The Garage Group did some quick and robust Social Media Ethnography to listen to what consumers are saying broadly about food, and particularly outside of Natural & Organic food which has been growing faster than the general category.
We scraped publicly available social media sources from the past 6 months to gain insight into consumer sentiments about their wishes, frustrations and delights around food. And, while consumers express a love of food and often have an emotional connection to it, they seek to balance taste, nutrition, and convenience while also being conscious of the waste of food and packaging that often results. Delivering on all of these presents both strain and opportunity for food brands. Scroll through the slideshow to see what consumers are saying about their love for food across these three emerging themes:
- Convenience
- Simple, Real Foods
- Waste Not
10 Brands Delivering Convenience & Real Ingredients While Minimizing Waste
The following brands/products are delivering on convenience and ingredients, while still minimizing waste.
Misfits is fighting food waste along with packaging waste with its convenient produce delivery subscriptions. Fruits and vegetables that are imperfect in form are packaged in compostable bags or recycled and curbside recyclable boxes.
Nestlé recently announced the use of an innovative paper wrapper for its Yes! bars. The wrappers are recyclable and also ensure the quality and freshness of the inherently portable snack bars made from wholesome ingredients.
PODZ packages all of its protein supplements in edible, water-soluble pods made from 100% food-grade ingredients to deliver convenient, portioned protein solutions to busy consumers.
Short for “MInimum WAste,” the Czech startup was founded on a mission to precycle and prevent waste altogether – helping not only sellers and consumers – but also food chain suppliers – prevent the creation of waste. Their innovations include refillable capsules for supply chain transportation, eco-friendly refillable containers for retail and consumer use, and an app to help determine optimal quantities for a household or a specific recipe.
Cleancult is using natural ingredients which include coconut and olive oils and delivering them in refillable, evergreen glass vessels and with refills in recyclable milk cartons to give consumers clean cleaners with next to no waste – and without a trip to the store.
Häagen-Dazs® is one of several food brands partnering with Loop to deliver food consumers trust in exclusive and refillable containers. The ice cream maker offers five flavors in metal tins which are delivered frozen in a reusable tote; empty tins are collected by UPS and returned to Loop to be cleaned and refilled for subsequent purchases.
The popular cobbler makes shoes from merino wool, recycled plastic, and castor bean oil, and then delivers them to consumers in an innovative, on-purpose, and recyclable single box. They eliminate further waste by handling returns and exchanges online and in a paperless fashion.
The venture from P&G makes solid, single-dose cleaning products for body and home that leave people and homes clean without a trace.
The toothpaste startup has innovated in form with foaming bits made from natural ingredients that come in recyclable glass bottles and are shipped to consumers in recycled, recyclable envelopes and boxes.
