fringestream: food (quick read)
TRANSCRIPT
2THE SOUND
FRINGESTREAM: FOOD
“The outlook for the center of the store [where processed food is stocked] is so glum that industry insiders have begun to refer
to that space as the morgue.”
–The New York Times
FRINGESTREAM: FOOD
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What happens when fragmentation, diversity and the choice to live differently becomes the new normal?
In FringeStream Food, The Sound recognizes the simultaneous celebration of food culture and turmoil of traditional food systems. Our aim is to help think beyond the diminishing appetite for convenience and over-processing to see the opportunities empowered groups are creating for food of the future.
Appetite for Conviction
In sobering headlines, obesity and diabetes are being called food-related epidemics…
Many Boomers and Gen X have handed off meal preparation to the food industry because they are ‘too
busy’ to cook…
Globalization gives us mind-boggling choices of what to eat…
Middle and upper income consumers are buying fresh, local food and supporting smaller, sustainable brands…
...but when “Butter is Back!” but “Bacon Causes Cancer,” knowing what’s ‘good food’ is more confusing than ever.
...but they now lack the skills to prepare a meal or teach their kids how to cook.
...but we’ve dumbed down ‘kid food’ to the most banal and narrow set of options.
…but lower income households have to choose between buying healthy food and going hungry.
THE FOOD PARADOX
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MASS CONFUSIONin the Biggest Industry in the World
What is it?
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…FRINGE CONVICTIONNew Ways of Eating
If you look closely, groups on the Fringe are demonstrating absolute conviction about new ways of
eating. Read on and we’ll explore the wild and wonderful, the complex and controversial food
revolution through our Five Fringe Trends. While some of these examples may address multiple trends, they
all exhibit a commitment to doing things differently for the benefit of self, family, community, animals, the
planet...and perhaps all of the above.
The Outcome
LIVING OFF THE GRID
POSITIVE TRIBALISM
FALLOUT FAMILIES
NEW SPIRITUALITY
LESS IS MORE
OUR FIVE FRINGESTREAM
TRENDS
MEATY QUESTIONS
One of the biggest fringe movements is a shift to plant-based alternatives. Whether part time
Vegetarian or full time Vegan, people are questioning the impact of animal agriculture on
their bodies and the environment, and reducing the amount of animal based food they eat.
APPETITE FOR ABUNDANCE
Given dire global water shortages, a growing group is replacing the resource-intensive food in their diet
with foods in abundance, such as insects and seaweed. The nori seaweed snack category is
growing by about thirty per cent each year, with sales for 2014 as high as $500 million. Look for
dulse and kelp next.
INTO THE WILD
Some are willing to take even more extreme measures to reduce reliance on ‘Big Food’ by
foraging or learning to hunt for their own food.
Wild mushrooms, nettles, heritage fruit, and game are examples of wild food modern hunters and
gatherers are after.
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RUNNING LOWPeople are looking to New Plentiful Food Sources that don’t rely on the Industrial Food ‘Grid’
Off the Grid
ONE TWIST SHUTS DOWN
SERIOUS NEED FOR A RECONNECT
The double-edged sword of tech has left us more connected to others yet somehow further apart. We
know more about our world than ever before, yet struggle to make and keep meaningful relationships
within it. People are drawing from other cultures that foster a more collectivist approach to food.
BRINGING STRANGERS TOGETHER
On a local scale, community based farmers’ markets foster relationships between growers and local buyers, and restaurants are creating communal
tables for shared dining experiences. On a global scale, companies like Feastly connect chefs with
food enthusiasts and diners everywhere.
USING FOOD FOR GOOD
As choices multiply, people increasingly choose to purchase foods that do good for others as well as
themselves.
Tech-enabled platforms allow restaurant goers to give a meal, while they get a meal.
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ONE BIG TABLEFar from Just a Necessity, food is serving as a Catalyst to Connect and Empathize with Others in Authentic and Meaningful Ways
Positive Collectivism
KIDS AS TEACHERS
While older generations have let go of all but a handful of cooking competencies, kids today (a.k.a. Gen Edge) have strong values leading them back to
the kitchen - ingenuity, creativity, self-reliance. Combined with increasing priority on food education by not-for-profits and EU governments, kids are more likely to be the ones showing older generations how
it’s done.
FOODIE FATHERS
Today, fathers are increasingly defining their status by their culinary ability (beyond the barbecue) and
taking on greater responsibility in teaching their kids to cook.
BOOMER MEDICINE
While Boomers drove the rise of convenience foods in the ’70-80s, some are returning to scratch cooking for their health. Medical students in the US are being taught to cook by chefs, to help advise aging patients
to use food as medicine.
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LOOK WHO’S COOKING NOW!Most of the mainstream still seems to believe if you have time to cook, you must be a loser. But on the fringe, barriers to cooking are breaking down
Fallout Families
In our secular societies, food serves as a form of religious or cultural identity for fringe cultures, whereby beliefs go beyond scientific proof of benefits or even visible markers of health.
Some Vegans believe that eating a plant-based diet purifies the soul and reduces negative feelings in themselves and violence in society.
‘Fermentos’ fervently believe in the power of live gut bacteria for physical and mental health, and in the centuries-old traditions of eating fermented food rich in ‘good bacteria.’
HOW WE EAT MATTERS, TOO
As digital connectivity becomes increasingly pervasive every moment of our lives, food experiences such as ‘wifi free cafes’ and
‘solo dining restaurants’ are emerging to enforce moments of solitude and reflection.
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WANT OHM WITH THAT?Fringe Groups are Finding Personal and Spiritual Guidance through Food
Modern Spirituality
“I look forward to encouraging Londoners to
reassess their routine, taking a moment to disconnect from our hyper connected society and enjoy the ‘now’ that is
vital to our wellbeing.” –Marina Van Goor
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YIMBY (YES IN MY BACK YARD)Fringe Groups are Happily Narrowing Their Set of Choices to Local and Seasonal
Less is More
L IS FOR LOCAVORE
Farm to Table restaurants and local produce are increasingly becoming the choice to reduce the negative
environmental impact of globalized food and transportation systems.
While it means there are fewer food options, especially in winter, this ‘challenge’ is celebrated by fringe cultures as a way to combat the “Omnivore’s Dilemma” - what to
eat when you CAN eat almost anything.
GREEN THUMBS GOING GANGBUSTERS
Fuelled by community garden support, urban-specific gardening tools, and apps to manage garden maintenance, growing your own food
garden may not be fringe for long.
FOOD WASTE
The makers of Just Eat It, a documentary about food waste, pledged to survive for a year only on foods
that would otherwise be thrown away. Knowing 1/3 of all human food is wasted, while a billion people
go hungry, is generating a fringe revolution.
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WHAT FRINGESTREAM FOOD MEANS FOR BRANDS
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“Not enough is happening on the fringes of food.”
– Jed Grieve, Owner, Cook Culture store & cooking school
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BRANDS NEED TO BE BOLDFew mainstream brands have been brave enough to address the fringe trends changing the nature of our relationship with food from individualist to more systems-focused. Consider taking inspiration from these examples to be the change ‘FringeFoodies’ are calling for.
#REALSCHOOLFOOD Litehouse Dressing
To create an improved ranch dressing, the number one flavor sold in schools, Litehouse and Chef Ann Foundation
crafted a New Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing that has no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, and no preservatives. The ranch is Gluten-Free Certified, is made with Greek
yogurt, and contains no sugar.
Litehouse will Donate 1% of sales of the product to the Chef Ann Foundation, whose mission is to provide healthier
lunch options in schools for children.
DOUGH-NATION Panera Bread Like most cafes, Panera Bread serves fresh baked goods to its customers daily, meaning all unsold items need to be discarded at closing time. Rather than toss perfectly
edible bagels, breads and desserts into the trash, Panera Bread sends these items to local nonprofits — as it has
done since its inception. Through the company’s Day-End Dough-Nation program, Panera bakery-cafes donate
approximately $100 million worth of unsold bread and baked goods every year.
JAMIE OLIVER LINE Sobeys As an advocate for change and a promoter of better food
internationally, Canadian grocery retailer Sobeys has engaged Jamie Oliver to champion enhanced food
knowledge and cooking skills for Canadians. Sobeys also sells a line of Jamie Oliver branded products that includes
pasta, olive olive, seasonings, and meats.
Brand and Advertising Implications
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ANSWER THE CALL
With experts predicting the mainstream is just going to getting ‘lazier, fatter, and sicker,’ the opportunity space for brands to tap into these counter culture food trends in 2016 is wide open.
We get how scary these big changes might seem...but what’s scarier is that the time for small changes, like removing artificial coloring or flavors, may have passed. In our FringeSteam Series, we like to say ‘The Mainstream is Dead’ to be provocative...but in the case of food it’s closer to the truth.
Who will dare to answer the call from the fringes? Get in touch at [email protected] for more information or a presentation!
Brand and Advertising Implications
V A N C O U V E R | N E W Y O R K | L O N D O N | T O R O N T O | C H I C A G O | M U M B A I
W W W . T H E S O U N D H Q . C O M
SOURCE REFERENCES
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http://time.com/4087935/cancer-meat-bacon/ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/opinion/bittman-butter-is-back.html http://www.fastcompany.com/3046685/most-creative-people/the-5-billion-battle-for-the-american-dinner-plate http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3128188/TWO-THIRDS-modern-mums-haven-t-got-time-cook-dads-making-food-ever.html http://time.com/3482452/future-of-food/
6http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/a-new-leaf http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Markets/Vegan-is-going-mainstream-trend-data-suggests http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-pukel/2015-predictions-from-veg_b_6501284.html
7http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/a-new-leaf https://eatfeastly.com http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-technology-family-dinner_56439058e4b045bf3ded67c0
8http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/the-modern-dad-rocks-it-in-the-kitchen.html http://time.com/3482452/future-of-food/ http://qz.com/545110/the-future-of-medicine-is-food/?utm_content=buffer63a2b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
9 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25644903 Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, Michael Pollan, 2013
10http://www.foodwastemovie.com http://time.com/3482452/future-of-food/ http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/infographic/en/
IMAGE REFERENCES
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1 http://batsbazaar.blogspot.ca/2012/12/daylesford-organic-farm-cooking-school.html
4 http://cdn-image.foodandwine.com/sites/default/files/styles/550x550/public/HD-201406-r-campfire-bacon-with-maple-citrus-glaze.jpg?itok=pLMU1ggH
6https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/08/25/fda-just-mayo-isnt-mayonnaise-because-it-isnt-made-with-eggs/ http://blog.molliestones.com/post/63564969924/introducing-oceans-halo-seaweed-chips/ https://twitter.com/eatwildbc
7https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/999309558/foodshare-iphone-app-you-eat-a-meal-we-donate-a-me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D70r7-WIhF8 http://www.allweatherkc.com/blog/dougs-top-tips-keep-home-cozier-winter/
8http://cookculture.com/pages/growing-chefs https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1713513137/dads-that-cook http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Foods-That-Fight-Cancer/dp/0771011369
9http://www.angelahogg.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BHN_SM.jpg http://eenmaal.com/http://ashevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Ashevillage-how-to-make-yogurt-with-Sandor-Katz.jpg
10http://www.mygreenspace.co/ http://batsbazaar.blogspot.ca/2012/12/daylesford-organic-farm-cooking-school.html https://www.sainsburysfoodrescue.co.uk/
13https://www.pinterest.com/ChefAnnFnd/ https://www.panerabread.com/panerabread/article/details/day-end-dough-nation-community-lg.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/day-end-dough-nation-community-lg.desktop.jpeg http://www.randomrepublika.com/2015/02/jamie-olivers-italian-herb-pesto-pasta-sauce/