Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Foodscapes - Live!
I've never blogged live before, but this seems like a good time to start. I'm at the Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley, CA, listening to my colleagues present our research about the Future of Foodscapes. Earlier this morning, Jody Ranck provided an overview of foodscapes; Research Manager Crystal Lynn Keeler then presented the four zones of change--the global health economy, technology, sustainability, and trade and finance--that are shaping this evolving foodscape.
We have identified six big emerging stories that constitute our forecast for the future of foodscapes: emerging transparencies, new health commons and collectives, citizen science, contested health claims, new metrics and food categories, and resource conflicts. Rod Falcon is now exploring each of these, offering thoughts on future directions, highlighting an existing trend, and unveiling our "artifacts from the future," which represent our forecasts.
In attendance are representatives from Clifbar, Kellogg, Kraft, Nestle, and Unilever, among others. Our expert panelists this afternoon will be Steve Bodhaine (Yankelovich), Sarah Rich (Dwell magazine), Jennifer Seymour (CDC), Lisa Stone (BlogHer), and Kevin Walker (Food Safety and Technolgy Center--MSU).
A lively discussion/Q&A session has just gotten underway. Theory versus practice? Convenience trumps health? Habit versus cognitive choice? Demographics? Standards?
Time for food--I'll be back soon.
At lunch, I had a great exchange with Lisa Stone, founder/CEO of BlogHer, about giving voice to women and engaging with them about health and wellness issues via new platforms. Lisa was also a big hit later in the afternoon as a member of our expert panel.
After lunch, we held a break-out exercise during which each table picked two zones of change and developed their own big stories and the related trends that indicate why we may be heading in that direction. We ended the workshop with a panel of experts who spoke about food safety, nutrition, sustainability, and other related topics.