Hill+Knowlton Strategies

This week, the Food & Drink team’s Becky Erwood was joined by food trends and ideas company – TheFoodPeople, David Gregory – previously a director of M&S and now senior consultant within the food industry and Alex Renton – The Times food columnist to deliver a thought provoking presentation and debate about The Future of Food.

Brand managers from some of the UK’s most well-known food and drink brands, alongside key media nutritionists and food journalists were presented with a comprehensive report into the factors which directly impact what’s going onto our plates. From 16 year old Korean girls embracing the first technologies in the advanced East; to the UK’s ever increasing waistline – considering what differentiates a food trend from a food fad requires knowledge of a much bigger picture, one that looks beyond the latest ‘It’ cake or pop-up lunch spot.

By 2050, it is predicted that China will be the world’s biggest economic power[i] and undoubtedly, this Eastern influence will impact not only the types of foods and raw ingredients available to us, but also how cultural differences will change the way we eat and drink.  In Tokyo, there are reportedly 50 vending machines per person, a fact that supports our rising ‘on-the-go’ eating culture; another trend likely to rise as we continue to change the way we socialise and work with the increasing availability of ‘helpful’ technology. Indeed, Ocado sees 7 per cent of its sales generated from its recently launched mobile application as commuters furiously combine their weekly shop into their spare pockets of time.

The latest UK figures[ii] outline that 1 in 4 adults are obese which has sparked initiatives such as Change4Life, which strives to educate us about exercise, weight management and living healthily. Interestingly, food journalist Alex Renton notes that 47 per cent of adults in the UK do not possess the basic numeracy skills to decipher or understand the current food labelling systems that outline the nutritional value of the foods we’re currently consuming. This worrying statistic raises the question of whose responsibility is it to make sure these messages are being received and most importantly, understood. Surely brands cannot be expected to carry this burden alone, but the introduction of ‘calorie meal deals’ an innovation suggested by thefoodpeople, certainly seems an interesting one that combines our desire to save money in the current climate and easily and accessibly keep within the parameters that dictate healthy living.

Full footage from the event will be posted early next week, so if you’re keen to find out how the Future of Food might look, visit www.hillandknowlton.co.uk to find out more.

P.s. For all those who missed it, there was delightfully decadent white tree, adorned with a cornucopia of different foods lighting up the lobby. Check out @HK_London for a pic.

[ii] http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Obesity-and-Overweight.htm