. It is also developing other lab-foods including duck, beef, lobster and scallops.

Cultivated meat is getting closer to hitting our plates and with significant supply, cost and environmental challenges facing the food and drinks sector, as detailed in our Adaptive Appetites macrotrend, the tipping point for consumer acceptance could be approaching sooner rather than later.

Future Farm is creating plant-based protein that captures the taste and texture of real meat, Brazil

Strategic opportunity

The opportunities are initially in the restaurant sector, which will be the first to feature cultivated meats both as a novelty and as an introduction to the consumer palate, as we detail in our SavorEat profile

China’s outdoor sports industry to surpass £348bn

Particle Fever campaign, Shanghai Particle Fever campaign, Shanghai

China – By 2025, the total size of the country’s outdoor sports industry is expected to surpass £348bn (Rmb3 trillion, $426bn, €406.6bn) – that’s according to a development plan recently released by the country's General Administration of Sport.

Huang Haidong, a senior researcher at Chinese fitness platform Keep, told China People’s Daily: ‘While growing stronger, we have also witnessed the meteoric rise of China's sports industry.’ Keep has seen its revenue increase from £35m (Rmb300m, $42.6m, €40.6m) to £93m (Rmb800m, $113.6m, €108m) in the past five years.

Outdoor sports, including camping, cycling and running, have become increasingly popular among Chinese people. Mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, canoeing and paragliding have also flourished – an array of sports that have brought with them new product ranges in the Chinese market. Now, these new Chinese outdoor sports enthusiasts are looking for more social interactions with their leisure pursuits, according to China People's Daily, with the country seeing an opportunity to promote natural resources, nurture enterprises to produce more specialist products and incorporate the sector into the digital world.

You can explore more global insights and opportunities in our Markets coverage.

Strategic opportunity

The number of people participating in outdoor sports in China exceeded 400m by the end of 2021, according to China People’s Daily, so look to the opportunities for brands and businesses across multiple sectors in this area of growth

Previous News Articles
Ad uses dark humour to campaign against pension funds investing in fossil fuels

News

Ad uses dark humour to campaign against pension funds investing in fossil fuels

Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman has taken on the role of Oblivia Coalmine, a latex-clad oil executive, in a campaign video by Make My M...
Sustainability : Media : Pop Culture
One Good Thing introduces wrapper-free snack bars with edible coating

News

One Good Thing introduces wrapper-free snack bars with edible coating

Sustainable food and drink start-up One Good Thing (OGT) is making waves with its innovative approach to snack packaging.
Sustainability : Food & Drink : Alternative Packaging
Foresight Friday: Marta Indeka, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Marta Indeka, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, s...
Foresight
Stat: Young consumers are being scammed by ‘dupe’ products on social media

News

Stat: Young consumers are being scammed by ‘dupe’ products on social media

A Trustpilot study of 1,000 US Gen Z and Millennial adult social media users has found that 49% of consumers were scammed following the purchase of...
Fashion : Retail : Ecommerce
LS:N Global’s latest report Future Five unpacks topics of tomorrow

News

LS:N Global’s latest report Future Five unpacks topics of tomorrow

The Future Laboratory’s trends intelligence and foresight platform LS:N Global has launched its latest report, Future Five 2024, a trend briefing d...
Foresight : Report : Future Five
New hybrid protein blends mycelium with lab-grown meat

News

New hybrid protein blends mycelium with lab-grown meat

Mushrooms are commonly used as a meat alternative in vegetarian recipes and now cellular agriculture start-up CellX is taking this idea further, in...
Food : Drink : Meat
Vogue Business hosts first ever Fashion Futures event

News

Vogue Business hosts first ever Fashion Futures event

The inaugural Vogue Business Fashion Futures event, held at The Design Museum in London on 28 November, brought together brand executives, start-up...
Fashion : Vogue : Vogue Business
Stat: Bumble forecasts value-based dating and emotional intimacy in 2024

News

Stat: Bumble forecasts value-based dating and emotional intimacy in 2024

Dating app Bumble is gearing up for 2024 with fresh insights into evolving dating trends.
Youth : Society : Pop Culture
Project Yellow Canteen uses yellow paint to repel flies

News

Project Yellow Canteen uses yellow paint to repel flies

If colour in living spaces can positively affect mental health, Project Yellow Canteen in Indonesia shows that savvy use of colour can improve phys...
Design : Health : Youth
Thai spa launches Blue Zone-inspired longevity retreat

News

Thai spa launches Blue Zone-inspired longevity retreat

Kamalaya, a holistic spa and wellness sanctuary on Koh Samui in Thailand, is launching a Blue Zone group wellness retreat for guests to discover th...
Travel : Hospitality : Longevity
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more