9 innovative concept products that celebrate biodiversity
Check out these new forward-thinking concept products from The Future Market, an exhibit that will appear at the Winter Fancy Food Show 2019.
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The Future Market's Description: "Did you know there are more than 1,000 types of bananas in the world? We all know and love the mighty Cavendish banana, which has been the standard banana we see in our grocery stores. But there’s also ultra-sweet bananas like the Lady Finger or the Senorita, the tart-tasting Silk banana, or the giant Rhino Horn banana which can grow up to two feet long. Banana B-Sides includes all of these bananas and more in our signature blended and frozen recipe that’s not only deliciously indulgent, but also supports the biodiversity of bananas and the communities that grow them."
The Future Market's Description: "When you need to perform at your best, Twisted Pod Superfoods has got your back and your blender. A dose of our Moringa or Baobab powders, along with a healthy diet and exercise, will keep your body in tune and have you feeling great. Our signature Moringa powder ('Moringa' derives from a Tamil word, murungai, meaning 'twisted pod') is a good source of protein, calcium, iron, beta-carotene, potassium, calcium, vitamins C&E and antioxidants, this superfood is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Add it to everything from soups to smoothies to supercharge food to the next level... "What’s more is that not only are these products great for you, but they’re great for supporting the communities that grow and process them. Baobab and Moringa are two of the greatest examples of how looking farther afield from your typical mass-produced foods can enrich yourself and others."
The Future Market's Description: "King Flour has been milling high-performance, delicious and sustainable flours for over 25 years. Our mission is to harness the diverse bounty of what America has to offer and not just rely on just a couple kinds of monocultured grains to fill our breadbaskets. America may be best known for its amber waves of grain, but times are changing and it’s not just grain taking center stage anymore. Enter breadfruit and taro, the fastest-growing sources of American flour, and Kernza flour, the next generation of American-based, highly-sustainable grains."
The Future Market's Description: "Fonitos are the crunchy puffs made from Ancient Grains that are fun for all and great for the planet! Fonio is one of the oldest and most important foods grown in Africa and has been sustainably feeding people for centuries. Now, all the magic of 100 percent West African White Fonio can be had as a cravable, nutritious, and convenient snack puff."
The Future Market's Description: "A delicious crispy snack that supports biodiversity (it’s one of the Rediscovered 25) and is highly nutritious with a good dose of dietary fiber, potassium and antioxidants. A staple root, native to Southeast Asia and India, but also popular in Hawaii, this hairy and rough-looking cousin of the potato is a great alternative to highly processed potato chips ... "Over the last century the amount Taro produced has fallen considerably. There were once around 200 to 300 cultivars and today there are only about 80 to 90. But today, every Taro chip you snack on helps support the extensive community of farmers and processors in Hawaii who work tirelessly to cultivate this important crop."
The Future Market's Description: "FarmStand Biodiverse Organics is the world leader in promoting a more biodiverse and delicious freezer section. Our flash-frozen fruits and vegetables from around the world lock in these foods at their peak freshness to be enjoyed whenever the occasion strikes. Our focus is on novel foods that expand your palate and help promote the growth of a wider variety of crops everywhere ... With FarmStand, a world of exploration and discovery lies waiting for you right behind your freezer door."
The Future Market's Description: "Typically, when you think of unripe fruit, it’s not necessarily something you go running to the market for. Not with Jackfruit. Unripe Jackfruit is a hidden treasure from Asia—but hopefully not for long—that’s been a go-to meat stand-in for vegetarians and even meat eaters looking for something healthier without compromising on taste. Craving Pulled Pork? Jackfruit play the part. Need shredded chicken for tacos? Jackfruit can do that too."
The Future Market's Description: "Savannah Mills brings you the best flour that Africa and Asia has to offer. Our line of flours from abroad are helping the world broaden its horizons and tap into the multitude of species and flavors of legumes, grasses and grains that make for wonderful flours. When you use Savannah Mills, you support the local economies and ecosystems that harvest and process these ingredients ... "These flours have so many inherent benefits and tastes that we encourage you to try them all and find your favorites. When you buy and use Savannah Mills, it’s a great way to diversify your pantry and diversify the world’s food supply."
The Future Market's Description: "Discovery Box is a monthly subscription box filled with foods from the Rediscovered initiative’s 25 crops list and more. With your subscription, you’ll receive an assortment of both fresh and processed ingredients each month. We’ve scoured the planet for these foods so you don’t have to. After sampling foods from Discovery Box, you’ll also be able to reorder your favorite items and future support those crops and your enjoyment."
The Future Market's Description: "Discovery Box is a monthly subscription box filled with foods from the Rediscovered initiative’s 25 crops list and more. With your subscription, you’ll receive an assortment of both fresh and processed ingredients each month. We’ve scoured the planet for these foods so you don’t have to. After sampling foods from Discovery Box, you’ll also be able to reorder your favorite items and future support those crops and your enjoyment."
Have you ever wondered what the future of food will look like? If you’re anything like Mike Lee, founder and CEO of Studio Industries and creator of The Future Market, a forward-thinking exhibit that will take place at the Winter Fancy Food Show next week, it may look a lot like the past.
Inspired by the auto industry’s practice of creating concept cars (read: they don't currently exist) to stimulate innovation, concept food products similarly provide space for manufacturers, consumers and designers to imagine; they're a permission slip to dream about a better, tastier future.
To craft the following concept products, Lee and his team identify current trends in the food industry and expand upon them as much as possible. “We take a trend and extrapolate it. We make assumptions about what could happen to the trend years in the future,” says Lee, who adds that maintaining a familiar package design aesthetic was paramount to creating the product concepts. “For us, product concepts are a valuable creative exercise that fosters a vision for the future and reframes how we look at creating products for today.”
The Future Market’s newest crop of products have a particular focus on biodiversity, an issue that Lee says is a fresh look at the idea of sustainability. In the following concept products, you’ll see different varietals of legumes, grains and produce presented in easy-to-consume formats. “Biodiversity is the perfect union of sustainable practices and the discovery of new foods,” says Lee. “Even if you don’t care about the benefits of sustainability, you probably care about finding new nutritious, functional and delicious foods.”
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