Mindful Eating: Food with Purpose
Consumers want to tap into the power of food, finding the balance between satiety, nutrition and indulgence.
By taking a more mindful approach to eating, they can nourish not only the body, but also their mental well-being. Across the board, food and beverages are seeing an expansion from traditional “plus,” “minus” or “free-from” claims into more complex functional benefits. Consumers now use a vast spectrum to define well-being that allows them to personalise their health priorities. These can span from digestive health and immunity, to brain function and mood enhancement.
Sustainability plays a critical role in the mindful eating space — not just to consumers but across the supply chain. In the UK, a restaurant focused on “living food” presents a curated menu for those passionate about taste, health and ingredient sourcing.
Beyond physical, emotional and cognitive benefits, the health of the planet is also coming into play. Climatarian diets are on the rise, with consumers seeking out foods that have lower carbon footprints. Commercial and non-commercial operations are stepping up to make a difference and help consumers choose earth-friendly meals by tracking carbon footprints.
3 TRENDS TO WATCH
MENU CLAIMS:
Operators will expand menu descriptions and communications to reflect the benefits and claims of functional ingredients as they relate to physical and mental well-being.
EDUCATION:
Operators will provide more education around specific functional ingredients to increase consumer understanding and credibility of claims.
CLIMATARIAN:
Mindful eating will expand beyond personal health and incorporate a conscious effort to make eating decisions based on what’s best for the planet.
insights snapshot
4 out of 5
Spanish consumers agree that what you eat directly impacts your emotional well-being, creating an opportunity for products that promote specific emotional needs
x 2
Immunity-focused claims have almost DOUBLED across new launches in Germany in the past 5 years indicating the ongoing market growth for products which provide targeted health benefits
2/3rds
of UK consumers agree it’s difficult to know whether products claiming to have health benefits make a difference to your health, indicating an opportunity to develop ranges that communicate clear and functional benefits
foodservice inspiration
Good Bank (Germany) is the very first vertical-farm-to-table restaurant in the world. Rows of greens line the walls up to the ceiling protected behind glass doors. Guests can watch their own meal being harvested fresh before their eyes. No pesticides or genetically modified seeds are used in this farm, just an LED light to help the salads grow.
Good Bank’s menu is a healthy selection of salad bowls, soups and sandwiches that incorporate fresh and sustainable ingredients.
After having experienced the powerful healing benefits of a plant-based diet, Founder Camilla Fayed was inspired to create Farmacy (UK) - a place for those passionate about taste, provenance and ‘living food’ recipes that are good for human health and sustainability. She takes a holistic health and whole food approach to dishes.
Camilla’s passion lies in natural farming and she based her foundation on biodynamics, a sustainable and holistic approach to agriculture, with the aim of creating educational initiatives to share this knowledge.
Early 2020, the pop-up restaurant The Good Plates was created in London (UK) by experts in nutritional therapy and interior design specifically to complement positive mental health. The restaurant provided an interactive and enjoyable way to learn about how certain foods, surroundings and social interactions can complement overall wellbeing when introduced into daily life.
The Good Plates’ menu was created by chef and mental health ambassador Andrew Clarke under the supervision of nutritional therapist Ian Marber. Take a look to the menu that was served.
culinary inspiration
Get inspired by these on-trend concepts to create innovative offerings using Custom Culinary® products.
Tempura asparagus with garden salad
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Pick your own salad greens and vegetables. Marinate them with the Custom Culinary® Gold Label Vegetable Fond to get a more intense flavour and also incorporate them into your salad dressing.
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Use the Custom Culinary® Chef’s Own™ Tempura Batter to create more textures & layers of flavour to your fresh salad.
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Add some of the Custom Culinary® Master’s Touch® Smoky Habanero Sauce for exciting heat & flavour to your dish.
Want to know the steps to prepare delicious crispy green asparagus, check the full recipe HERE!
Custom Culinary® products that Alex used:
- Custom Culinary® Gold Label Vegetable Fond - A concentrated classic vegetable fond made of carrot, leek, onion and turnip to use in vegan soups, stews, casseroles, risotto and pasta dishes to boost overall flavour.
- Custom Culinary® Chef’s Own™ Tempura Batter - Lightly seasoned, crispy, rice flour tempura batter mix.
- Custom Culinary® Master’s Touch® Smoky Habanero Sauce - A Smokey Habanero style chilli sauce with hot red chilli, oregano and a touch of garlic.
GLOBAL COMMITMENT TO NUTRITION
As a proud member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Griffith Foods is committed to developing products that are aligned with the council’s Responsible Business Pledge for Better Nutrition. The pledge is a framework for business leaders to make nutrition a board-level priority by registering SMART nutrition commitments within the world’s first independent and comprehensive platform, the Global Nutrition Report’s Nutrition Accountability Framework (NAF).
The objective of the NAF is to support the shared goal of ending poor diets and malnutrition in all its forms while enabling the transparency necessary to shape strong future commitments for nutrition.
LEARN MORE
Our team is focused on achieving these goals with six commitments that cover all areas of our business:
- At least 50% of our finished products will meet or exceed external global nutrition standards by 2030
- External global nutrition standards will be incorporated into our product development process for all innovations by 2025
- 100% of our global workforce will successfully complete a nutrition education program developed by credentialed healthcare professionals by 2025
- We are committed to partnering with our customers to develop and offer more nutritious products, including more plant-forward offerings, by 2030
- 25% of our portfolio will use regenerative agriculture ingredients by 2030
- We will increase our investment in nutrition by 2030
Learn more about our commitment to health and nutrition in our latest Sustainability Report.