This month in our ongoing FringeStream series, our monthly magazine exploring how the fringes of culture are shaping mass behaviors, we're digging into the a topic that tempts us all: FOOD. In gaining an understanding of FringeStream Food, we've unearthed some interesting findings that recognize how the simultaneous celebration of food culture and turmoil of traditional food systems have led to mainstream confusion over what to eat. Find out how empowered groups are moving beyond our over reliance on over-processed convenience food to create new opportunities and an increasing Appetite for Conviction.
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FRINGESTREAM: FOOD
Welcome to our Fringestream series, our monthly magazine exploring how the
fringes of culture are shaping mass behaviors. What happens when fragmentation,
diversity and the choice to live differently becomes the new normal?
This month we explore FringeStream Food, which 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.
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FOOD MATTERS…
to our Identity, Biology, and Culture
FOOD CELEBRATION
While love of food is nothing new, today we’re
verging on obsession.
Today’s celebration of food culture is not only about
eating. We are voracious spectators, critics and
reviewers, as well as makers and growers.
We also can’t get enough of food as entertainment -
from food documentaries on Netflix to Hell’s Kitchen.
Celebrity chefs have a following on social media that
rival the biggest rock stars.
“Food today has an
emotional or
psychological power we
cannot shake”
–Michael Pollan
What is it?
5. 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 CONFUSION
in the Biggest Industry in the World
What is it?
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…FRINGE CONVICTION
New Ways of Eating
But 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 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
The Outcome
LIVING OFF THE GRID
POSITIVE TRIBALISM
FALLOUT FAMILIES
NEW SPIRITUALITY
LESS IS MORE
OUR FIVE
FRINGESTREAM
TRENDS
7. 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.
Exotic, rare foods such as wild mushrooms, nettles,
heritage fruit, and game continue to attract.
“This could be our revolution: To love what is plentiful as much as what’s scarce.” –Alice Walker
“If I could buy kelp futures, I would.” –Paul Greenberg, who has written extensively about the collapse of fish stocks
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RUNNING LOW
People are looking to New Plentiful Food Sources
that don’t rely on the Industrial Food ‘Grid’
Off the Grid
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RUNNING LOW
HAMPTON CREEK
Plant-based Alternatives
Hampton Creek is working on plant-based
alternatives to pasta, ice cream, ranch dressing and
other food, and mixing up the FDA’s world of “mayo”
in a big way. They recently secured $90 million in
investor funding.
OCEAN’S HALO
SEAWEED SNACKS
The gateway to ‘ocean vegetables’ is sold in
the chip section of whole foods.
“Seaweed’s very mainstream now…Well,
mainstream in Brooklyn.” New Yorker Magazine
2015
EAT WILD
Ethical Hunting Classes
EatWild’s mission is to provide a community to the
growing number of people who are interested in
eating wild, organic, and ethical foods.
EatWild represents the modern food movement:
slow food and healthy, ethically “sourced” meat.
Off the Grid
9. 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.
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Far from Just a Necessity, food is serving as a Catalyst to Connect
and Empathize with Others in Authentic and Meaningful Ways
“The sharing of a meal–and therefore, other than of food, also of affections, of stories, of events–is a fundamental experience” –Pope Francis, 2015
Positive Collectivism
ONE BIG TABLE
10. "The rest of the world seems to be slowly
waking up to what Danes have been
wise to for generations - that having a
relaxed, cosy time with friends and
family, often with coffee, cake or beer,
can be good for the soul… Hygge isn't
just a middle-class thing. Absolutely
everyone's at it from my dustbin man to
the mayor"- Helen Russell, The Year of
Living Danishly
DANISH ‘HYGGE’
Creating Cozy Shared Meals for Happiness
A Danish tradition of sharing time together, with a
sense of ‘pause’ from life, over coffee, cake, or beer,
is now resonating in cultures outside of Denmark.
FOODSHARE IPHONE APP
‘Eat a meal, Donate a Meal’
Users can go to partnered restaurants and take a
picture of their food. For each meal photographed,
a meal is donated to someone in need.
DOLMIO
Tech-free Family Meals
Dolmio created a pepper grinder that powers down
Wifi and electronic devices, allowing families to
reconnect over dinner time, free from distractions.
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ONE TWIST SHUTS
DOWN TVS,
WiFi & MOBILE
DEVICES
Positive Collectivism
ONE BIG TABLE
11. “Cooking is cool, even for boys, now. My cooking camps are sold out, and 60% are boys” –David Robertson, Dirty Apron Cooking School
“The fact that doctors are now learning to cook [at medical school] is like a revolution,” –Sam Kass, a former White House chef and senior nutrition policy advisor
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
12. FOOD AT SCHOOL
In North America, food education for kids is gaining
momentum through non-profits such as The Edible
Schoolyard Project, Fresh Roots, and Growing Chefs,
leveraging chef networks to teach kids to grow and
cook their own food.
Europe is farther ahead, as schools in the UK
implemented a new national curriculum for cookery as
part of the country’s effort to improve children’s diets.
FOOD AS MEDICINE
At Cook Culture Cooking School in Vancouver,
Canada, the most popular class by far with those in
their 60s is Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer.
DADS THAT COOK
Cooking Show for and from Dads
As a dad and the primary cook for his family, Jason
Glover launched a TV series with Kickstarter funding
to share his firsthand kitchen experiences with other
dads. The show features self-taught dads from
around the US and abroad.
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LOOK WHO’S COOKING NOW!
Fallout Families
13. 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.
FRINGESTREAM: FOOD
THE SOUND 13
WANT OHM WITH THAT?
Fringe Groups are Finding Personal and Spiritual Guidance through Food
Modern Spirituality
"I don’t eat meat because meat brings out negative qualities such as fear, anger, anxiety, aggressiveness, etc.” –Carlos Santana, Musician
Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay-Z went vegan for 22 days as part of a "spiritual and physical cleanse.” –Vanessa Barford, BBC News Magazine
"There is a true correlation between our food choices and violence in the world.” –Peter Burwash, Davis Cup Winner
14. LIVE CULTURE FOODS
Probiotic Believers
‘Fermentos’ maintain that our culture needs to revive
fermented foods and the value of prebiotic and
probiotic bacteria in our diet, in the form of kraut,
miso, kefir, kombucha and kimchi.
This evangelism may be medically founded, as some
researchers are coming to the startling conclusion we
need MORE exposure to bacteria to be healthy.
‘BE HERE NOW’ BOOK OF
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY
Ram Dass
In his book, Dass explains the Vegan belief that an
animal experiences high levels of anxiety and fear
when it dies, raising testosterone and adrenaline
levels. Accordingly, when people eat animal meat, we
intake these negative energies, obstructing us from
listening to our spirit.
EENMAAL
The World’s First ‘Solo Dining’ Experience
This ingenious pop-up restaurant helps people
reclaim their lunch break and disconnect completely
from social and mental noise.
FRINGESTREAM: FOOD
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WANT OHM WITH THAT?
“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
Modern Spirituality
15. “Farmers and eaters will collaborate with modern plant breeders to create new varieties of grains and vegetables to thrive in their regions.”
–Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and author of The Third Plate.
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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YIMBY (YES IN MY BACK YARD)
Fringe Groups are Happily Narrowing Their Set of Choices to Local and Seasonal
Less is More
16. MY GREEN SPACE
My Green Space is an app that makes it possible
for anyone to grow their own food garden and
avoid 80% of mistakes made by first-time and early
growers. You’ll notice there is no ‘garden’ in the
name – every home can grow food, regardless of
the type of space.
SAINSBURY’S FOOD
RESCUE APP
The UK grocery chain has created an interactive
new mobile tool which fuses the latest mobile
voice recognition technology with recipe
inspiration to offer practical help to cut down on
food waste. Users input up to nine ingredients and
the app presents recipe inspiration.
FARM TO TABLE RESTAURANTS
After years of importing ingredients from all over the
world, chefs are going back to basics and staying
local. The goal is to limit human impact on the
environment - less flying, driving, and fuel
consumption - and get fresher ingredients. It’s now a
movement in both Europe and North America.
Daylesford Farms, a Farm-to-Fork restaurant, now
has 5 locations in London.
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YIMBY (YES IN MY BACK YARD)
Less is More
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TIME TO GET OVER BELLY FAT
AND ON TO BIGGER PROBLEMS
Together, these trends collectively represent a shift from an individualistic focus on food’s taste,
convenience, and ‘slimming benefits.’ On the fringes is a greater consciousness of food systems,
food security, and the macro impact food has on our health, culture, and the planet.
FringeStream Food presents challenges and opportunities in areas such as food laws and
technology, as well as branding and innovation.
FOOD LAWS TECHNOLOGY BOLD BRANDS
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THE FRINGE CALLS FOR
FOOD ADVOCACY
AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Societal Implications
THE IMPACT OF FRINGE FOOD
WILL DEPEND ON POLITICAL
WILL.
Food activists like Jamie Oliver are
starting to influence not just fringe
groups but also governments.
Jamie’s campaign to get food education
on the G20 Summit agenda has gained
global traction and his Food Revolution
Day petition calling for compulsory food
education for every child at school
generated 1.6 million signatures.
A SUGAR TAX, in place in Mexico
since 2013 to help combat rampant
diabetes, has been proposed in both the
UK and North America.
But experts agree more serious
advocacy and political engagement is
needed if change is to happen at federal
levels.
20. BRING ON ROBO CHEF.
Smart Kitchen technologies are rapidly
evolving to remove some of the barriers
to scratch cooking for the mainstream,
especially time constraints, and are
targeted at tech savvy Millennials.
With most already cooking with a mobile
or tablet, we predict Millennial Dual
Income No Kids (or DINKs), with their high
disposable incomes, may be early
adopters of technologies such as smart
ovens with precision heat sensors and
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NEW SMART KITCHENS
WILL REMOVE BARRIERS
TO HOME COOKING
cameras (already on the market). 3D food
printers such as Foodini will make time
intensive recipes, such as ravioli, easy. For
hipster home-brewers, there is PicoBrew
Zymatic, a fully-automatic, Wi-Fi enabled
craft beer brewing appliance that can
brew a beer in four hours.
Food brands have the opportunity to
partner with tech companies to help
create momentum for a tech-enabled
home cooking movement.
Technology Implications
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SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST
One of the biggest opportunities for brands is to
address food inequality. Low and middle income
families may be the slowest to adopt FringeFood
trends, given the (perceived) higher cost of new
alternative ways of cooking and eating.
Brands can help prevent the ‘two-class’ food system
experts darkly foresee by supporting organizations
that build food growing, cooking and food waste
reduction skills for lower income and at-risk people.
Opportunity also exists for brands that can find a way
to create less processed choices with naturally
abundant ingredients that are offered at price parity
with today’s cheap packaged goods proliferation.
Funding provided to Chicago farmers’ markets
allows food stamp holders to benefit from a double
dollar matching program, making local, healthy
food accessible without putting farmers in the red.
“Unless there are big changes
within the next 20 years, I foresee a two-
class food system. One class will eat
industrialized food produced as cheaply as
possible at the expense of its workers and
natural resources. The other will enjoy
home gardens and locally and sustainably
produced food, at greater cost.”
–Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition,
food studies, and public health at
New York University
But, what does it all mean?
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BRANDS NEED TO BE BOLD
Few 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 info@thesoundhq.com for more information or
a presentation!
“Not enough is
happening on the
fringes of food.”
– Jed Grieve, Owner, Cook Culture
store & cooking school
Brand and Advertising Implications
24. 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
25. SOURCE REFERENCES
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SLIDE SITE
4 Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, Michael Pollan, 2013
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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/
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http://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
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http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/a-new-leaf
https://eatfeastly.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-technology-family-dinner_56439058e4b045bf3ded67c0
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http://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
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http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25644903
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, Michael Pollan, 2013
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http://www.foodwastemovie.com
http://time.com/3482452/future-of-food/
http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/infographic/en/
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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/27/science-new-study-case-sugar-tax
https://www.change.org/p/jamie-oliver-needs-your-help-fighting-for-food-education-foodrevolutionday
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/509898/must-haves-your-smart-kitchen.html
http://www.wired.com/2011/01/ichef-oven-offers-multi-touch-multi-stage-auto-cooking/
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http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/04/3p-weekend-10-companies-that-are-rethinking-food-waste/
http://time.com/3482452/future-of-food/