Blink:

I began my marketing adventure working for CPG brands before making the transition into foodservice B2B marketing. The evolution of marketing since 1983 has been amazing. Regardless, I still maintain a consumer centric mindset. What I find mind-blowing is how knowledgeable the food consumer has become over the years.

Read On:

To me a good starting point of where consumers stepped up their knowledge about the food, they consumed was the introduction of the U.S. Nutrition Facts label back in 1994 which has now been revised several times. Fast forward. Today consumers are demanding healthier food products. As a result, the “clean label” movement has evolved. There is no standard definition or legal requirement for what “clean label” means. Market research indicates the term “clean label” means different things to different consumers around the world. Note: A study conducted by London based research company Canadean found 34 percent of consumers do not actually have any understanding of what it means at all. It generally refers to F&B products with short ingredient lists with familiar sounding ingredients and no artificial ingredients. Finally, the pandemic had a major impact on the eating habits of consumers. In addition to being concerned about personal wellness, they became conscious of planetary wellness since COVID-19 made consumers more aware of the essentials of the interconnected food system supply chain. Globally consumers are embracing both personal and planetary wellness influencing their purchase behavior. Consequently, healthy sustainable food has become the new consumer hot button.

This much I do know: Since I began my marketing career, the one constant has always been the challenge for food and beverage manufacturers to clearly communicate the key decision drivers which deliver consumer value. The list of drivers has grown significantly over the past four decades – improved nutrition (e.g., increased fiber, sugar reduction), cleaner labels (e.g., less additives), sustainability including responsible sourcing and regenerative agricultural practices. The latest decision criteria consumers are buzzing about is a company’s 2050 commitment to net-zero carbon-neutrality, etc., etc., etc. Bottomline: Delivering the right consumer value has become an extremely complex process. However, leading global CPG companies utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science to cull through all the data/consumer insights to develop predictive analytics (a.k.a. consumer algorithms) which provide direction (R&D, Marketing, Sales) of how best to develop solutions to meet the needs of the consumer to guide their food choices.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Over the weekend I read about a new varietal of strawberry called the Koyo berry another prime example of Innovative Planetary Technology (a.k.a. Precision Agriculture) which is a baby step solution contributing to an improved sustainable foods system.

Read On:

The Koyo berry is cultivated by the company Oishii in three vertical farms utilizing technology to make their growing process more efficient. Robotics in conjunction with traditional Japanese farming methods result in each harvest using less energy and water. In an old post I wrote about a company in Japan (GRA Inc.) which grew a premium graded varietal under the Migaki Ichigo brand. Their success can be attributed to tabulating growing conditions data and using AI for implementing a precision agricultural process.

Every week I read about innovative sustainable foods solutions which are designed to contribute to better planetary health. I am optimistic all these solutions will add up and have a major positive impact on the future of agribusiness.

Innovative Planetary Technology – Tomorrow is Now!

Blink:

Playgrounds is a topic which piques my interest and have posted about several times. I once praised Helle Nebelong, the prominent Danish landscape/nature play spaces architect. Today I would like to give kudos to the French city of Strasbourg’s Canopy Plan.

Read On:

Back in November of 2020 Strasborg began to redesign select playgrounds to address/fight climate change. They started by greening their surfaces which were primarily mineralized and waterproofed for functional reasons (ease of maintenance). In addition, they revegetated the playgrounds. The immediate result were community pockets of cooler temperatures. The city also envisioned reinventing playgrounds was a way raise awareness and function as an educational tool for climatic and environmental issues, as well as foster biodiversity to strengthen the social fabric of communities throughout Strasbourg. An excellent example of the doctrine“To build a better world, start in your community.”

Opinions welcomed!

Blink:

I revere innovation. A leading resource for me to learn about the latest is NHK TV Japanese cable. This past weekend I watched a program about the marine tech innovator Mizukami Yosuke who just introduce a smart fishing app which utilizes AI (artificial intelligence).

Read On:

I am optimistic about AI potentially solving our planet’s health and environmental issues. In Japan, due to overfishing, pollution and climate change, catches have decreased to one-third of their 1980s peak.Further compounded by the decline in fish stocks, the government has stepped in to regulate and innovate solutions which will result in a more sustainable fishing industry. In western Japan, an ocean technology company specializing in marine resource management lead by Mizukami Yosuke, began working with fishing fleet captains in 2018, compiling all the information from their detailed hand-written journals for ten years. Then utilizing AI to analyze all the historic data (e.g., water conditions like temperature and tides, catch sizes by location, etc.) his company created an app to assist fishing fleet and independent fishing captains to identify fertile locations with healthy stocks. The launch of the innovative app was challenged by the older generation of captains who were not tech-savvy. His company needed to conduct extensive training sessions with local fishing associations, plus communicate the benefits of digitalizing fishing records.

Since 2019 Yosuke’s company continues to further refine the app:

• Incorporating satellite GPS data to further pinpoint ideal locations. Saves time and operational fuel costs.
• Analyze real time market pricing to better monitor supply and demand to prevent overfishing

AI marine resource management, improved fish catches: Smart Fishing!

Blink:

I enjoy when I make my daily rounds on LinkedIn and find a great piece of information (a.k.a. keeper). Link to a thought-provoking article written by Robert Wheatley, brand strategist, CEO of a Chicago-based lifestyle agency providing a list of new climate change jargon. Nomenclature which resonated for me.

Read On:

• Overshoot – Worrisome! Climate change experts predict we will surpass the global threshold goal 1.5° Celsius established by the United Nations’ Paris climate agreement to prevent irreversible climate damage. Warning! The experts indicate overshooting the increase in global temperatures by half a degree would have serious consequences.

• Greenhush – I have addressedgreenwashing a common marketing ploy utilized by companies to get their customers thinking they are an environmentally concerned entity. Greenhush is a new term created to describe companies choosing not to publish sustainability content/polices out of apprehension their emissions mitigation efforts will be viewed as insufficient.

• Real Zero – According to a study published by the leading global information technology and consulting company Accenture, only 34% of the 2,000 corporations they monitor, are committed to a Net Zero initiative/pledge. Net Zero classified as cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere by oceans, forests, etc. Unfortunately, some climate experts predict at the current pace a majority will still miss their target They recommend corporations should focus on Real Zero for planetary health – the true reduction of their output should be the focal point of their emissions mitigation strategies versus being dependent on purchasing carbon offsets or capturing carbon.

This past year, thanks to studying/observing the escalation in consumer interest regarding sustainability, specifically in the food industry, my company’s area of specialty, I have coined an original term: “Holistic Health Consumerism.” A new subdivision of consumers who embrace both personal and planetary wellness which is influencing their overall purchase behavior and lifestyle.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

A doctrine I have previously posted:“To build a better world, start in your community.”The development of the blue economy where coastal communities leverages the sustainable use of their ocean resources for economic growth while preserving the health of marine ecosystem is a great example.

Read On:

I first became aware of the blue economy concept during my sojourn in Portland, Maine following Atlantic Sea Farms, a company which overnight evolved into the leading producer of kelp in the U.S.The company successfully implemented a blue economy business modelin thecompany’s backyard, Maine’s coastal communities where people and the planet came first as it related to capitalizing on a sustainable marine eco-system.

Maine’s fishing industry impacted by climate change had been struggling dramatically, more specifically as lobsters seeking colder water migrated north or to deeper waters. ASF’s blue economy business model is to partner with kelp farmers in the state, primarily lobster fishermen and small family-run marine businesses to provide an alternative source of income. The harvested line kelp is then manufactured locally by ASF into innovative kelp products and ingredients sold around the country. In addition, growing kelp is beneficial to the coastal communities’ marine environment/ecosystem; it acts as a carbon and nitrogen sink that offsets ocean acidification, thus improves water quality. Consequently, some farmers are beginning to cultivate bumper crops of mussels. Thanks to Atlantic Sea Farms, Maine’s coastal communities are now focused on the sustainability of its ocean resources for the state’s economic growth, improved livelihoods/jobs while preserving the health of its ocean ecosystem.

The blue economy. Community, community, community!

Blink:

SMARTKETING’s original business model is still relevant; coordinate a home-based business plugged in from anywhere. Candidly I feel I have been working remotely from Day One. Regardless, I still follow workplace trends, especially how they have morphed thanks to the pandemic. I have posted about Zoom. Time for an update.

Read On:

Over the holidays I finally caught up on my backlog of saved articles. One article which piqued my interest was about a new movement in interior office design. Pre-pandemic a majority of the work places were open air (a.k.a. cubicles). Workers found them to be distracting; the noise level and lack of privacy. Then the pandemic hit and white-collar workers abandoned offices in mass to work remotely. Post pandemic offices came out of dormancy, but when workers, thanks to adapting to utilizing video conferencing (Zoom and Team meeting) found the noise level of open-air offices intolerable.

Enter some creative interior design firms who were already selling innovative privacy booths/capsules targeting noisy, open-air offices. Enter, close the glass door behind you and stay focused thanks to no noise. Modular in design, these stand-alone pods can be assembled on site, expanded or adapted to accommodate one or several people complete with screens embedded in the wall for video conferencing. Sounds like future offices will be a room full of phone booths. Claustrophobic?

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Great tool! I am not talking about for opening bottles of wine. Rather an evaluation process taught to me by my leadership guru Wally Graham to improve future performance.

Read On:

The process entails asking four tough questions after completing a project or passage of time.

• What happened?
• Why did it happen?
• What did I learn?
• What would I do differently next time?

I share this process with you today since I know this is a reflective time of year. We are looking back on 2022 which is now behind us – family, friends, work, experiences. We are busy assessing the road ahead, 2023.

For The Record: I still like to use a corkscrew as a tool to open a bottle of wine, especially when I begin to ask myself the four corkscrew questions. Trust me, the evaluation process is really enjoyable with a good glass of wine. Try it some time.

Blink:

Back in August 2020 the London-based startup Notpla caught my attention. I was delighted to learn last week they won the prestigious Earth Shot award for environmental innovation. Notpla has developed innovative packaging materials from seaweed Congratulations Notpla!

Read On:

The United Nations projects there is 400 million tons of plastic waste per year, half of which is single use. I have addressed this issue in the past how our planet is choking on plastic. Notpla believes their products will compete directly with and replace plastics in the future. Their innovative packaging products are entirely biodegradable and can be utilized in a bubble sachet to hold liquids/condiments, a coating for food containers and paper for the cosmetic and fashion industry. Currently Notpla’s one noteworthy success story is their strategic partnership with Just Eat to launch a seaweed-lined box for takeout food in lieu of plastic boxes.

Today will my last seaweed post of the year. The more I learn about kelp, I am amazed how versatile the earth-friendly algae seaweed is and the significant role it will play in planet earth’s future – a source for nutritious food products, a carbon neutralizer to offset the impacts of environmental change, an innovative way to replace plastic packaging materials and a potential source for energy (e.g., biogas and ethanol).  

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

I am excited the number of articles published online the last two months detailing the current seaweed revolution and its potential role to help mitigate climate change. The list of companies engineering viable ways to capture/sequester carbon is growing.

Read On:

One of my all-time favorite quotes is when Wayne Gretzky, hockey superstar/legend was asked what makes him so great, he responded: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Two skaters (a.k.a.  seaweed innovators) I became aware of recently are Sam Elsom and John Auckland:

• Sea Forest – Sam Elsom a former high-end fashion designer with his own label, decided to become an aquatic farmer after learning about seaweed, a zero-input crop with no requirement for land, fresh water or fertilizer, plus its potential to have a positive impact on climate change. With the assistance of a team of university scientists and some venture capital, he founded his company Sea Forest (2018) which produces an engineered compound when fed to livestock, reduces the amount of methane gas they produce (e.g., cow burps). Global methane emissions from livestock which trap heat is currently estimated at 6%.                                    

• Seafields Solutions – A British business leader’s vision John Auckland, is to capitalize on the carbon capture properties of seaweed by creating[JM1]  a massive floating farm of sargassum seaweed located in the South Atlantic (21.2K square miles). He and his investor partners are currently testing the technology needed and project the floating mega-farm Seafields would capture one gigatonne of the fifty gigatonnes of CO2 emitted annually into the atmosphere. A mere dent, but a starting point!

Each company still needs to conduct extensive research to better understand seaweed’s benefits to society and ocean ecosystems. Regardless, I am optimistic about these two companies and plan to continue posting seaweed success stories. My next seaweed post will be about its potential for packaging innovation.

Opinions Welcomed!