Eating Sustainably
Consumer insight
Published on: 
2011
Philanthropy
  • Eating Sustainably
    A study into the consumer motivations and barriers that surround food issues

    The Opportunity & Journey
    Cooler Solutions often engages in exploratory projects designed to deepen our inherent knowledge in any given field of expertise. Cooler’s study on consumer food behaviours sought to better understand consumer values that surround sustainable foods and to provide strategies to bridge the gap between intention and action. The project kicked off with a summer-long ethnographic study that generated deeper understanding of consumer eating and home-cooking routines, perceptions, and motivations. This understanding, along with a literature review and survey of sustainable food businesses contributed towards the development of key Design Principles. These Principles can be used by anyone in the community (designers, business people, policy makers and more) to help elicit more sustainable food behaviours in consumers. Follow up projects to this study have included the design of an interior green wall, the conceptual development of garden containers for small-spaces, the “My-Bean” vegetable-growing activity book and website for children, and further studies that leverage photo elicitation techniques.
     
    Selected Insights & Design Implications
    • Food is inherently social, and social eating generally entails more whole-food preparation. Those who were isolated generally didn’t enjoy cooking and often experienced a certain disconnect from the food system. “I think for us it’s a good relationship builder to be able to cook together.”  Implication: Involving family, friends, neighbours, community, and children in the growing and preparation of food transforms those activities from a “task” into a social activity.  
    • Participants emphasized a willingness to spend more money on local foods. Purchasing local foods was linked to a sense of nationalism, to a personal connection to farming, and to the appreciation for good taste and freshness. Implication: Consumers are better-situated to understand and appreciate the value offering presented by locally-produced foods. Emphasizing the origins of local foods on its labelling and facilitating backyard gardening are just a few ways in which consumers can be moved towards healthier food practices.

    The Results
    The report Design for Change was released in May 2011 and was well-received by members within the local food community. Cooler continues to leverage the projects’ key learnings by developing product and service concepts for clients that will support their own green initiatives. 

    Download the report
  • Field immersion at Cruda Cafe: Making raw food
  • Field immersion at the Alex Wilson Community Garden
  • Outdoor ideation