Blink:

In my last post, I shared details about the waste linked to the fashion industry. Today as a food futurist marketer specializing in the food-away-from-home channel, I am going to share an update on food waste in the business sector I am a stakeholder.

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Last week I listened to the Food Institute’s podcast on food waste. Their guest was Josh Domingues, founder, and CEO of Flashfood; a Toronto based technology company working to eliminate retail food waste by connecting consumers via their app with discounted food nearing its best-by date. The Flashfood digital marketplace is helping families across North America access nutritious food at affordable prices, while reducing the volume of food, retailers send to landfills. Flashfood is currently partnered with more than 2,000 stores across North America. Interesting food waste eradication solution! However, it remined me of an article I read last month I wanted to write a post about and share with my readership.

It is estimated one-third of all food is lost annually during its production and transport, plus wasted in our homes. In addition, food loss and waste accounts for 24% of the food sector’s greenhouse emissions, approximately 6% of the global total. Addressing the adverse environmental impact of food loss and waste on the surface appears beneficial. Au contraire! A disconcerting new study released by Nature Food based on research conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder revealed a phenomenon labeled the rebound effect. Researchers collected data on how consumers would react to the increases in food supply resulting from solutions to alleviate loss and waste in individual global markets. Their findings indicated as food supply goes up thanks to the reduction in food loss and waste, the research revealed key markets typically responded by decreasing food prices, which increased consumers’ purchasing power/consumption. As a result, consumers buy more food than they ordinarily would have purchased. The study identified this surge in food purchases decreased production less than originally anticipated, offsetting the environmental benefit associated with the utilization of production resources – land usage, fertilizer, water, energy, etc.

Food waste is a major threat to the natural ecology of our planet – greenhouse emissions, the environmental resources needed to produce, package, and transport food. In addition, food waste is a problem as it relates to addressing/offsetting world hunger which has now been further exasperated by our current climate crisis (e.g., extreme weather conditions – drought, flooding, etc.) decimating crop yields. I consider myself an optimistic pragmatist. Thanks to my food futurist research I am constantly learning about the current solutions being implemented to eradicate food waste. Right now, they are all baby steps (micro) which will eventually all add up to make a difference. To me, the macro solution will be a shift in global human behavior – Ubuntu, a topic I will explore in a future post.

 Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

I read a friend’s post on LinkedIn about AI computing data centers’ reliance on chilled water for cooling, thus resulting in a damaging environmental (e.g., water resources) counterbalance. Interesting tidbit of information! Subsequently, I processed generative AI’s potential as the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment.

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Have you been following or partaking in the generative AI rage? I have from a marketing perspective. Complex AI models involve intensive computing power from semiconductors requiring significant amounts of electricity which generate considerable levels of heat. Water from AI facilities’ cooling towers is utilized to maintain optimal operating conditions/temperatures. One relevant estimate I read was approximately half a liter of water for every five prompts. Leading tech giants (e.g., Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google) have been extremely guarded about AI’s environmental impact.           

Why am I concerned generative AI is the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment? Its use as a marketing tool to influence consumer purchasing behavior. The byproduct is it drives the overall consumption of material-based products which might not be manufactured by numerous companies within the sustainable guidelines needed for a healthier plant earth.

In our “Digital First World” generative AI will transform marketing forever, thus enable companies to crunch consumer data in real time to develop personalized content/messaging (e.g., social platforms, email, etc.) to their target audiences which will ultimately drive engagement and conversion. Recent research revealed 73% of U.S. marketers (source: Statista) indicated their organizations have used generative AI tools. It is estimated the percentage of AI usage will escalate to 90% in two years.

For brevity of today’s post, I am going to cite the fashion industry (one of the largest manufacturing industries on the planet which is highly unregulated), as a prime example of wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. Relevant facts (source: Earthday.org):

• 100 billion garments are produced a year; it is estimated 87% will end up in a landfill or an incinerator. Note: Only 1% of discarded clothing is recycled.
• The average person now buys 60 percent more items than they did 15 years ago, but keep them for only half as long – the average article of clothing may be worn as few as ten times before it is tossed. 
• 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to France, Germany and the U.K. combined. 
• the utilization of highly toxic dyes, pollutants which once flushed end up in the planet’s ecosystem.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
• deforestation since a considerable number of trees are razed for cellulosic fibers.             
• the negative impact of non-organic cotton farming (e.g., soil depletion/degradation, pesticides).
• the utilization of synthetic fibers like polyester which is a derivative of crude oil (a non-renewable resource). 
• the negative carbon footprint associated with shipping clothing from point A to point B. 
• Clothing production has doubled since 2000 and is expected to grow an estimated 63% by 2030 with the rise of the global middle class population.                                                

As I stated above, for today’s post, I chose the fashion industry as an example of a manufacturing industry heavily impacted by wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. My plan is to research/analyze other industries embracing generative AI for marketing to write a more in depth article to share online with my LinkedIn community.

How many elephants are there in the room?

Blink:

Did you know?

• Gen Z’s estimated disposable income is $360 billion plus.
• Food is the third most popular trivia category.

Chipotle knows!

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For the record this is my third post about the marketing prowess of Chipotle. Back in 2020 I first wrote about the restaurant chain’s implementation of innovative supply chain initiatives, the foundation of their brand’s positioning to deliver “Food with Integrity” focusing on sustainable farming and sourcing natural ingredients a core value proposition which resonates with their Gen Z target market. In addition, they also won  

Marketing Dive’s 2020 mobile marketer of the year award for their digital marketing savvy which appeals to the Gen Z demographic group.

Recently I was conducting marketing research when I learned they are rolling out the fourth edition of their Chipotle IQ trivia game to test their patrons’ knowledge of their brand, food standards, and community engagement. Winners receive rewards for a perfect score. They recognize gamification, as a marketing engagement tool is very popular with Gen Z.

In closing, as a marketing food futurist, I must praise Chipotle when it comes to marketing, they are a cut above. They are consistently reaching out/messaging their brand delivers “Food with Integrity” targeting Gen Z, their current and future core customer base.

Blink:

I was researching upcycled foods which are made from ingredients otherwise destine for food waste when I learned about Biomass Resin Holdings. The company, located in Japan takes irregular rice normally discarded and turns the waste into a bioplastic. An innovative product which crosses two hurdles with one leap.

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Hurdle #1 (Upcycled Product): Their innovative manufacturing process which was first conceived 20 years ago, starts with irregular rice normally thrown out by farmers. The rice utilized is old or considered inedible due to bad flavor thus not suitable to sell at Retail.  The rice is then mixed with a small amount of polypropylene which is considered an environmentally conscious form of plastic since it is biodegradable, does not release toxins, and has a relatively low carbon foot print. The result, is a bioplastic material which can be used for cups & table ware, bento boxes, everyday trash bags, toys, and smartphone covers.

Hurdle #2 (Plastic Replacement): Being a food futurist (a.k.a. planet earth wellness advocate), I am concerned mankind is choking on plastic. Macro stats (primary source: IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature):

• Approximately 400 million tons are produced every year. Without changes in regulations and innovation some environmentalist project plastic waste to triple by 2060 exceeding over one billion tons.
• Globally only 9% is recycled.
• The plastic produced is used for a wide variety of applications – an estimated 50% are created for single-use items (e.g., shopping bags, cups, and straws).
• At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year and comprise 80% of all marine debris both in surface waters and deep-sea sediments.

Relevancy: In an old post I referred to a 2019 study by WFF International which concluded we ingest approximately 5 grams of microplastic per week which is the equivalent weight of one plastic credit card. Imagine adding one American Express card to your weekly diet!

In closing, thanks to being a food futurist specializing in food-away-from-home marketing, I am bullish about the upcycled food movement, thus monitor its progress closely. Learning about Biomass Resin Holdings, an innovative company in Japan transforming repurposed rice into a product which is a solution to curb plastic wastes’ negative toxic impact on planet earth’s environment, excites me! Validates one organization can make a difference, plus makes me optimistic if we add up all the environmental innovation being implemented globally, we are on the right path to nurse planet earth’s wellness back to manageable levels.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Yesterday my French teacher was telling me to be patient. She went on to explain how French is a very difficult language to learn and she understood the risk I took moving here only knowing tourist French. I then shared with her my mantra: No Risk, No fun!  Forever relevant.           

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I posted No Risk, No Fun on my blog back in November, 2021. I quoted one individual who has inspired me: Japanese violinist Daishin Kashimoto, concertmaster (since 2009) with the Berlin Philharmonic often recognized as the world’s finest orchestra – “Taking risks means, of course, that there are times when we come up short. No risk, no fun!” Coincidentally, after having the risk conversation with my French teacher, later that day, I watched the Netflix sports documentary “The Playbook A Coaches Rules for Life” specifically the segment on Jill Ellis. Jill coached the United States women’s nation soccer team which won two consecutive FIFA women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2019. One of her rules: Risk is opportunity. Definitely in synch with Daishin’s wisdom “no risk no fun!”          

Opinions welcomed!

Blink:

I am an advocate for the AI technology being designed/implemented to solve our planet’s health and environmental issues. Today I would like to provide an update and give kudos to the startup Freshflow who has developed software to help grocers reduce food waste.                       

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The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released their report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023” earlier in the month. They estimated between 691 million to 783 million people faced hunger last year. If you were to look at the median of their calculations roughly 735 million, it equates to 122 million more people went hungry than in 2019 before the pandemic disrupted the world. They also revealed nearly 30 percent of humanity or approximately 2.4 billion people did not have access to adequate food last year (2022) and 3.1 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet. Note: Given the complexity of measuring world hunger, the U.N. defines hunger as the long-term or persistent inability to meet minimum dietary requirements. Alarming! A major setback to the U.N.’s charter of eliminating hunger by 2030.

Solution? There is no one solution. It will take a variety of innovative solutions in the global food system to eliminate hunger. A good starting point I addressed in my original Innovative Planetary Technology post would be precision agriculture, Agritech, the use of AI technology and technological innovation to improve the efficiency and maximize output of agricultural processes. However, I am concerned the progress of AI data driven agriculture will be slowed down by the ravages of climate change. Consequently, I believe a pressing problem we are currently contending with is the environmental impact of reduced food waste which can also generate numerous solutions to eliminate hunger. Note: The UN estimates 17 per cent of total food produced annually goes to waste at both the retail and consumer level. Fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) at retail is a leading contributor of food waste primarily attributed to antiquated (e.g., manual) stocking systems. Freshflow, a Berlin- based software company has developed an AI-powered automated forecasting platform to predict the amount of produce a retailer will need. Different data point factors analyzed include weather, season, and local events as well as historic retailer data to forecast supply and demand. An early adapter, one of Germany’s leading grocery retailers has already experienced 30 per cent less food waste which also resulted an estimated 17 per cent revenue boost.

Remember, the management of waste reduction in produce throughout the global food system thanks to AI driven platforms like Freshflow, is an immediate solution to fight hunger by reallocating the unused produce normally wasted.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Global heat records have been surging this summer. Consequently, I am constantly reviewing innovative solutions which are being implemented to offset the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions in the food-away-from-home and hospitality sectors. An interesting update.

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In an old post Menu Greenwashing, as a food futurist, I questioned whether consumers will make food-away-from-home food choices based on the environment. Earlier this week I read about the U.K. company SKOOT which has created an Eco-Contribution tool designed to enable establishments to counteract the emissions generated from every meal by planting trees. How does it work? Upon receiving their bill, diners can choose to pay the optional Eco-Contribution set by the restaurant to offset emissions from the meal by planting a tree (note: each tree removes CO2). SKOOT estimates to date they have planted 800,000 trees with their tool which has countered a significant amount of CO2. Sounds good/positive! My thoughts:

• For restaurants to truly reduce the impact of their greenhouse emissions they will have to closely examine reducing their food waste, scrutinize their supply chain (e.g., responsible sourcing), as well as the energy they utilize for cooking.
• Are restaurants addressing how they are reducing their menu’s carbon footprint, really a marketing ploy (a.k.a. greenwashing) targeting environmentally conscious consumers. More importantly, as I have stated before, I question whether consumers will make food-away-from-home food choices based on the environment.

Opinions Welcomed!           

Blink:

I have previously posted about consumer food choices, specifically as it relates to key decision drivers – one being improved nutrition (e.g., increased fiber, sugar reduction). Recently I learned about the food dichotomy between indulgent versus health & wellness, especially when it comes to snacking.

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The CEO of Hostess Brands, Inc. during an appearance on” Yahoo! Finance” discussed the robust growth of snacking, a macro trend which accelerated during the pandemic. Nearly 50% of consumers, according to his company’s consumer data, on average snack three or more times a day an increase of 8% in the past two years. He also stated indulgent snacks are increasing at a greater rate than health & wellness or functional snacks. In response, Hostess in order to drive their overall category growth is marketing smaller, convenient bite size snacks so consumers do not compromise their craving for indulgence.

Note: The IFIC (International Food Information Council) just released their annual survey which indicated snacking frequency remained elevated for the second straight year. 72% of Americans snack at least once a day in addition to their main meals, the most common reason (41% an increase from 34% since 2022) respondents attributed to hunger or thirst. Other top reasons for snacking include the perception that snacks are a treat (29%) and the desire for sweet (21%) and salty (21%) snacks.

U.S. snack sales last year surpassed $180 billion, an 11% increase versus the previous year. Who are some of the market leaders in the snacking category? Reese’s, Lays, Hershey’s, M&M’s, Doritos, Oreos, Cheetos, Snickers, and Kit Kat bars to name a few. Sounds like a lot of cookies, crackers, bars, chips, and treats – not exactly an assortment of healthy snacks. Hence, what about all the hype regarding Americans eating healthy? According to Statista Consumer Insights, 50 percent of Americans claim to actively try to eat healthy according to their own testimonies. The fact is most people in the United States do not eat a healthy diet and consume too much sodium, saturated fat, and sugar, increasing their risk of chronic diseases. For example, fewer than 1 in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits or vegetables (note: both can be consumed as snacks). Three more documented facts which are telling of the American eating behavior:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found out that more than 36 percent of Americans are consuming fast food regularly, to the extent that on any given day, a third of Americans are eating from fast food restaurants.

• A survey conducted by the Cleveland clinic disclosed 46 percent of U.S. adults said a barrier to eating more healthy foods was their price. Almost a quarter of Americans stated that they had little time to cook and prepare healthy foods, while 20 percent said they did not know how to cook healthy foods.

• IFIC reported limiting the amount of sodium and sugar in foods for their health/diet to be 55% and 45% respectively among their survey respondents. Relatively low or indicative of consumers craving for salty and sweet snacks in the afternoon and evening thus the rationale for the robust snack sales for the category leaders listed above.   

Later today when you experience a hunger bout and desire a snack, think about this post. You will need to choose between an indulgent or health & wellness food product. Is there a dichotomy when it comes to making a snacking decision?

Opinions Welcomed!

A year ago, today I fulfilled my mother’s wish and scattered her ashes in the shimmering Mediterranean Sea.

A Touch of Humanity    

Blink:

Candidly. I am getting drained staying informed about our toxic turvy world. The war in Ukraine, U.S. gun violence, the spike in hate crimes, the prolonged global pandemic. What is going on with humanity? Being a pragmatist, on a micro level, I still remain positive especially after this past Thursday.

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My mother passed away in April at 102-years and 3-months old. It was her dream to move on in the south of France and have her ashes scattered in the shimmering Mediterranean Sea. Last Thursday was a special day as I fulfilled her wish.

To make it happen, I made arrangements with the Les Sauveteurs (Lifeguards) en Mer in Cannes. I identified a captain who would take me out during his lunch hour to scatter my mother’s ashes. He needed a crew of four, thus went online for volunteers. Six people signed up. Ironically the Mediterranean was not shimmering last Thursday. It was pouring rain. The captain navigated the rescue boat to a location I had designated. When we arrived at the spot, the rain stopped and we conducted a brief ceremony. On the way back to the port, I asked those volunteers who spoke English why they signed up. Their reply: they enjoy helping people, especially someone who wanted to conduct a special ceremony. A truly amazing experience I shared with seven strangers further validating for me, despite what is going on in this world, there is still a bright side to humanity.

Blink:

In today’s post I would like to explore a great word, ephemeral.

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Ephemeral (adjective) – lasting for a very short time. Examples:

• Fads!
• A great glass of wine.
• Your favorite junk food snack.
• A good piece of sushi.
• Most of your internet connections. Note: Think about all the people you connected with strictly in the digital world (e.g., LinkedIn) who you are still actively engaged with since day one.
• The career of a professional tennis player.
• A bad Netflix movie.
• Airplane friendships – people you engage with who happen to be sitting next to you on a plane.
• Good customer service.
• A Mediterranean cloud burst.
• A shot of Novocain.
• Hiccups.
• Great belly laughs!

Do you have any additions to the list?