LSN : News : Stat: Young US citizens rely on ultra-processed foods

Laundry brand Kair caters for sustainable wardrobes

Kair laundry care, UK

UK – In response to growing interest in sustainable fashion, Kair has launched a range of specialised detergents, fabric softeners and garment fresheners. While many traditional laundry formulas are unsuitable for fabrics like silks and delicate cottons, the brand is enabling such products to be washed at home.

By offering solutions for specific purposes, with one cleaner for activewear, for example, Kair is also expanding the lifespan of people’s wardrobes. Sally Hughes, founder of Kair, was inspired to create the brand while hosting a pop-up for fashion brand Rixo. She says: ‘In the space of six months… I saw more customers coming in and asking about clothing care, fabrication and sustainability than I’ve seen in five years.’ This growing demand for more sustainable approaches to clothing is therefore requiring more targeted solutions for Conscious Aftercare.

As demand for sustainable fashion solutions continues to grow, brands must take responsibility and support consumers through products and services that allow garments to be kept for longer.

Strategic opportunity

Laundry brands should develop formulas that are appealing and easy to use. Consider teaming up with sustainable fasion companies to communicate the importance of investing in appropriate garment aftercare

Elude app simplifies next-gen travel discovery

Elude, US

US – With traditional methods of booking travel experiences proving largely inefficient, travel app Elude is disrupting the sector with its budget-first search engine. Allowing users to discover curated tourism suggestions based on their price range, Elude provides access to flights, nearest airports and accommodation.

Its highly personalised approach also offers future travel itineraries and encourages users to explore global destinations they may not have previously considered. By elevating the pre-departure customer journey, Elude appeals to some of the ideas we explore in Before & After Travel. ‘Shopping for travel is broken, and we are modernising an archaic system by supercharging the way people plan their vacations,’ says Alex Simon, CEO of Elude. ‘People deserve to feel emboldened to explore, and we want our users to have access to the transformative power of travel more often.’

With the travel and hospitality sector entering a phase of recovery post-pandemic, brands must cater for new demands from consumers – prioritising safety concerns alongside personal budgets.

Strategic opportunity

Looking to the wider hospitality sector, restaurants and leisure venues can take inspiration from Elude to offer a similar discovery experience. Focus on ways to streamline people’s travel and leisure experiences from start to finish

Match’s latest features appeal to later-life daters

Global – Online dating platform Match has responded to frustrations from its users about behaviours such as swiping and ghosting. As a solution, its latest features include a recommendation system, Matched by Us, along with an anti-ghosting feature that encourages users to either continue a conversation or unmatch recipients. The update will present users with one match per week based on a set of preferences around users’ personalities.

Through this approach, Match recognises the contrasting dating behaviours of its target demographic, with many of its users hoping to find a long-term partnership rather than casual encounters. Meanwhile, offering a targeted approach also mitigates a sense of swipe fatigue – an idea also addressed by dating app Thursday.

As the dating landscape evolves beyond the restrictive methods of Socially Distant Dating, audiences are seeking seamless platforms that better connect them with potential partners.

Match branding by Collins, US

Strategic opportunity

When reaching older demographics, consider the lifestyle needs of these audiences and the lack of time they might have to spend on dating apps. In response, try to streamline the process and curate targeted experiences

Stat: Young US citizens rely on ultra-processed foods

Happy Losers by Gustav Almestål for The Gourmand

Young people in the US are consuming concerning amounts of heavily processed foods as a core part of their daily diets. According to a study conducted by JAMA over a 20-year period, this behaviour has grown and continues to affect the health of children and teenagers.

The research reveals that, in the US, two-thirds of young people’s calories come from ultra-processed foods like chips, biscuits, microwaveable meals and frozen pizza. The study, which examined the diets of children aged 2–19, shows that the percentage of energy consumed from ultra-processed foods rose by 5.6 percentage points between 1999 and 2018.

In terms of demographics, there was a significantly larger increase in the estimated percentage of energy from consumption of ultra-processed foods among non-Hispanic Black youth (from 62.2% to 72.5%) and Mexican American youth (from 55.8% to 63.5%).

This presents food brands with an opportunity to address the needs of different consumer groups and to make high-quality products accessible at fair prices. Discover more on this idea in Affirmative Fractions.

Strategic opportunity

Food outlets should consider dynamic pricing options for areas with a high percentage of low-income families. Try to also prioritise marketing campaigns around healthy and accessible products that appeal to young people