THE FOOD ISSUENovember | 2012

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CONTENT______________________________________________________________________

1 FOOD AS ICON

2 NOT SO FAR-OUT FOOD

3 MICROCUSTOMIZATION

4 LOCAVORE

5 NUTRITION: LEGAL MANDATE

6 THE FLASH FOOD MOVEMENT

7 REJECTION OF THE OVERPROCESSED

8 SENSATIONAL FOOD

9 FOOD HACKING + TRACKING

FOOD AS ICON__________________________________________________________________________________

SITUATIONWe love showing o! our curated lifestyles and have others fawn over our good taste — it has become a fundamental part of posturing and personal storytelling in 2012. The story of food is now a rich narrative, and new tools make it easy for everyday folk to be central to culinary storytelling. Food photography and critiques make this more evident than anything else because our photos and reviews combine many facets of the taste we aspire to. This is an especially interesting phenomenon as it allows the visual nature of food (one often overstylized) to trump taste.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGFor food narratives, take Anthony Bourdain: we lust for his wealth of experience as he travels to the ends of the earth to "nd the best plate of the next hit dish, and so we imitate him, striving to become a connoisseur of the authentic or unique food experiences around us. Intimately describing a meal’s origins and #avors creates the impression that we are cultured and interesting. But this only works if others see it. Maybe it is less about “you are what you eat” and more about “you are what you share.” Our way of showcasing this is through artistic Instagram photography, detailed reviews of service and quality on Yelp, and a combination of the two on Tumblr and other personal blogs.

IMPLICATIONSThe food we eat (and photograph) re#ects our self-identify in a profound way. A photo of New York’s best slice of pizza demonstrates great taste in "nding common food done right. A detailed Yelp review for an Ethiopian restaurant shows our adventurous side and boasts our esoteric knowledge of exotic cuisine. And capturing the intricate assembly of all seventeen courses at one of Boston’s best Japanese restaurants, O Ya, lets our friends and followers see that we are true high-class gastronomic connoisseurs.

NOT SO FAR-OUT FOOD_________________________________________________________________________________________________

SITUATION

Staples and standards in our diet today are predicted to be very di!erent by 2020. As the world’s population continues to grow, demand for food is increasingly nearing our current supply. But, while we deal with shortages and #uctuating food prices, a trend that is somewhat the reverse of Western counter-globalization coupled with technological advances is opening us up to new and often exotic options.

WHAT WE’RE SEEING

IMPLICATIONSNew opportunities may be born out of a need to expand our dietary horizons. Similar to Kopi Luwak (the gourmet co!ee passed through the digestive system of monkeys), can we "nd ways to turn o! the “ick” factor associated with many of these new food alternatives and create a countertrend that embraces new and diverse, albeit unconventional, foods?

SYNTHETICSA NASA initiative,

in vitro meat (test tube meat) is being seen

as the energy e$cient way to fuel

our bodies in the future. Could this be

the new way for McDonald’s to build their burger patties?

FOREIGN ALTERNATIVES As meat prices continue to #uctuate,

p e o p l e a r e i m p o r t i n g d i ve r s e traditional foods from around the world. Colonial paradigms are being reversed as developed nations are looking to developing countries to gain insights into sustainable cuisine.

Grasshoppers, caterpillars, and dung beetles are protein-rich alternatives, so much so that the Dutch government recently invested 1.3 million USD into research and the preparation of laws governing insect farms.

INNOVATIVE FARMING

METHODS As is the case for an

ocean-borne, rapidly growing organism, algae may become more integrated into diets. We are having to look beyond conventional agrarian methods to "nd new frontiers to cultivate food, and sea farming may be the next destination.

MICROCUSTOMIZATION__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SITUATIONThe world is becoming increasingly customized. Though hardly a new trend, with Harley-Davidson, Nike, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola all creating products shaped by consumers’ unique preferences, the trend has been accelerating for the past 15 years and is gaining more and more momentum. Today, we are able to custom design almost anything — user interfaces, vitamins, health bars, and even toothbrushes.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGMicrocustomization satis"es our desire to assert our sense of identity and to exercise control. And to cater to this desire, companies have outsourced some of their product development to the consumer. Unable to keep up with increasingly fragmented consumer tastes and desire to be “in control,” companies have been actively involving the customer in the product development process. As brands relinquish control of their own products and some move to mere service-centric models, who is the new “tastemaker?”

IMPLICATIONSSocial psychology teaches us that more is less. A study showed that when shoppers are given the option of choosing among smaller and larger assortments of jam, they show more interest in the larger assortment. But when it comes time to pick just one, they are 10 times more likely to make a purchase if they choose among six rather than among 24 #avors of jam. This "nding indicates that too many choices can be crippling to both consumers and brands — something that Coca Cola has battled for a while.

Consumers today see a world saturated with choices. In the face of overwhelming options, perhaps there is an opportunity to pare back and simplify.

LOCAVORE_______________________________________________________________________

SITUATIONMass production increasingly makes us uncomfortable, and with the things we buy, we increasingly make an e!ort to be aware of where our purchases come from. We see this with people becoming more and more aware of worker conditions in Chinese factories, for example, but it is most evident in the way we buy food. Though it resembles the farm-to-fork stories of our grandparents, today, there is a heightened desire to know where the food we eat comes from.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGGrocery stores and restaurants now go out of their way to tell us if their food was grown less than 100 miles away. In 2005, when a chef from a kitchen cooperative in Berkeley, California coined the term “locavore,” people placed extra value on food described as “locally-grown.” We feel good about buying local; as a response to globalization, corporate farming practices, and fear of climate change, we maintain our child-like ideals for how farming works, and pride ourselves on paying premium prices at urban farmers’ markets.

An example from home is Bully Boy Distillers, a local Boston distillery that hand-produces its spirits in small batches. Beyond its high quality products, some of Bully Boy’s brand value is inevitably derived from its local Massachusetts origins and native founders, Will and Dave Willis.One way of looking at the increase in value we place on locally grown and raised foods is as an outgrowth of the value we’ve been placing on organic foods for decades.

IMPLICATIONSA con"rmation – through well-labeled packaging or otherwise – that our food came from a small town nearby reinforces a comforting mental picture of happy farmers raising happy animals and crops. Chipotle’s “Back to the start” ad exempli"es a brand (which does not in fact buy locally) using the core imagery of this trend to strengthen its own image as a responsible restaurant chain. Though it has been popularized, buying locally is, for most, an act of “splurging,” and not a rule that all families can live by. One or two locally grown items in the grocery cart is enough of a commitment for most. The rest of the cart are the same mass-produced items as always, which is why this trend hasn’t held Walmart back from consistently pro"table quarters no matter how they get their steaks to our table.

LOCAVORE_______________________________________________________________________

NUTRITION: LEGAL MANDATE

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SITUATIONWhen Michael Bloomberg caused a commotion by advocating for a legislation to limit the size of sugary drinks that businesses are allowed to serve, he was implicitly making a pragmatic argument for the nanny state; governments are paying for more and more health services, so why shouldn’t the state mandate that we make healthier food choices? The hope is that cutting citywide sugar intake can result in huge budget savings (linked to treating obesity and diabetes) that can result in lower taxes or spending on other public services.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGThe e!ectiveness of the mandate aside, increases in state-run health services make our personal responsibility to our long-term health one more step removed, and it’s likely to result in more legislation like Bloomberg’s soda ban. But is this movement contradictory? As bans on foods deemed unhealthy become more likely, the legalization of marijuana appears more feasible, raising questions about the consistency of such legislations in reducing societal health costs for state and federal budgets.

IMPLICATIONSAre brands in danger of being the poster child for these heated conversations? Should a company that pro"ts from the sale of unhealthy food and beverages be proactive in this inevitable debate? Several years ago, Wendy’s and McDonald’s abolished their respective “Biggie Size” and “Super Size” marketing tactics as a result of Morgan Spurlock’s documentary that highlighted the health problems accumulated with always super sizing a fast food meal. When this debate resurfaces, brands may be able to avoid public scrutiny not only by having healthy items on their menus, but also by helping customers make healthy choices.

NUTRITION: LEGAL MANDATE

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THE FLASH FOOD MOVEMENT

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SITUATIONIn highly transient urban environments, people are turning to food as a social lubricant and a tool to connect to the people and places around them. And, especially due to the increase in the provisional nature of cities, we are witnessing new ways for us to get together.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGOne part #ash mob, one part chic dinner, Le Dîner en Blanc is the foodie version of the modern #ash mob. A form of self-expression, it operates on the human desire to make the virtual both literal and physical. When the last-minute noti"cation of a location goes out, hundreds of people gather in a public space, dressed in all white, to enjoy a chic picnic. The dinner evokes the elegance and glamor of court society where introductions are made and social circles expanded in a non-virtual setting.

IMPLICATIONSMovements such as Le Dîner en Blanc are pushing us to rethink the norms that surround dining. Capitalizing on our need for tangible human ties, events such as this urge us to break out of our booths and connect with people the old fashioned way. Several restaurants such as Wagamama and a number of boutique cafés are recognizing this need and are expanding communal seating to deter fragmented and isolated dining experiences. But, with a lack of mainstreamism, who will be the next #ag carrier in reviving dinner as a social occasion?

THE FLASH FOOD MOVEMENT

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Le Dîner en Blanc

Wagamama

REJECTION OF THE OVERPROCESSED

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SITUATIONSimplicity rules — which is why Apple touts the simple design of its operating system and hardware, and also why Zappos has been so successful with its no-questions-asked return policy. In general, we prefer to have variables we can control and understand. At the grocery store, our new rule is “buy the item with the shortest list of ingredients,” because it helps us to assess the product’s purity. We reject anything that looks overprocessed, and we’re comforted by what looks simple and intelligible.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGThe food industry is catching up with new products focused on simple purity like HäagenDazs Five, an ice cream made of "ve simple ingredients, and the new Sierra Mist soda that boasts all natural #avors. But while this simplicity makes us feel better about the food we are putting in our bodies, it does not necessarily make the food any healthier. With an abundance of packaged goods toting the organic label, it is becoming harder to discern whether or not most foods are still overprocessed.

IMPLICATIONSOur questioning of overprocessed foods will be at odds with our a$nity for diet foods, which are often the most chemically overprocessed things we eat. We can attribute America’s recent a$nity for “Mexican Coke” to this rejection of overprocessed foods because it is sweetened with cane sugar instead of the more processed high fructose corn syrup. But how does it compare in healthiness to a Coke Zero or Diet Coke, which are much more chemically complex? Contrary to what we would like to believe, when it comes to food labeling, simpler does not necessarily mean smarter.

SENSATIONAL FOOD_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SITUATIONIn today’s hyperstimulated world, people are expecting more and more out of experiences, and rarely are experiences isolated, purist pursuits. With technological advances, connections are becoming multilayered and increasingly sensational. And our senses are continually being provoked in new ways as exempli"ed by 3D goggles, surround sound systems, and collagen-enhancing skin care products. And while a newish trend, this is increasingly a!ecting how we interact with food.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGCOMPOUNDING SENSES

Consumption is a multisensory experience. Eating and drinking involve not only taste, but also rely heavily on sight, touch, and even sound. Food is increasingly a balancing of nourishment with art. And the ampli"cation of the dining experience is now relying more heavily on the auditory. Sonic food is the newest trend in food synesthesia. Infusing food and food-related products with sounds is being explored not only by restaurants (some oyster bars play ocean sounds through a pair of headphones placed inside a seashell on the table), but also by large food companies (Unilever and Nestle) and even consumer appliance companies (humming fridges are on the rise as people are continually looking to make every experience more sensational, more intense, and more memorable).

FOOD SCIENCECooking is becoming more scienti"c and methodical. And, it is turning taste into a more objective experience. In addition to scales and thermometers, chefs are employing devices such as heated water baths, ultrasound machines, rotary evaporators, pipettes, and immersion blenders. Post-modernist cuisine also relies on liquid nitrogen, carbon dioxide, sugar substitutes and enzymes to shape the texture of the meal. To avoid exhausting our taste buds, more and more chefs are relying on science to really hone in on #avors and craft textures that are palatable.

SENSATIONAL FOOD_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AMBIENT FOOD External factors such as social and physical surroundings can a!ect what we choose to consume

and how much of it we eat. Ambient temperatures, lighting, and altitude can a!ect how food tastes, and British Airway’s Height Cuisine campaign is one example of how companies can capitalize on paying attention to the minutiae surrounding consumption. Recent studies also show that serving bowl sizes and bowl colors can a!ect how much food people serve themselves. With a tendency to "ll bowls to the top regardless of size and volume, people with large bowls will serve themselves 77% more food to feel fuller and more satis"ed compared with diners given a medium-sized bowl. Similar e!ects occur when diners are given bowls that are similar in color to the food being served. The closer in color the food is to the serving bowl, the more people will serve and eat. Even the color of the table could replicate these e!ects.

IMPLICATIONSIn addition to tempering the #avor of food itself, di!erent senses and ambient details are being married to create today’s unique dining experience. With more and more variables being linked to food enhancement and consumption behaviors, how will brands utilize the role that external cues play to not only shape dining experiences but also augment better food habits?

FOOD HACKING + TRACKING_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

SITUATIONThe “quanti"ed self” movement has changed the way people look at their lives outside and in. Now that tracking our intake is easy, staying healthy is a numbers game. Doctors, books, apps, and TV shows tell us what boundaries we must keep for our bodies to be healthy, and if we can stay within these boundaries, anything goes! The result is a new trend to fastidiously count our calories, carbs, or saturated fats. Instead of taking a holistic approach to healthy dieting, we are trying to "t in whatever we crave as long as it doesn’t tip the scales that we’re measuring.

WHAT WE’RE SEEINGThe trend to measure everything we eat dates back to the late 1990s when Weight Watchers introduced a points-based system for making healthy choices. But this trend truly took o! and became mass accessible (and often free) with the creation of smartphone apps that allow us to photograph and count every morsel — even pairing well Nike+ run tracking technology.

Large chain restaurants have adjusted to this trend by segmenting their menu into hackable portions, with “calorie-conscious” and “low-fat” sections for each crowd. Applebee’s, for example, uses a menu key to indicate which items are under 550 calories and which are endorsed by Weight Watchers.

IMPLICATIONSMore ways to stay healthy through these quanti"ed measures means more ways for brands to call something “healthy.” If restaurants optimize their menu items for diets aimed to minimize speci"c things, two things could happen. First, posting calorie counts on menus could reduce calorie intake. Second, as each dietary choice requires a commitment to mixing and matching low-calorie and low-carb items, we could see an increase in poor health outcomes.