GDI researcher Christine Schäfer: "People are trying to eat healthier and more sustainably."

Martina Graf, LID: What are you currently working on at the GDI?
Christine Schäfer: I'm currently working on a new study on food culture: how it influences us, how it affects our consumer behaviour and whether it can be a hindrance or a help with regard to sustainability. This is also the topic of the next International Food Innovation Conference, which we will be holding at the GDI in June. We try to look at the entire food system and take a global perspective, but we're also aware of our eurocentric view. Our focal points are retail and consumption. However, we also take production, processing, industry, distribution and catering into account in our analyses. Our research is conducted more from a theoretical and analytical perspective. We don't have a laboratory in which to develop alternative proteins. We mainly carry out opinion polls in the consumer sector and work a lot with expert interviews, which mostly tend to be qualitative.

How would you define the term "trend"?
That's not an easy question to answer. A trend always has something to do with change. There are different levels. We talk about mega-trends, i.e. the major long-term changes that affect several sectors and are relatively stable, even across countries, industries and sections of the population. Then there are the more small-scale macro and micro trends, some of which also affect several sectors. And then there are very short-term developments. These tend to fall under the heading "hype". Especially when something new emerges, it is difficult to determine whether it really is a trend or will quickly fizzle out again. At the GDI, we primarily focus on mega-trends.

Which topics and trends are dominating consumer behaviour in the area of nutrition?
At present, many food trends can be reduced to three main concepts: health, sustainability and convenience. These are the perceived perennial issues that I deal with. There are also numerous sub-issues embedded in these areas. In the area of health, we are observing a trend in which nutrition is increasingly being used not only prophylactically to stay healthy, but also as a kind of medicine. The issue of self-optimisation is also included. For instance, data generated by measuring devices that are integrated into watches and help us to monitor our health, or health insurance offers that generate a discount if you are active. The combination of sustainability and health is reflected in the planetary health diet, for example. Here, the aim is to eat in a way that is optimal for both your own body and the environment, so that you find a balance. Convenience reflects the time pressures that we are all under. Many people are looking for ways to save time without compromising on quality or enjoyment. Consciously enjoying meals and cooking for yourself are becoming conscious decisions that you indulge in when time permits.

Read the whole interview on lid.ch. 
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