The Food Movement Minute is a news roundup for busy foodies. I chew up over 25 industry and consumer publications each day and spit out only the news that matters most in a quick and entertaining read. I have a very discerning palate.
Food Tech
The Story
A growing number of food companies are attempting to solve challenges in the food system with technology. Now that some notable food tech darlings (i.e. Soylent, Hampton Creek) are coming under scrutiny for safety issues and false claims, the industry is questioning if the grow-quick tech model is realistic for food.
The Details
Ready. Fire. Aim. If the unofficial slogan of Silicon Valley is ‘move fast and break things’, how does that apply to food tech start-ups where the product is meant for consumer mouths and breaking things doesn’t refer to code but consumer health? Eggless mayo (don’t tell the FDA I used the M-word) that’s better for people and planet health and a drinkable meal made from seaweed and soy protein that has potential to revolutionize famine relief are certainly addressing worthy food system challenges. However, some experts are questioning whether the growth/success expectations traditionally applied to tech start-ups fit when food is the product. Danielle Gould, founder of Food + Tech Connect states, “Unlike engineers, who can get an app up in a day and start testing and iterating in real-time, food startups have a lot more infrastructure and people involved, which makes it more difficult to iterate.”
Why it Matters
As William Rosenzweig, Dean of the Food Business School points out, “A salad dressing in a bottle doesn’t scale the same way an app in the app store does.” Best to get the bugs, technical or literal, out of new food prior to getting those same foods into consumer mouths.
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Soda Tax
The Story
Results so far of the first soda ‘sin tax’ in the US is a mixed bag. Pro: Tax funds are successfully supporting community health outreach programs. Con: Soda prices, intended to curb purchasing and consumption, have risen by less than half of the tax amount.
The Details
When Berkeley residents voted to approve a soda tax by a margin of three to one, despite a $2.5 million campaign opposing it from Big Soda, the hope was that it would make people healthier by decreasing consumption and supporting educational outreach. An economic research paper published August 17th, that analyzed the results of the tax to date, found that so far the goal to raise retail prices for high-calories sugary drinks has fizzled; prices have increased by less than half the amount expected. How is this possible you may ask? Coke and Pepsi, the tricky little tricksters, have opted to absorb the majority of the tax on behalf of their sugar-addicted consumers. However, all is not lost. Although not by the intended audience perhaps, the tax is getting paid and is expected to fund $1.2 million in local health education outreach in 2015.
Why it Matters
The leading diseases of our society – obesity, Type II Diabetes and heart disease – are all fueled by poor diet and lifestyle choices. The empty calories from sugary soda have zero to offer from a health perspective. Although the results of the Berkeley soda ‘sin tax’ may feel like two steps forward and one step back, it is proving itself as an effective model for addressing our country’s health crises, through education if nothing else.
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Junk Food Marketing
The Story
Some of the same Big Food companies gaining positive media attention for removing artificial ingredients from their foods are, simultaneously, being investigated for disproportionately marketing nutritionally poor foods from their portfolio directly to minority groups.
The Details
A recent report published by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, finds that young Hispanic and Black consumers receive the vast majority of TV ads and other forms of marketing for products high in sugar, saturated fat and sodium. A full two-thirds of all ads seen by children on Spanish-language TV promote fast food, candy, sugary drinks and snacks, with advertisers spending $440 million to advertise these products in 2013. As a comparison, $0 was spent to market plain water, fruits and vegetables over the same period and marketing channels. Would anyone like a side of hypocrisy with that sugary cereal?
Why it Matters
African American and Latino populations in the United States are especially at risk for the development of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Research demonstrates the influence of early dietary patterns on dietary choices and health status later in life. Tempting at-risk children with disease-causing foods…no Bueno.
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Factoid of the Day
The Hartman Group, a consumer insights group to the Food and Beverage Industry, recently held its Food Culture Forecast for 2015. Of the takeaways; people who live in households with incomes over $100K are heavy influencers of food culture (even to consumers outside their own group) and Millennials continue their rise to world domination, increasingly calling the shots on what matters (hint: environmental issues, local give-back programs and ethical treatment practices).