Bessler Consulting was present at Terra Madre, Salone del Gusto, during 22nd- 26th of September, a long-standing event run by the Slow Food Network every 2 years, in the city of Turin.
This global gathering, is the world’s largest event dedicated to sustainable food and food politics, showcasing, how food can be a bridge to peace, through inclusion and dialog.
The ‘slogan’ of this year’s edition was Regeneraction, stressing the importance of Regeneration and the necessity of action within it.
Talks and dedicated booths were addressing topics such as education, public health, indigenous knowledge, biodiversity, soil health, tourism, different ways of agriculture as well as activism.
Local food producers were showcasing their products, from various areas of Italy and special guests from other parts of the world such as Japan, Peru, Albania, Ukraine, Brazil and so on.
In terms of food innovation trends, we noticed that the overarching trend was:
- Local, seasonal and regenerative food produces
Other patterns in food entries included:
- Herbal infusions: Related to certain functional benefits, such as digestive, hangover remedy, focus, relax, boost
- Cheese: Mix of goat & sheep enhancing the products nutritional benefits while integrating two animals to diversify
- Pulses: A lot of awareness on pulses and their benefits for health and the environment
- Gut health: kombucha and other fermented products where stressing their linkage to gut health
Attending the talk about nutrition and epidemiology, tapping into the link of food nutrients and its impact to our health, made us understand the notion of food as medicine. Furthermore, the focus on the socioeconomic parameters, in the affordability and access to food showed us that food security is still a growing issue.
Food & spirituality was another inspiration talk, including various spiritual leaders from Brasil, India, Zambia who talked about the power of food and its healing properties once addressed as a ‘sacred’ and respected aspect of our lives.
Throughout the event, educational material was placed to raise awareness on several matters.
Educating consumers on how to read a food label was one that caught our attention. Misleading claims, nutritional information, certifications and ingredients list were explained in detail to educate the audience once purchasing a food product.
Rodale Institute was also present there, supporting the Hair Care brand Davines, which is one of the pioneer personal care brands that leads the regenerative agriculture in that industry. That shows us a growing trend in other categories apart from the food.
Last but not least, The Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Michael Moss (The New York times) gave a talk about how media can help making healthy food, attractive and the power of advertising in it. His main advice was around storytelling, when trying to sell a product. Showing the story behind the scenes, the way the food is produced, the life and struggles of the producer and its workers. The advice coming from the marketing Guru, who he partnered with on a healthy food campaign, clearly stressed out, that the audience in order to find an add appealing, needs no preaching, but to get inspired in order to desire.
Overall, the key insight was the growing emphasis on regeneration and education and how local and indigenous communities can play a pivotal role in this transition.
Looking forward to the next edition!