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Food design: The Secret Ingredient of a Circular Economy

Every product grabs attention the way they are presented or designed. The same goes for food. This way, food design comes into action. As technology evolves, there will be variations in people’s expectations, which have exceeded food. Even though designing new food-related products sounds interesting, it is a challenging process, including a wide range of processes and creative techniques. Unifying the disciplines such as biology, nutrition, anthropology, sociology, etc., a food product is created by prioritizing the taste, texture, temperature, and color.

It also encompasses how people interact with food like eating practices. Considering the array of processes and workflows in the food industry, the idea of a circular economy has a considerable grip on food design. But Are you familiar with the workings of the circular economy and the reasons behind considering it as a prerequisite choice? This blog will let you know.

Circular Economy

Even though the advancements in technology with the propelling population are welcomed, it has flung environmental repercussions such as climate change, resource depletion, waste generation, and more that can’t be ignored. To curb waste generation, the adoption of a circular economy has a pivotal role in food design creating wonders.

Maximizing the utility of resources and minimizing waste through a circular economy is discovered to be the best way to design food. Merging food design with a circular economy could be a solution to reduce the environmental impact and nurture the regenerative process. This holistic approach, from production to consumption, represents a significant stride towards embedding sustainability into the food system.

About Food Production

The cycle of a circular food economy starts with farms and agricultural practices. Based on in-depth research and studies, it has become pivotal to integrate regenerative practices to prioritize biodiversity, soil health, natural resources, etc. The practices involve polyculture, agroforestry, crop rotation, etc.

In the path of advancing technology, innovative farming is one of the upcoming practices, considered to be an effective way for food production in urban areas. Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Vertical farming are some examples of innovative farming practices prioritizing minimal water usage and maximizing space utilization.

Minimizing Food Waste in Food Design

For the past few decades, waste generation has been an issue across the world. Even though going wasteless is an effective solution, it takes a bit of work to reach this outcome. The first step towards it was to address not just the problem, but also the root cause of it, and the best way to achieve this was through brainstorming.

Disposal of food-relatable products, including highly perishable products contributes significantly to the growing issue of food waste. It often happens due to the food products’ short life shells, temperature changes, etc. However, after delving into the matter, the researchers concluded that transformation to a wasteless environment will only work when the consumers can effectively manage and utilize the food by monitoring the shelf life closely. That’s where food design steps in playing an irreplaceable role from packaging materials to product shelf-life. You might have noticed the change arose due to design innovations such as biodegradable packaging and compostable materials.

This way, technology acts as a superhero in minimizing spoilage in the food supply chain. Smart packaging equipped with sensors could be a perfect example to consider. This innovation is a solution to monitor the freshness and control temperature to extend the shelf life of the food products. 

Evoking Circular Consumption Model

Like food designers, consumers also play a crucial role in the circular food economy. Their expectations and choices towards food or food-related products have a central role in designing sustainably packaged or produced food items. So, it is crucial to educate the target audiences or consumers about the environmental crisis and the necessity of sustainability. To teach people about the impact of wasting food and ways to prevent it, there are many resources available online. One such online resource we found is savethefood.com by Ad Council and NRDC. It is a great guide to know the shelf life of some products and some storage tips. It eventually encourages the audience to take sustainable actions and turn the tables of the market into sustainable products.

Taking actions such as zero-waste grocery stores and community-supported agriculture are some effective initiatives that transform into sustainable circular models. Another practice that would help in the mission is promoting the utility of locally-grown products, eventually cutting down on transportation emissions. Erasing the single-use plastics from the stores and using reusable containers also leads to a circular consumption model.

Waste Management and Recycling

It doesn’t matter how hard we work on food design to reduce food waste, vanishing some proportion of byproducts will be impossible. In such cases, waste management and recycling come into action. Composting the food waste will aid in producing nutrition-rich soil amendments, leading to the closure of the food cycle. Biogas production from biodegradable food waste is one of the most effective practices followed from the past to the present day. These practices are always the best options for sustainable energy ecosystems.

Food Design for a Circular Cuisine to Sustainability

The transformation to a sustainable environment isn’t solely within the purview of farmers and consumers. The changeover is only feasible through a powerful collaboration of retailers, policymakers, and food manufacturers.

The pivotal shift towards sustainability becomes achievable when industries invest in researching and producing eco-friendly technologies and products. By providing constructive awareness to the audience, you can switch the consumer’s attention towards sustainable brands.

Being the secret spice to the circular economy, effective food design acts as a beacon, guiding the path to a sustainable tomorrow. From production to consumption and waste management, food design is considered as a linchpin in savoring a sustainable future. Taking a revolutionary step with innovations and fostering collaboration with stakeholders, we could adopt sustainable practices through impeccable food design practices.

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At Lollypop, we pride ourselves on offering the most comprehensive and high-quality data visualization services on the market. Our team of experienced professionals has years of experience in the industry and is dedicated to providing our clients with top-of-the-line services that are tailored to their specific needs. Data visualization is one of the processes in the Data science pipeline that enables the information to be represented in a visually compelling, easy to understand format.We use the latest tools and technologies to create stunning visualizations that are designed to communicate complex data. Contact us today: https://lollypop.design

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Introduction

Philip Kotler was once cited by my Marketing Professor – “Who should ultimately design the product? The customer, of course“. Marketing is all about telling stories and communicating them to the rest of the world in a unique way. Whereas, design is all about creating meaningful and enjoyable products for users. Design communicates a brand, whereas marketing creates interest in it. Imagine the powerful combination that can be created if the silos between marketing and design teams are broken down. Yes, we are referring to marketing and design collaborating to scale high-growth products.

Significance of this Collaboration

To all the designers reading this, you may be thinking you need a marketing strategy if your design is fantastic. Meanwhile, marketing folks might be thinking about why this collaboration is necessary.

Combining digital design and marketing will help you not only to provide an amazing product but also to boost engagement and user acquisition over time, resulting in product growth. The final result of this cross-collaboration will reveal that both these functions are dependent on each other. It’s all about the sync and collaboration between both fields.

But this isn’t just any cross-collaboration; it must be done well, with a focused team and a well-defined goal. Each step in this partnership is meaningful. Here are 5 ways to consider this collaboration. Let’s jump into it.

 1. Define your target audience/customer persona 

Personas play a crucial role in product development. It is a snapshot of your ideal customer. It aids user research teams in making the best decision for the relevant audience. Knowing who you are creating for is just as important as what you’re creating. Should these personas, however, be separated depending on their functions? Definitely not, since it’s perplexing, time-consuming, and takes you off the proper track.

Now if this situation arises, what can be done? We can, instead of building two separate personas for marketing and product design, create one shared persona.

When establishing personas, it’s important to bear in mind that they should be reliable, because a faulty persona might result in a failed product creation.

2. Develop a Marketing Strategy 

 Start early – a well-detailed marketing plan at the beginning of the design process will help in offering better insights to the teams. Early market planning helps in a better understanding of the users.

What is a marketing strategy? It’s the blueprint of everything you want to do to market your product. It should be planned and designed in consultation with your team. When you have the appropriate map, you have a far better chance of accomplishing your business goals. What you need to do is probably in your head, but writing it down and defining it will help you deliver it.

Impact of the right marketing strategy on product development and growth

Without the right marketing methods to fuel your growth, making a profit and staying afloat is practically impossible. When most firms set goals, they immediately focus on the tactics that will help them achieve their objectives. Rarely do firms begin by formulating a strategy that drives it all; one that will guide you along the way.

There’s a good probability that marketing and design teams may deviate from the business goals during the process. A clear and informed strategy will help in filtering out distractions and less effective tactics. Robust marketing strategies will help you in reaching your target audiences. It will also guide you in every business decision that you make.

In a collaborative environment, both the marketing and design teams should work together to come up with the right strategy for the product.

3. Collaboration during every step of the product development

Consider a scenario in which distinct functions (all working toward the same objective) work independently. During the product development process, there will be back-and-forth scheduling of meetings, emails, and miscommunication, among various other things.

Now, consider a scenario in which these teams have been working together since the beginning of the product development process.

Which scenario do you believe is the most ideal? It’s definitely the latter, in my opinion! When teams collaborate, they are more likely to arrive at solutions more quickly. Marketers, UI, and UX  designers will find themselves working closely together in this cross-collaboration. An overall enriching experience will arise from proper alignment between marketing and design teams during each step.

Include key players in the collaboration process.

Communicate goals to every team member.

Examine the problem statement from various perspectives.

Come up with multiple solutions to the problem. 

Identify which solution will have maximum impact across all teams.

Having a clear goal, setting realistic expectations, and discussing progress together can all help to ensure proper collaboration. Also, make sure that both teams are aware of the key terminology before you start working on the project. Create a shared document that contains all of the expectations and requirements for cross-collaboration. This can act as a manual,  in case something goes wrong or if there’s any ambiguity.

4. Marketing/User Insights

The audience’s feedback tells us what kind of user experience they’ve had before. It assists in the collection of data on what may be improved, differentiating techniques that can be used, and what people expect from the product.

The marketing team’s job is to deliver information on the current market scenario and how it looks. The design team would then work with this information and creatively process it.

For example, Uber Eats had released a revamped consumer-facing app with improved graphics and animations. These animated visuals, which feature bright mixing bowls and culinary equipment throughout the prep phase and cute miniature delivery bags full of food, give the app a friendlier image. At the same time, they assist in keeping the user informed about the status of their order at various stages of the delivery process.

Using these insights and creative thinking, both marketing and design can have a better understanding of one other. The final product should be compatible with the individuals who will use it. Understanding your audience helps in targeting and identifying their needs.

5. Fix the Disconnect 

It is critical to bring teams together in order for them to operate together without friction. As the teams come from two distinct backgrounds, there’s a strong likelihood of them clashing.

A sense of togetherness can be generated if both teams collaborate to improve their performance. Focusing on performance can help teams work collaboratively to address problems more effectively. We have content and strategies in marketing, but without outcomes, it is simply not successful. Similarly, if the landing page isn’t engaging and converting users, it doesn’t matter how original or eccentric the design is.

Between the teams – it’s important to remember that Communication is Key. Collaboration happens when team members feel that they can be vocal about their thoughts and ideas. It is important to have a continuous flow of information taking place. This ensures that each team better understands the other. If the teams are operating from the same office, they could be seated together throughout the project. If they’re working remotely, they should have a common communication medium, such as an instant chat, rather than relying on email. Effective communication is what leads to greater collaboration and higher performance.

To sum it up