Need to Know
14 : 06 : 23

UK – To celebrate World Infertility Awareness Month, British diagnostic tests and medical devices specialist Newfoundland has launched the fastest and most affordable home fertility test, available at Tesco and Amazon. Retailing for £12.49 ($15.70, €14.50), the test assesses low or normal sperm count levels with 98.2% accuracy in just five minutes.

In the comfort and intimacy of their own home, users will place a semen sample onto a test cassette via a pipette, similar to the Covid lateral flow test process. After a few minutes, results will be shown with two lines indicating a normal sperm count of 15m sperm per ml of semen or one line revealing a below-normal sperm count.

Ovulation tests for women will also be available, but the one dedicated to men’s fertility is defined as the cheapest on the market and will help debunk stigmas around male infertility. ‘We want to provide people with the opportunity and knowledge to know as much about their fertility health, as currently, it can take over a year of trying to conceive before the NHS begins testing your fertility,’ says Frederick Manduca, co-founder and managing director of Newfoundland. ‘Our new male fertility test will give men the opportunity to understand more about their fertility and seek the right medical advice if needed.’

As analysed in our Fertility Market: The New Cycle report, a candid new conversation is taking place about fertility and now includes male perspectives, LGBTQ+ families and a rising number of women who don’t want to have kids.

Germany – Berlin-based start-up BettaF!sh (pronounced Betterfish) has developed Tu-Nah, a vegan tuna substitute in a can. This alternative product is completely plant-based, rich in protein and does not contain soy or wheat.

The alternative seafood company introduced Tu-Nah on World Ocean Day before sharing its latest data on sustainability efforts. Since the launch of its Tu-Nah sandwiches in 2021, BettaF!sh has served 62.2 tons of Tu-Nah, which it says spared 122 tons of conventional tuna from being removed from oceans, avoiding 124 tons of by-catch.

BettaF!sh has also actively contributed to sustainability through seaweed cultivation in collaboration with local farms in Norway and Ireland. As a result, the company has absorbed 1.32 tons of CO2 and conserved 1.25m litres of fresh water.

BettaF!sh is targeting the lucrative £33bn ($42bn, €39bn) tuna market with its innovative Tu-Nah products (source: Fortune Business Insights). The move comes at a time when the sustainability of global fishery resources is facing significant challenges and eco-anxiety among consumers is increasing. There is a growing demand for food companies to take bold steps in offering sustainable seafood alternatives.

US – A new survey released in April 2023 by content agency EnTribe shows that American consumers are dramatically losing faith in social media influencers. Of 1,000 American consumers aged 18–60+ polled, 81% said a brand’s use of influencers has either no effect or a negative impact on their perception of that brand. The lack of trust also affects how consumers use social media, as 51% admitted to scrolling past influencers’ posts.

This lack of popularity could have a big impact on influencer-generated advertising. Nearly half of the respondents (42%) who have bought a product endorsed by an influencer admitted to regretting the purchase. Another 62% of respondents revealed that they have never purchased a product promoted by an influencer at all.

In The Rise of the Expert Influencer, we analysed how as users seek transparency, trust and intention on Instagram, a new wave of content-creators are emerging as influencers full of professional acumen, life wisdom and a meaningful message to share. These are moving away from the aspirational Insta-perfect influencers who rose to fame in the 2010s.