esign for Change: Eating Sustain
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Change: Eating Sustainably Desi
Design for Change: Eating Sustai
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Sustainably Design for Change: E
Design for Change provides
strategies to bridge the gap
between consumer intention
and action.
CONTRIBUTORS
Chris Ferguson, Partner
Mihnea Galeteanu, Business Analyst
Csilla Kalocsai, Anthropologist
Zayna Khayat, Strategist
Michelle McCune, Designer
Heidi Mok, Designer
Bruno Moynie, Ethnographer
Daphne Randall, Food Writer
Vincent Sowa, Business Analyst
Jayesh Srivastava, Product Development Analyst
Dhushan Thevarajah, Behavioural Economist
Please direct any follow-up inquiries
and requests to
[email protected]
May 2011
© Bridgeable 2011
Design for Change:
Eating Sustainably
Contents
Bridgeable is a design and innovation
firm. Bridgeable helps companies gain
deep insight into their customers,
design relevant products and services,
and develop the processes and
capabilities to sustain innovation.
Our team includes social scientists,
industrial designers, business
strategists, and industry experts alike
that work collaboratively with clients
throughout the course of a project.
Using this approach, teams are able to
effectively tackle complex problems
that include broader social and
business contexts.
2
Introduction
6
Design Principles
8
Insights
Rationale
At a Glance
Approach
12
Sustainable Food Choices
34
Influencing Consumer Behaviour
46
Inspiration
56
Sources
Case Studies & Analogs
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Learn more
Bridgeable
INTRODUCTION
F
or many people, adjusting purchasing
and consumption behaviour to be more
socially and environmentally responsible
is a difficult transition to make. While the
environment ranks as the second most important
issue for Canadians, surpassed only by healthcare,1 Canada’s track record on environmental
responsibility paints an entirely different image.
Canada consumes the largest amount of energy
on a per capita basis worldwide and is the second
largest producer of greenhouse gases after the
United States.2 For many social scientists, this
incongruity is familiar—it is common for what
people say to be at odds with how they actually
behave.
Experience suggests that education and information on environmental
issues—from social media campaigns to government programs—does not
necessarily foster true behaviour change. Awareness alone is not enough.
Engagement is key. Bridgeable’s “Design for Change” challenge is to
develop useful strategies to help designers and consumers bridge the gap
between intention and action. Our mandate is to understand how to motivate
real and meaningful behaviour change amongst consumers to be more
socially and environmentally responsible.
This report provides insight into the consumer perspective on sustainable
eating with two key objectives:
1. Communicate key insights into consumer decision criteria vis-à-vis
food selection.
2. Report design principles that foster sustainable behaviour change.
1
2
2
“Health Care, Environment Top Issues in Canada,” Angus Reid. 2006.
“Canada’s Emissions,” David Suzuki Foundation.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Photo by Colin O’Connor
33
Rationale
“We would do well to regard
the whole problem of health in
soil, plant, animal and man as
one great subject. Our personal
health is inextricably bound up
with the health of the entire food
network.” - Michael Pollen
Rationale
A “food system” is a process that aims to create a
more direct link between the producers of food
and the consumers of food. The system consists
of several components including production,
processing, distribution, consumption and waste
disposal. In a country such as Canada, which
stretches over great distance and encompasses
areas of both dense and sparse population, the
food system operates on a number of levels: local,
regional, provincial and national.
For decades, Canadians have believed in the
safety and security of their food system. We didn’t
think much about the effects of agriculture and
food production on our environment. Pesticides
and fertilizers seemed to be a ‘natural’ component
to farm productivity and the viability of a crop.
Factory farming and animal welfare were not
topical subjects. Hormones and antibiotics
were discussed in terms of human health and
not as dairy contaminants. And the idea of an
industrialized food production system was touted
as both progressive and efficient. It has taken
decades for the consequences of commercialized
agricultural to come to light.
4
4
Photo by Colin O’Connor
Introduction
Our food system has grown from a small network
of family-owned community-based farms, to
a highly industrialized operation attached to
a few corporate interests and subsidized by
government. We face ongoing devastating effects
of climate change, in addition to peak oil, water
access and soil degradation. Our fixed resources
are running out when there are more people than
ever on the planet to feed. There is no better time
than the present to start making changes towards
enabling a sustainable food system to take root
and thrive.
The positive news is that through awareness and
individual accountability, significant changes are
occurring in the food system, both in Canada and
on a global level. Initiatives for a more sustainable
food production system are being implemented at
an unprecedented rate. We are facing enormous
opportunity. There are many advocates for
positive change. The market for organic and
local food has doubled every four years over the
past two decades, and is expected to continue
to grow.3 The greening movement has proven
itself to be a viable platform for innovators on
issues like alternative energy use, transportation,
nutrition, biodiversity and the environment. A
2010 United Nations’ report revealed that eating
sustainably is a fundamental way to address the
looming impacts of climate change.4 This fact is
the root of the purpose of our paper: to explore
the relationship we have with our food, and to
determine ways to elicit positive change.
3
4
“Grow Local Organic,” OACC.
“Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production,” United Nations’ report, 2010.
Bridgeable
5
DESIGN PRINCIPLES AT A GLANCE
6
Design Principles
Encouraging Sustainable Food Choices
Influencing Consumer Behaviour Change
Seek participation
from the whole
family, especially
children.
Increase the profile
of sustainable
food products by
marketing them
and investing in the
sustainable food
brand.
Honour history,
tradition, and
routine.
Target consumers
who are at or
about to encounter
transition points in
their lives.
Make healthy,
sustainable choices
both accessible and
appealing to the
majority of people.
Here is where people
are most likely to
embrace change,
especially more
profound changes of
behaviours, attitudes,
and lifestyle.
Sustainability as an
upper class status
projection will
alienate some middle
and lower class
consumers.
Reframe the
meaning of healthy
eating.
Children often have
a strong influence
on what foods are
consumed within a
household.
Appeal to familiar
family norms and
trusted habits so
that behaviour
change can be more
easily accepted and
integrated.
Tie sustainable
food practices to
social events and
occasions.
Provide consumers
the opportunity to
connect with local
food production.
Address consumer’s
concerns over
time and the lack
thereof.
In making foodrelated activities
more social, the
procurement,
preparation and
consumption of
food will become
inherently more
enjoyable.
Consumers appear
to already have a
bias towards local
foods; there is a
wide appreciation
for the fresh taste,
and consumers
understand the value
of supporting their
local economy.
Busy people and
families may find it
difficult to dedicate
large chunks of time
towards shopping,
food preparation,
consumption and
cleanup.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Consumers often fail
to see the influence
of marketing tactics
on their purchasing
behaviours.
Target consumers
based on the times
and places where
their willpower can
be most influenced.
A person with more
willpower will find
it easier to be more
deliberative and think
critically about their
food purchases.
Emphasize use over
purchase to remind
consumers of the
end goal.
People feel the same
pleasure in steps
leading to completing
a goal as they do in
achieving the goal
itself.
Get consumers to
actively think about
their decisions
by engaging
their Deliberative
System.
The Deliberative
System (DS) is a
system in the brain
that is activated
when individuals are
actively deliberating
and thinking through
their decisions before
making them.
Defining healthy
eating habits in terms
of “naturalness” over
nutritional content
can help steer
consumers away
from processed and
packaged foods.
Bridgeable
7
Insights
Approach
The human-centered research study
was conducted in four parts:
•Interviews: Semi-structured and
open-ended interviews were
conducted with participants.
•Participant-Observation: In-home
observations took place, focusing on
participant kitchens and gardens.
•Expert Interviews: Expert interviews
were conducted at an organic
farm co-op in Brampton, Ontario.
Researchers also participated in a
farm tour with other co-op members.
•Trend Analysis: Analysts conducted
a literature review of trends
and explored innovations in the
sustainable food market.
8
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
What is Human-Centered
Research?
Great design always connects with people; it
delivers meaningful value to the people for
whom it is created. This study relied on a
human-centered approach taken from the social
scientist’s toolbox of research methods. Humancentered research relies on the study of people in
their own environments, aiming to generate deep
understanding of a culture from the perspective
of the members themselves. It samples contexts,
not individuals and allows us to understand
the intricacies of human behaviour—the culture,
meanings, and values that surround people.
When researchers spend time with one person,
they also observe anyone that interacts with the
participant, bringing family members, friends,
and even service personnel into the contextual
mix. This provides researchers with a wellrounded understanding of the people and places
that influence the participant in their decisionmaking processes.
The process is inductive; insights are generated
through observation, conversation and immersion
rather than through deductive testing of
preconceived notions generated by what we think
might be happening. This method does not limit
the participant to pre-defined choices. Often, the
participant provides very open and unexpected
answers that would otherwise remain hidden
in traditional quantitative approaches. Humancentered research methods therefore form the
ideal tool set for sparking consumer-centered
innovation.
Research Methods and
data collection
Using qualitative research methods, we gained an
understanding of peoples’ routines, perceptions,
and motivations around food. Qualitative data
was collected using semi-structured and openended interview techniques with kitchen and
garden tours. A total of nine interviews were
completed. The interviews took place in-home
and three occurred during meal times. An organic
farmer was also engaged as a knowledge expert.
Throughout the project, the Bridgeable team
participated in “sustainability tours” of local
gardens, restaurants, markets, and community
centres in the Toronto area. These local tours
provided an opportunity to observe the unique
ways that organizations represent food in
the community. External research included a
literature review focusing on the food system,
behaviour change social theory, and design
methodology. Team experts contributed to this
discussion, sharing resources considered most
relevant to the project scope and objective.
Additional inspiration was drawn from existing
case studies and initiatives related to food and
sustainability, sourced from consumer eco news
blogs and magazines. The qualitative research
insights combined with external research sources
were synthesized to develop key design principles
around food sustainability for the average
consumer.
Bridgeable
9
Insights
ON STATISTICAL VALIDITY
Where traditional, quantitative research depends
on large sample sizes, qualitative research aims to
develop an entirely different type of understanding.
Complex, dynamic, human activities are often
quite difficult to capture in quantitative surveys
or questionnaires. Harnessing the virtues of both
qualitative and quantitative methods will create a
more holistic understanding of the complexities of
human behaviour.
When assessing the validity of qualitative methods,
sample size often arises as a point of concern. In
human-centered research studies, the number
of participants is often quite small. Qualitative
research aims to sample contexts, not individual
people. In each field visit, the researcher is in fact
exposed to a vast array of “data points”. Successful
qualitative studies rely less on the number of
interviewees, but more on the researcher’s ability to
utilize the richness of the fully contextualized data.
PARTICIPANTS
Our research participants included women
and men in their 30s-50s living in and around
Toronto, who come from lower to upper middle
class families of different cultural and ethnic
backgrounds. They are described below:
Harjit and Svara are a couple in their mid-30s
with a six year old son. Harjit is a mechanical
engineer who earns $125K+ and his wife has not
been working since their son was born. They
live in a house in Vaughan, Ontario but are in the
process of moving into a bigger one nearby. While
talking to us, they were preparing a traditional
Indian meal of roti and dhal, which they eat
whenever they cook at home. Harjit and Svara
also eat in restaurants—sometimes seven days a
week.
Jolene is a woman in her mid-30s living with her
husband and two small children in Thornhill,
Ontario. She is an Administrator in a law firm and
earns $80-99K a year. Since she works during the
day, she does not have much time to cook, but
she holds on to many of the Jewish traditions she
grew up with, such as Shabbat dinners.
Thomas is a man in his mid-30s who lives with a
roommate in downtown Toronto. After working
in politics, he recently started employment at the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, earning
$40-50K a year. In the evenings, he practices
comedy at a club. Thomas comes from a poor
family where healthy whole foods were scarce
and fast foods were a treat. Now as a socially
mobile individual, Thomas finds little time to
cook healthy meals and spends his money on
take-out and fast food restaurants.
10
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Anita is a woman in her early 30s who lives
with her husband and baby son in a house
in Woodbridge, Ontario. She is a teacher on
maternity leave, and together with her husband
earns $125K+ a year. She comes from a South
Asian background, which is hardly traceable in
her food practices. Anita makes yogurt and bread
(with a bread machine), but otherwise she does
not cook much at home, often relying on take-out.
Lori is a woman in her mid-40s, separated from
her husband, and living with her daughter in a
house in Scarborough, Ontario. She is a registered
nurse who works for the Toronto District School
Board, and earns $40-50K a year. Lori comes from
a Polish family, which is traceable in her diet, but
most of the time she eats quicker, lighter, and
healthier meals. Among our interviewees, she does
the most gardening, growing fruits, vegetables and
herbs in her backyard.
Marta is a woman in her late 30s who lives with
her elderly mother in a semi-detached house
in the St. Clair/Jane area of Toronto. She works
as a mail carrier earning $40-50K a year. Her
Polish background is traceable in her diet but she
usually makes quicker and lighter meals and loves
to barbecue. As a farmer’s daughter, she tries to
purchase fresh and local foods. In her backyard
she has pots of tomatoes, basil, and flowers.
Robert is a man in his 50s who is single and comes
from a farming family in Nova Scotia. He went to
art school and was a dancer and photographer but
now works as a customer service representative
for the LCBO earning $50-60K a year. Robert is
extremely health and body conscious, and mostly
eats organic food.
Sam is a man in his mid-30s who lives with
his girlfriend Melissa in a house. He studied
environmental science, works as a teacher, and
their combined household income is $140K a year.
As an upwardly mobile West Indian man, his food
habits are greatly defined by leaving a traditional
ethnic diet behind and becoming more diverse and
healthy. He and his partner cook together every
weekend so they can have meals for the rest of the
week.
Mark and Heather are a couple in their mid-30s
living in a house in Lakeshore Village. Mark is a
health and safety coordinator and Heather is a
teacher, together earning $125K a year. They claim
to be very health conscious, and live on a protein
diet complemented with a strict fitness regime—
often choosing supplements over whole foods.
Their garden is barren since uprooting the fruits
and vegetables planted by the previous owner.
KNOWLEDGE EXPERTS
Colin is an organic farmer in his mid-30s in
Brampton, Ontario who operates an organic farm
that handles food production and distribution.
He uses sustainable preparation practices—eating
in season, eating what he grows, and preserving
for winter. Colin’s personal dilemma is trying
to reconcile eating a sustainable diet while also
practicing a passion for golf (which he considers
to be an environmentally damaging sport).
Coleen is a social worker in her mid-late 20s who
lives in downtown Toronto. She commutes several
times a week to Colin’s organic farm where she
volunteers. Since she cannot have a garden in her
apartment, she enjoys helping out at the farm.
Bridgeable
11
Insights
“
Insights for
Sustainable
Food Choices
There is no love sincerer than the love
of food.”
-George Bernard Shaw
Social interactions and the pleasure of
food
Food fuels our bodies; it is integral to our physical survival but we also
experience food in profoundly social ways. Mealtime is an occasion for
people to come together, to prepare, to share and to consume food. Food
acts as an offering—when we provide food to our family and friends, we
are extending a message of hospitality and generosity. When research
participants enjoyed food preparation and eating, they often
experienced these processes as social and communal, filled with
feelings of pride.
“I think for us it’s a good relationship builder to be able to cook together.”
-Sam
Whole foods are foods
that are in their raw
material state. They are
processed and refined
as little as possible,
before being consumed.
Therefore, these foods
require preparation
and cooking versus
pre-prepared foods or
take-out foods.
12
12 Photo by Mike Loveless
But not everyone experiences food in this way. Families with busy lifestyles
and singles living on their own often eat food in isolation. For many study
participants, this isolation transforms eating from a social event into a
more functional practice. In social isolation, preparing and eating food is
often less enjoyable. Thomas, for example, is a single man who never cooks
for himself; he either eats out or he brings take out and pre-made dinners
home. Although his roommate occasionally cooks for him, he only cooks
once or twice a year for a charity event, where he prepares his “famous
jambalaya”, drawing from his collection of spices and herbs. Similarly, Marta,
who lives with her elderly mother, contends that the reason she does not
cook much is that she does not have a family. Jolene however does have a
family, though she still eats separately from her kids and husband. They
operate on very individual schedules.
Participants who were more disconnected from whole foods and their
preparation generally placed a greater emphasis on food purchase and
assembly over cooking. In contrast, Sam states that cooking together with his
partner Melissa is an enjoyable experience that is good for his relationship.
While they do not cook every night, the time they spend batch cooking on
the weekend is a social experience and important to their relationship.
Bridgeable
13
Insights
H
A lack of pleasure in preparation Household dynamics and
of food was linked to consumers’ the influence of family
disconnection from the food and friends
system.
A lack of pleasure in preparation of food was
linked to consumers’ disconnection from the
food system. In a post-industrial society, eating
can be equated to putting fuel in a tank versus
gathering for a social event. Consumers who
emphasized prepared foods tended to lack joy in
the acquisition, preparation and eating process.
In contrast, consumers who emphasized sourcing
and cooking with whole foods gained more
pleasure and were empowered by their sense of
simple, traditional living.
We often have little information about how
our food is produced—inputs, processing and
distribution. This disconnect from whole foods
and lack of information resulted in a vague
understanding of sustainability issues at hand.
Friends, neighbours and colleagues hold
significant influence on a person’s food and
related household practices. Lori, for example,
is usually very eco-conscious, but she uses
different lawn mowers in the front and backyard.
Although her electric mower uses more energy,
she still uses it in the front (where everyone can
see) because it trims her lawn in a much tidier
fashion. In the back yard, Lori relies on her push
mower to conserve energy.
“Yesterday we had a typical Polish dinner; we
had the schnitzel, potatoes—Ontario-grown. We
just came back from St. Jacob’s market and so
we brought (home) all the nice fresh stuff. We
had some beans, some sliced cucumber with
some sour cream in there, like a little salad… So
we had all that stuff. But then other days, it’s like
a hamburger there, you know… We don’t really
follow the traditions because it’s only my mom
and I. Sometimes we don’t want to cook. I mean
maybe if we were a bigger family it would be a
different story.”
-Marta
Where food is concerned, people tend to
define their behaviours vis-à-vis their family
habits and traditions. These traditions often
appear in household routines, though evolved or
modified in some way. Overall, there is a tendency
to introduce easier, quicker, lighter, and healthier
meals into the repertoire. Marta downplays her
home cooking; while she cooks comparably
more meals at home than the other participants,
she states that she does not “really cook”. Marta
14
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
compares her current cooking routines to those
of her childhood when traditional Polish family
meals were a multi-course affair. As she has no
children or partner and lives with her mother, she
feels like she has little occasion to cook elaborate
meals. Marta is however an avid barbecuer
and practices a lot of grilling, especially in the
summer.
“Well we definitely didn’t have salad. Salad, I
don’t think that was really in existence. Polish
people didn’t eat salad. So that was probably
either in my later teens or probably in my 20s
when I moved out and started seeing other
people. I learned more about Canadian food
when I worked in the hospital kitchen—from the
time I was 16 or 17. Then I was introduced to all
these foods like parsnips, brussel sprouts—more
traditional Canadian foods that I had never even
heard of. I didn’t even know what they were!” -Lori
Food behaviours change throughout a
person’s life, often triggered by key life events
like when a person leaves the parental house
to start an independent life or when there is
a spousal separation. Discussions on familial
relations indicate that at certain life stages,
changes in an individual’s behaviour around food
are more likely to occur. The identified stages are
as follows: leaving the parental home, creating/
breaking up a family, at times of health and
weight issues, and at times of geographical and
social mobility. There is a general tendency, for
example, to introduce more organic food items
into a household when people bear and raise
children, such as in cases of Harjit and Svara and
Anita. While Harjit and Svara only serve organic
food to their child, Anita incorporates more and
more organic food into the whole family’s diet.
Discussions on familial
relations indicate that at certain
life stages, changes in an
individual’s behaviour around
food are more likely to happen.
Likewise, Lori describes the start of her working
life and moving into her own house as the
beginning of some dietary changes. Working
in the hospital kitchen exposed her to more
“mainstream Canadian” foods that would not
typically be served by her Polish grandparents.
Furthermore, she describes her separation as a
liberation from a heavier “meat and potatoes”
style diet which was driven primarily by her
husband’s tastes. Now that she is separated, her
dinners are much lighter, incorporating more
salads and vegetables with dairy.
“When I moved out of the house when I was 19 or
20 I did the old typical ‘meat, potato, veggie’—
I did that for quite a few years. I started eating
meat once a week probably only once I was
separated. He always had his meat and potato
thing…”
-Lori
In fact, gender and generational relations
in families appeared to define much of the
household’s food decisions. In many cases,
food selection is driven by husbands and
children. Mark and Heather, for instance, both
follow a protein-rich diet, but Heather’s own
consumption of meat products, especially red
meats, has increased significantly since moving
in with Mark. In fact, Heather was at one point
a vegetarian. She now reports eating red meat at
least once or twice a week.
Bridgeable
15
Insights
“I eat a lot more meat now that I’m around him
though. I was a vegetarian for a long time—not
when we met, but I really wasn’t eating much red
meat at all—and now I probably have it twice a
week with Mark… I used to eat a lot of tofu—he
hates it so I almost never make it—so that kind of
stuff has changed.”
-Heather
Similarly, childrens’ preferences can shape the
family’s food values and habits. Lori, for example,
only eats fish when her daughter is not at home
(her daughter dislikes fish) and cuts up veggies
and fruits for her daughter so that she will eat
them. At school her daughter learned about
slaughter cruelty issues; this has also influenced
their purchase and consumption of meat.
Childrens’ preferences can
shape the family’s food values
and habits.
There are many cultural and ethnic
relationships that surround our consumption
of meat, which can influence the type, the amount,
and way we consume meat. The Lancet medical
journal in a special energy and health series states
that average global consumption of meat at 100
grams a day should be reduced by just 10 grams to
90 grams a day. A small reduction in consumption
will allow countries to meet their 2050 target of
reducing emissions to below 2005 levels.5
“My daughter, she’s not too much into fish, and so
if it’s a Tuesday or Thursday she usually goes to
her dad’s for dinner, I’ll usually make fish for me…
she’s not too thrilled with rice, but I’ll make rice
sometimes.”
-Lori
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
“It’s interesting to think that in my thirties I’m actually a lot more health
conscious and concerned about the way I look than the way I used to be.
It has affected the things I buy. See, I’m not going to buy these milkshakes
—there’s a lot of sugar in them. I would (instead) probably buy soymilk or
yogurt and make my own smoothies. In terms of buying processed food, it is
a definite ‘no, no’.”
-Sam
Throughout our study, it appears that making sustainable choices,
including the purchase of organics, is largely motivated by personal
health and well-being. Concerns about the environment were expressed,
though only on a superficial level. Organic foods were more often correlated
to issues of personal and family risk-reduction—the emphasis being on food
security and safety. Parents often reported purchasing food specifically for
their children—especially when it was perceived as “safer” or more “childfriendly”. Issues recently featured in the media—Chinese tainted milk and
BPA leeching plastic water bottles—were addressed by participants. Plastics
were a recurring example in the interviews; some people avoid plastic water
bottles altogether while others avoid reusing them, resulting in more waste.
Food practices are strongly correlated with health, however, the
definition of “healthy” had a wide range of meanings. Thoughts on the
healthy body and nutrition, weight problems, and how eating makes one
feel in their bodies influenced what and how people chose to eat. Robert, for
example, is on a blood-type diet. Mark and Heather follow a very disciplined
diet based on a lot of eggs and meat—they reported being very keen on
integrating protein into every meal. However, Mark and Heather reported
that when on holiday they are less rigid about food choices and eat whatever
they want. Bodies are often perceived as machines that need to be controlled
and disciplined, reducing food to a fuel. In many instances, its nutritional
content becomes more important than the food itself. Mark and Heather
perceived food with added nutritional supplements (vitamins or minerals)
to be “healthier” than whole foods that naturally contained those vitamins
and minerals in their nutritional make-up.
5
16
Risk and the meaning of health and
wellness
“Eating For A Better Future,” Reportage Enviro.
Bridgeable
17
Insights
Participants expressed The value of sustainability
skepticism and confusion
Money and time are both finite resources in
towards organic foods. any household, however, where organic foods
On the left are four
simple salads
to try at home:
(Top left)
Lettuce / purple
cabbage / hard boiled
eggs / fresh tarragon
(Top right)
White beans / grape
tomatoes / capers /
fresh mint / red onion /
fresh lemon thyme
(Bottom left)
Toasted fresh corn /
fresh spearmint / cumin
seeds
(Bottom right)
Italian parsley /
kohlrabi / red radish
/ mango / chickpeas
radicchio / feta
are concerned, participants questioned their
value over their actual affordability. Frequently,
participants expressed misgivings towards
the “supposed” benefits of organic foods and
they discussed this uncertainty in terms of
value. They often emphasized their expense,
but then most often went on to express their
doubts: is “organic” a marketing ploy, and how
“real” is it? For example, while Marta believed
“organic” produce to be free of “chemicals”, she
also supposed that as a consequence it could be
full of “bugs”. Anita was also uncertain of the
true benefits, but elected to buy a few products
for her son nonetheless. Not fully expressing the
difference marked by “organic” and being unable
to define any differences in quality caused them
to question the higher price tag.
“When it comes to organic, for my son, I try to
buy as much organic food that I can for him. We
also like the bread—I try to buy it from the bakery.
You know, they say it’s organic, but the problem
is that with organic, a lot of people say it’s organic
but it may not be organic. That’s why when I go to
the farmer’s market I hope that it is organic—they
say it is…If there’s an option between organic and
original I try to pick the organic.”
-Anita
While most of our participants were eager
to discuss food in economic terms, they also
emphasized that they were willing to spend
money on local food. For most, however, this
willingness did not extend to organic food. It was
often stated that organic food is “very expensive”.
(Source: Edible Tulip)
18
Salads and photos by Daphne Randall
Bridgeable
19
Insights
Participants emphasized a
willingness to spend more
money on local foods.
Robert was an outlier to this pattern—70% of his
food purchased was organic.
When families perceived sustainable foods to
be beneficial—healthier or tastier—they were
more likely to integrate the foods into their
diets. Some participants articulated the value
of organic product with reference to their own
personal health and well-being (not necessarily
that of the planet). While for many it was difficult
to define “organic”, local foods were consistently
appreciated for their “freshness”. Anita expressed
enthusiasm for fresh bakery bread made in the
store, stating that you can “taste the difference”.
Similarly, Marta makes a point of visiting the St.
Jacob’s farmer’s market often because she likes to
eat “all the nice fresh stuff”.
Most people in the study reported a sense
of concern for the environment. However,
discussions on food politics and issues were
not widely addressed. Children seemed to
connect women and households to thinking
about health, the future, and the earth, sometimes
on a superficial level. Anita did mention the
importance of the earth and her child’s future
briefly. Most of her distinctions surrounding
organic food focused on the safety and health of
her young child. Likewise, Jolene demonstrated
frequent use of plastic wrap and utensils as she
stated that they were safer and more hygienic.
The environmental impacts of these products
was not recognized by Jolene—health and safety
featured prominently.
Sustainability usually took on an ethical form
in the interview narratives. Interviewees
often justified their organic purchase, for
example, as “being the right thing to do” or as
an unquestionable moral obligation towards
20
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Athough I’ll eat the strawberry when frozen
It’s not the very berry I’d have chosen.
The naughty admen claim with gall divine
That it’s better than the genu-ine,
New language they devise to sing its praise,
But only le bon Dieu can coin a fraise.
-Ogden Nash
their children. This emphasis on the ethics
of sustainability may be related to a lack of
information on eco-issues, giving way to
controversial behaviour. While “the earth and
the environment” were frequently cited, the true
motivation for purchasing organic foods was in
risk mitigation and the immediate health of their
children and family.
Several participants also cited purchasing locallygrown products as a way of supporting farmers in
the region; promoting the local economy and food
security. In some instances, purchasing locally
farmed foods was coupled together with going to
“mom and pop” restaurants and purchasing other
local products. The focus on local products
appears to stem from various motivations—
whether it be a sense of Canadian nationalism,
one’s personal connection to farming, or the
appreciation for freshness and taste. While
Marta, for example, stresses the good taste of local
vegetables and fruits, she also admits that the
reason she drives an hour to St. Jacob’s market
is that she comes from a farming family. Her
purchasing decision is in part a show of support
to farmers.*
*Note that the date of
interviews might have
influenced our results
—they were conducted
in July, when much of
the produce in grocery
stores was local.
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21
Insights
Understanding the Issues
The following issues were mentioned by research participants as motivating
factors in their selection of sustainable food. Secondary research helped our
team to understand the broader implications of these issues.
Localism: Most food travels thousands of miles to reach our dinner plates.
By eating locally produced foods, we help ourselves, our communities and
the environment. Interest in locally-produced foods has gained increasing
momentum in regions across Canada. Consumers and businesses alike are
choosing to support local food producers and suppliers. The sustainable food
movement has in some ways helped to revitalize many local community farms.
Environment: The primary contributor to the increase in methane production
has arisen from the exponential increase in livestock production. In 1965, 10
billion livestock animals were slaughtered for meat every year. Today that
number is 55 billion. Air, water and soil are polluted by intense consolidation
of animal waste that becomes toxic. Water pollution and soil erosion are other
outcomes of chemically dependent mono-crop farming.
Food safety: Mass production has resulted in cutting corners on the quality of
animal feed, waste management, processing methods, and distribution. These
all affect the safety of our food. Almost all contaminated drinking water disease
outbreaks occurs as a result of livestock. A 2010 study by Consumer Reports
revealed that two-thirds of store-bought chicken harboured salmonella and/or
campylobacter.
(“Learn About The Issues,” The Meatrix)
On the right are four
simple salads
to try at home:
(Top left)
Steamed asparagus
/ cucumber / raw
pumpkin seeds / queso
fresca / radicchio /
cherry tomatoes
(Top right)
Arugula / mango /
cracked green olives /
ricotta cheese / endive
lettuce
(Bottom left)
Steamed organic
multi-coloured carrots
/ kalama black olives /
parsley / cilantro
(Bottom right)
Organic pear tomatoes
/ raw sugar snap peas /
feta / whole mint leaves
/ tarragon / spicy black
olives / red onion
(Source: Edible Tulip)
22
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Salads and photos by Daphne Randall 23
Insights
Time and the myth of
scarcity
Like money, time is a limited resource. Time—or
the perception of time and how much or little one
has on hand—drives food choices and behaviour.
People in our study talked about “quick and easy”
and “fast and simple” meals, “something easy, I
am always in a hurry”, and “time management
issues”. These time limits are sometimes real,
but often were based on misconceptions about
how much time meal preparation actually
takes, intertwined with a strong culture of
convenience. A few interview participants, for
example, are teachers—they stay home over the
summer months. Still, they complained about
time limitations when it came to food production
and preparation. Similarly, Jolene spoke wistfully
about the relaxing, slow pace of the sabbath
dinner, but in reality, this meal usually consists of
store-prepared foods picked up on the way home
from work.
Given the actual amount of time available to
people, the perception of time as a barrier appears
to be much more complex. The emphasis on time
as a constraint is particularly curious as some
people in fact do have enough time to cook at
home, if only a “simple” meal (i.e.: teachers at
home over the summer, stay-at-home mothers,
participant with a 1 hour “gap” between arriving
at home and leaving for evening activities).
This perception could in fact be interpreted
instead as a trade-off scenario; home cooking
ranks as relatively low in priority in comparison
to other activities. Food preparation can be
easily outsourced (restaurants, take-out and
convenience foods) and a perceived lack of
time drives people to choose convenience over
traditionally prepared foods.
24
Photo by Daphne Randall
Time—or the perception of
time and how much or little one
has—drives food choices and
behaviour.
Debunking myths:
Why learn sustainable home cooking?
1. Economical. Instead of dining out or taking
in, learn to cook some simple and healthy
recipes. Cooking at home saves money! Home
cooks have greater choice in the food they use;
be it local, organic, or both. Harvesting your
own food from your garden, and turning scraps
into compost can help to “close the loop” in a
360O sustainable food system.
2. Food safety. Cooking one’s own food is a good
way to avoid bacterial contamination and toxic
pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and antibiotics.
You will also avoid artificial colours and
flavours, preservatives, and excessive packaging.
Shop at a market that sells real food—never
buy anything that your grandmother wouldn’t
recognize! Cook for yourself and your family. It’s
a big step towards keeping healthy and doing
right by the planet.
3. Health and Nutrition. Locally grown food is
fresher and therefore more nutritionally sound.
When you cook you can keep an eye on the fats,
sugars and salts added to your food. You lose
this control when you buy prepackaged food or
take-out.
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25
Insights
4. Tastes Better. Industrialized and processed
foods have been increasingly corrupted by the
use of cheap chemicals and corn syrup. Many
people have become separated from the taste
of real food that is not filled with preservatives.
The more you cook with whole foods, the more
you realize how much better the food tastes.
When you prepare your own meals, you can
enhance natural flavours through the use of
herbs and spices and sea salt.
5. Try “Meatless Mondays”.6 Reducing meat
consumption is a good step towards better
health for you and for the planet. It will help
to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease,
diabetes, and obesity. Reducing your meat
consumption also reduces your carbon footprint,
saving precious resources like fresh water and
fossil fuels. Going meatless for one day a week
is a way to help out the planet. It has more
widespread benefits than shopping locally
and organically 7 days a week. Doing both—
shopping locally and going meatless one day a
week—is the ultimate goal!
(Source: “10 Reasons To Learn Sustainable Home
Cooking,” Sustainabletable.)
6
26
Meatless Monday.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Food in Canadian Society
Cultural heritage and especially one’s family
upbringing will contribute to the individual’s
core mindset with regards to food. This is
especially evident in individuals who were
raised abroad, where they may have faced very
different challenges with regards to resources
and availability. While Canada is blessed with
abundance in food, water, and energy, the same is
not true of all nations. In some parts of the world,
these resources are often rationed, expensive or
scarce. Canadians may be accustomed to their
circumstances, but immigrant populations
may have an even greater appreciation for
the scarcity and preciousness of available
resources.
“Growing up in Guyana back home I always knew
the impact of waste. There’s no garbage person
to come, (and) if you left something out it stayed
there.”
-Sam
Sam, for example, grew up on a farm in Guyana
where there were no garbage collection services.
The family had to deal with their own waste.
Likewise, Svara hails from a region in India that
is often affected by drought. Her dish washing
technique aims to conserve water flowing from
the tap (Svara applies and scrubs pots with soap
and a damp sponge first, then runs tap water to
rinse). For Harjit, his hometown was particularly
concerned about electricity—he recently installed
daylight fluorescent bulbs in his home.
In our study, it was noted that religious
and ethnic/national heritage had a strong
influence on how and what people ate
and how they treated waste. Participants
followed or benchmarked current behaviours
against these practices. However, they rarely
associated their behaviours with a sustainable
imperative. Participants also noted that they
incorporated foods and practices from other
nationalities.
“I think it goes back to the old days where our
gurus and our god… We don’t carry-over the food
(as it) may not be hygienic… We are vegetarian
because of our religion—our religion calls us to
not kill animals or anybody (in order) to feed
yourself.”
-Harjit
Cultural practices and religion also figured
strongly in food and refuse behaviours. Harjit
and Svara cite their religious beliefs as the reason
why they avoid storing garbage in the house or
eating leftovers. It is also the reason that they
are vegetarians. Jolene too is keenly aware of
food and garbage hygiene as it is an important
part of her kosher practice. These behaviours
are sometimes aligned, sometimes at odds with
sustainability best practices. Notably, participants
generally did not associate such behaviours with a
sustainable imperative.
“I’m coming from an immigrant perspective,
someone who’s worked hard, who knows what
it’s like to struggle. I can remember going to York
University from ‘94 to ‘99 and like having 4 pairs
of pants and having a hot meal was like a luxury,
so I know what it’s like to have to struggle. But
on the other side I know what it’s like—being
a teacher— what are some of the middle class
privileges.”
-Sam
Social mobility is an important
influencer on what people eat
and how it is prepared.
“My family didn’t have a lot of money, and it was
almost—you could eat what you could afford. It’s
a severe issue today with people who are poor
and on the lower rungs of our economy; they can’t
afford to eat healthy. You get (into this) mindset;
it’s almost a survival thing, and a very pragmatic
way of looking at food... I guess if you grow up in
that, (it) becomes a part of your mindset as well.” -Thomas
Likewise, social mobility enabled (and even
pressured) people to either adopt or in
some cases reject new behaviours that they
associate with being “upper class”. Social
mobility is an important influence on what
people eat and how it is prepared. While some
participants adopted more upper middle class
norms, others rejected the practices afforded by
their new prosperity in favour of how they were
raised. For example, Sam, in his effort to adopt
more middle-class behaviours, incorporates
more diverse items into his diet, eats at a variety
of ethnic restaurants, and attends “wine and
cheese parties”. By contrast, Thomas rejects the
“healthier” foods that he associates with upward
social mobility in favour of the foods he grew up
with. He continues to seek out these “unhealthy”
meals, only now he can afford more of them (i.e.
fast foods and sugar cereals). Thomas in fact,
spends more time in fast food restaurants than his
family ever could.
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Insights
CANADIAN FOOD TRENDS
There are patterns in the trends that determine the
success and shape of any new product to hit the
market related to food and buying habits. We’ve
identified several mega trends below:
Lifestage complexity: Core trends include
extended time as singletons, extended time as
older consumers, and an increase in boomeranging
children (children returning home as adults after a
period of living on their own).
Convenience: Convenience leads the list with a
desire for time-saving products and quick fixes
to the challenges of buying and preparing food.
Many people identify time as a hurdle to eating
well and sustainably. Prepared meal consumption
in North America is forecast to double in ten years
(which would be quadruple of the prior decade).
Canadians on the whole have more money, less
time, fewer domestic skills and less inclination to
devote time to food-related chores. This manifests
itself in an increased demand for convenience
foods.
Individualism: Increase in the number of ‘singles’
in western societies is important and is reflected
in the trend towards “looking after me” which
centres on self-orientated gratification, reflected in
spending patterns.
Health: Health is the second trend with an
overwhelming number of consumers feeling
that improving their health is important. This
has confirmed a growth in what is known as a
field called “functional foods”, also referred to
as nutritional eating, which is based on foods
that have been supplemented with nutrients
and minerals. This trend has influenced greater
purchasing power in the areas of organic and
natural foods. Organic food consumption is
expected to grow 10% annually over the next 5
years.
Sensory: Consumers today are seeking out more
intense experiences from products and are more
willing to experiment with new products.
Comfort: Consumers, apparently, are increasingly
on the hunt for ‘comfort food’—food that is used as
a pleasurable escape from daily life.
Connectivity: This is about belonging to a
community and demonstrating shared values
and attitudes. There is an increased sense of
community-sharing as a larger consumer trend:
car sharing, garden plots, communal kitchens.
(Sources: “Canadian Food Trends to 2020,” Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada. Zboraj, “Datamonitor Report Identifies
Consumer ‘Mega-Trends.’”)
Gender complexity: Gender roles are less defined
than they were five or ten years ago. Males are
seeking out healthier, sportier foods and drinks,
which defies traditional masculine consumption.
28
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Cruda Cafe
St. Lawrence Market
Photo by Colin O’Connor 29
KEY DESIGN PRINCIPLES for HELPING
CONSUMERS TO MAKE MORE sustainable
food choices:
Seek participation from
the whole family, especially
children.
Children often have a strong influence
on what foods are consumed within a
household, whether that be specific
food items and aversions, or the
desire for parents to only serve the
“healthiest” and “safest” items.
•
•
•
•
•
30
Products, services and other offerings
should be child-friendly but also appeal to
the rest of the family.
Communicating health benefits to parents
could stimulate more sustainable behaviours.
Products and services should encourage
positive interactions and quality time between parents and their children—if only
in short bursts.
Where older children/teens are involved,
there is an opportunity for education on
sustainable food approaches and issues.
Provide context and explanation for why
certain foods and behaviours are healthier
or more socially/ecologically responsible.
Find ways to include children in meal
preparation, transforming cooking into
“quality together time”.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Honour history, tradition, and
routine.
Appeal to familiar family norms and
trusted habits so that behaviour
change can be more easily accepted
and integrated. Skepticism and
mistrust are often fostered by a lack of
familiarity and understanding.
•
•
•
•
Utilize narrative and storytelling to impart
a sense of continuity and history. Include
familiar stories, conversations, and relatable characters.
Recognize people’s existing traditions,
benchmarks, and emphasize their value
not only in cultural terms, but in sustainable significance as well.
Communicate “newness” as a natural
evolution of the status quo. Approach new
products and designs with an evolutionary mindset and not that of revolutionary
re-invention.
Investigate and introduce clever resourcesaving products and strategies that are
already popular in other regions.
Insights
Target consumers who are
at or about to encounter
transition points in their lives.
Transition points are where people
are most likely to embrace change,
especially more profound changes of
behaviours, attitudes, and lifestyle.
Targeting services, products and
messaging to people in their late
teens and early adulthood may prove
especially successful.
•
Associate sustainable behaviours with
typical coming-of-age activities such as
renting a first solo apartment or the purchase of a first home, adjusting to a new
job, marriage/cohabitation, and more.
Make healthy, sustainable
choices both accessible and
appealing to the majority of
people.
Sustainability as an upper class
status projection will alienate some
middle and lower class consumers.
Mass consumers will reject offerings
that they deem to be too exclusive,
expensive, or unachievable. Employ
an inclusive approach where “good
design” is targeted and priced to be
within reach of the majority of people.
•
•
•
Sustainable choices should offer value
and become a desirable way of life for the
middle class. “Good design” will therefore
be genuine, desirable, and functional for
the consumer.
Sustainable offerings should not be
portrayed as “bourgeois” or aspirational
luxury items reserved for the elite. Products and services should be desirable
without appearing too unattainable.
Moderate price premiums are acceptable
when the health, taste, or ethical value of
the product or service is communicated.
Consumers will appreciate value offered
along the dimensions of health, taste, and
localism.
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KEY DESIGN PRINCIPLES for HELPING
CONSUMERS TO MAKE MORE sustainable
food choices:
Tie sustainable food
practices to social events and
occasions.
Provide consumers the
opportunity to connect with
local food production.
In making food-related activities more
social, the procurement, preparation
and consumption of food will become
inherently more enjoyable.
Consumers appear to already have a
bias towards local foods; there is a wide
appreciation for the fresh taste, and
consumers understand the value of
supporting their local economy.
•
•
•
•
Build a sense of community by engaging
individuals to interact with each other in a
low-stakes environment.
Provide physical and digital “spaces” for
people to communicate, collaborate, and
share food-related content.
Integrate food preparation into community events; invite people to participate in
group cooking sessions.
Offer food related programming to singles, and help isolated people build social
networks surrounding food activities.
•
•
•
•
•
32
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Communicate and illustrate the pathway
from “field to table”.
Help local farmers reach consumers:
provide marketing, distribution and business opportunities for them to engage a
broader audience.
Connect food products to a specific
region, farm, or farmer through narrative
and storytelling.
Offer plans, product and support to new
home gardeners.
Create informational transparency;
product origins, production and distribution can be reported on food labelling and
packaging or marketing initiatives.
Insights
Address consumer concerns
Reframe the meaning of
over time and the lack thereof. healthy eating.
Busy people and families may find
it difficult to dedicate large chunks
of time towards shopping, food
preparation, consumption and cleanup.
•
•
•
•
Provide people the opportunity to “time
shift” (i.e. batch cooking over the weekend
for easy enjoyment over the course of the
week).
Make sustainable foods more convenient
or “snackable” (i.e. produce baskets that
are delivered to your home on a weekly
basis).
Divide tasks into short time shifts, allowing people to accomplish their goals
without demanding long reserved parcels
of time (i.e. Intermediate kitchen compost
collectors eliminate the need to go outside
to the backyard composter after every
meal, but instead only once a day).
Provide simplified recipe alternatives (i.e.
healthy dinners in 20 minutes or less).
Defining healthy eating habits in
terms of “naturalness” over nutritional
content can help steer consumers
away from processed and packaged
foods. Compare the nutritional content
and benefits of meals prepared from
whole foods to those of “enriched”
packaged foods.
•
•
•
•
Identify foods and menus that can address peoples’ health concerns, including weight loss, fitness conditioning, and
other medical concerns.
Reveal the true nutritional value of whole
foods, and their importance in a balanced
diet.
Integrate ethnic foods and menus; healthy
eating can be exciting too!
Where income is a constraint, introduce
healthy, cost-conscious meal alternatives.
Quality food can cost less than a fast food
combo.
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Insights
Influencing
Consumer
Behaviour
U
nderstanding what drives our decisionmaking can help us overcome the
barriers we face. Every day we must make
decisions on where to obtain our food and how
to prepare and cook it. Behaviourists have shed
some general insight into our decision-making
process and it begins by understanding that
decisions start with needs and wants.
By definition, needs are urges that are driven by our biological state, such as
hunger and thirst. Wants are the preferred things driven by our motivational
state, such as discomfort or cravings. Whereas needs can be generalized
across demographics, societies, and cultures, wants are generally personal
but may also be influenced by one’s society and culture.7
Decision-making is influenced by two systems. Most of the time the
decisions we make based on our needs and wants seem effortless and even
unconscious. For example, walking past a bakery on the way home before
eating dinner and purchasing your favourite cupcakes without any thought
of consequence at the time of purchase. These effortless decisions are driven
by the affective system (AS) of the brain.8 This system influences decisions
that occur outside conscious control and are strongly influenced by our
environment as well as previous decisions and outcomes.9 Driven by the AS,
the deliberative system (DS) is our other decision-making system.10 Unlike
the effortless AS, the DS is activated in environments where we are actively
deliberating among items, causing us to feel drained afterwards.
To better understand the relationship between the two systems, we can
look at the interactions between them as proposed by Loewenstein and
O’Donoghue (2004) using an example of buying cereal. Something as
simple as buying cereal can be a complex task as we are constantly being
bombarded with a variety of competing cereal choices (e.g. organic, health
benefits, tastes, costs, quantity, sugar content, brand) and personal goals
(e.g. satisfaction, taste, health). In deciding which cereal to purchase, both
7
8
9
10
34 Photo by Daphne Randall
Campbell, 1998.
Loewenstein and O’Donoghue, 2004; see Camerer et al. 2005 for a review of neural correlates.
Zajonc, 1980.
Loewenstein and O’Donoghue, 2004.
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35
Insights
m
the AS and DS are activated and interacting.
Generally, both systems act complimentary to
each other, however they may also compete at
certain times. Whether they act complimentary
or competitively determines the final choice of
cereal—Do we make the effortless (AS) cereal
decision, or do we think through our choice
critically (DS) before deciding? We want our DS
to win because a deliberative decision will tend to
be more informed and conscious of food systems
and sustainability.
Willpower. Our willpower is what helps
us increase DS thinking. Yet the amount of
willpower required for each decision we
make will vary. For example, it may take more
willpower to prevent choosing a sugary cereal
when we are extremely hungry, than with a full
stomach. Willpower is also depletive within short
time periods as self-control tends to decrease at
every decision made throughout the day.11 It is
important when designing for behaviour change
to examine a consumer’s level of willpower
because, for example, an individual may have
more willpower during the weekends than during
weeknight shopping trips after they have already
made many decisions throughout the day.
11
36
Vohs and Jenton, 2000.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Willpower is depletive within
short time periods, as a person’s
self-control tends to decrease at
every decision made throughout
the day.
Factors that influence willpower:
• A series of prior decisions earlier on can
negatively influence willpower.12 If you
are faced with the daunting task of selecting
multiple appetizers for your office party before
you purchase your own groceries, the second
task will likely be more influenced by wants
because of the willpower it took for the first
task.
•
12
13
14
Having a high cognitive load during
decision-making has been found to
decrease willpower.13 Cognitive load is defined
as the number of factors consuming one’s
mind at the point of decision, such as family
issues, list of uncompleted tasks, work related
problems, etc. Therefore, a high cognitive
load will lead to more impulsive purchases. In
the same vein, stress has also been found to
decrease one’s willpower in a similar fashion.14
Bruyneel et al., 2006.
Shiv and Fedorikhin, 1999.
Shiffman and Waters, 2004.
Modifying Behaviour. Dan Ariely used an
interesting title for his book, Predictably
Irrational. This title summarizes an important
point: all consumer behaviour is driven by the
same underlying machinery. That is, although
behaviour may differ from one person to another
based on their environment and/or experiences,
the underlying process explaining these
behaviours is the same for every person. They are
driven by the interactions between the AS and
DS. Understanding this “machinery” provides
invaluable insight into consumer behaviour,
and, more importantly, informs us on how we
can modify consumer behaviour. Understanding
these cognitive frameworks may help explain
the lack of success obtained by past strategies,
whether it be information campaigns, education/
training, and promoting economic self-interest.
An example of promoting economic interest is
by reducing the price of sustainable foods. Here,
the lack of positive effect results from low price
sensitivity to grocery items.15 Rephrased another
way, the price of a food item does not influence
one’s needs or wants. Consequently, a better
strategy here might be to implement a cash only
rule for unhealthy food, thus adding a barrier to
impulsive purchasing of these types of foods (i.e.
need to obtain cash versus simply paying by debit
or credit card). These are only a few examples
of how behavioural theories can be utilized to
understand and influence consumer behaviour.
The potential benefits of incorporating this
knowledge are endless.
15
Dickson and Sawyer, 1990; Just and Payne, 2009.
Three Implications of the AS and DS:
Understanding the AS and DS provides three
important implications for understanding
consumer behaviour and, specific to this paper,
encouraging sustainable food selection and
preparation practices.
1. Biases in our decision-making may be
hidden from conscious thought. Biases stem
from past experiences16 and external stimuli,17
which influence AS processing. We often fail
to see the influence of marketing tactics on
our purchasing behaviours such as product
positioning on shelves.18 Imagine if grocery
stores placed only sustainable products at
eye level, more people would likely pick it out
of convenience alone. What if bias driven
marketing tactics were used to increase
sustainable behaviour and bias consumers
towards better food purchases?
2. We seek to make sense of decisions driven
by AS processing so as to “believe” it to be a
result of DS processing.19 After an impulsive
purchase, like buying an extra donut with your
coffee, the behaviour is justified by attributing
it to a need, “I do not have time to eat anything
else”, or changing the context, “I worked hard
all day and deserve to treat myself.” This process
of justification has led to marketing tactics such
as the iconic Kit Kat slogan, “Have a break, have
a Kit Kat.” What if similar “DS justification”
strategies could be used to encourage good food
practices instead of unhealthy ones?
16
17
18
19
Bertrand et al., 2004.
Dana and Loewenstein, 2003.
Sigurdsson et al., 2009.
Camerer et al., 2005
Bridgeable
37
Insights
u
3. People feel the same pleasure in steps
leading to completing a goal as in achieving
the goal itself. For example, we feel good
after signing up for a gym membership even
before we begin to exercise. Our belief that
certain actions will help us achieve a goal,
motivate us to act. This is believed to stem
from our inability to access our “motives” for
our actions.20 Our motive is thinking that a
healthier body (goal) is realized by signing up
for a gym membership (behaviour). Of course
the act of signing up alone has no bearing on
our goal, yet we feel pleasure in this act. Had
we been consciously aware of our motive, the
act of signing up alone would not have resulted
in a good feeling simply because signing up
alone does not help achieve the desired goal.
20
21
38
Given the knowledge that one may gain
pleasure from taking steps toward a goal
without actually achieving it (purchasing a
cooking pot to increase home preparations but
barely using it), marketing strategies could aim
to remind consumers of their end goals. Instead
of marketing aimed at the purchasing stage,
the aim could be on the end product, maybe
offering social recognition for meals cooked at
home, which has been found to be rewarding.21
An example would be to encourage cooking
in communal settings where family and peers
would recognize an individual’s cooking.
Quattrone and Tversky, 1984.
De Young, 1993.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Barriers to Sustainable
Food Choices
Given our key consumer insights and secondary
research, it is apparent that there are many
opportunities by which food choices and
behaviours can be made more sustainable. We
know as both smart consumers and citizens of the
planet that many of the choices we make about
what we put on our plate have detrimental effects
on the environment. And while these sustainable
choices are indeed available on the market, they
can sometimes be looked over by consumers.
Here are some key barriers to sustainable
decision-making:
• Most people are disconnected from the food
system and have only a cursory understanding
of its environmental implications. As
individuals, we often feel confused or stuck
about how to change our patterns of behaviour
in order to make the “right” choices. It can be
hard to distinguish between how a product
labels itself (ethical, organic, exotic, local, free
range, soy, low fat, sugar free, gluten free, low
in carb, high in fibre varieties) and the actual
product outcome.
• There are barriers around the cost of real
food—organic and local products are more
expensive than processed or imported foods.
While many people say that they are willing to
pay more for healthier, higher quality and local
products, the cost to do so remains a barrier
for many. This is less of a question around
affordability however, and more of a valuebased constraint. People often do not value
the promise of “organic” foods: they see
little, tangible benefit in exchange for the
higher price.
Barriers can range
dramatically from person
to person and often exist
because adopting one
behaviour frequently means
rejecting another.
• There are barriers around convenience busy lifestyle and demographic trends of
the 21st century are deterrents to sustainable
eating. People have a perceived lack of “time”
available to shop for and prepare meals.
Likewise, people are consuming food in
isolation—this lack of socialization makes
the experience far less enjoyable. As a result,
people will often eat on the run and consume
fast, convenience foods of poor quality.
Field observations revealed that the following
benefits were more widely understood and
embraced by consumers:
• Sustainable foods were often adopted as a
health risk mitigation strategy. People were
willing to choose organic foods when they
were perceived to mitigate personal and family
health risks.
• Social meals were typically prepared from
more whole foods. People who do prepare and
eat food in a social context find it intrinsically
rewarding.
• The value of locally produced foods
was more widely accepted. Many people
appreciate the value offered by local foods:
they have a desire to support the local
economy, to promote food security and enjoy
the fresh taste.
Barriers can range dramatically from person
to person and often exist because adopting one
behaviour frequently means rejecting another
(behaviour competes with behaviour). Since
people naturally gravitate towards actions of
higher benefit and fewer barriers, it is difficult
to make changes that challenge the present
behaviours that we may find more beneficial.22
However, in our research, some key benefits
to adopting more sustainable behaviours were
identified.
22
McKenzie-Mohr and Smith, 1999.
Bridgeable
39
Insights
Field visit to the Alex Wilson Memorial Community Garden
40 Photo by Colin O’Connor
Bridgeable
41
Insights
Engaging the Consumer
Engaging sustainable behaviour change
requires us to socially engage consumers,
address their barriers, and offer meaningful
benefits. Traditional marketing campaigns often
lack the interpersonal dialogue and contact
necessary for true engagement. Meanwhile,
consumers are burdened with many barriers,
including cost, disconnection from the food they
eat, and convenience. The good news is that there
are many initiatives operating outside of the
conventional market that aim to address these
issues while providing a meaningful benefit to
participants. Initiatives often focus on improving
food access and availability (sometimes produced
locally and/or organically) along with policymaking and skill-building. The following are a
few examples:
There are many initiatives
operating outside of the
conventional market that aim
to address sustainability issues
while providing a meaningful
benefit to participants.
Shop at farmers’ markets and help support
local farmers. The Census of Agriculture
counted 57,211 farms in Ontario, a 4.2%
decrease over the past five years, even as the
population surges across the province.24 At
a national level, the decrease over the same
period was 7.1%.
Sustainable behaviour change need not be
drastic and life altering; there are many small but
impactful things that we can do as individuals
to foster positive change. Here are a few simple
steps; the more you do it, the easier it gets!
Buy local, buy direct. Buy organic when
possible.
• Good food box programs to improve access to
healthy food.
• Providing healthy food to school breakfast /
lunch programs.
• Operating markets and farm stalls in areas
where fresh food is not otherwise available.
• Organizing community gardens.
• Running community kitchens.
• Providing skills training in growing,
processing, and preparing food.
Grow your Own. Urban agriculture is on the
rise. Municipalities are making urban gardens
more accessible and creating policies to
encourage urban agriculture: rooftop gardens
at hotels, school gardens, edible landscaping.
Cook your own food! When people cook
their own food, they often eat healthier
because they are able to control the amount
of sugar, fat and salt that goes into each meal.
But designing these types of initiatives can
sometimes be challenging; strong customer
engagement is key to attaining success. Based on
the field insights and supplementary research,
our team has arrived at several principles that
can be applied to foster more sustainable food
behaviours in consumers.
Eat at restaurants that support the
local sustainable food system. There are
many across the country, both in urban and
rural environments. If you have a favourite
restaurant, see if they source any of their
meat or vegetables from local farms. Let the
owner know you support this initiative.
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Lobby your government to support local
farmers in municipal buildings. The
University of Toronto has adopted local
food-purchasing practices.23 Help to end
government subsidies of processed foods and
encourage subsidies for those who produce
and sell food for direct consumption.
What You Can Do
42
Choose organic and free-range meat and
dairy products. This helps support small
family run slaughterhouses rather than large
concentrated animal feeding operations.
Choosing organic can help improve the lives
of animals raised for food. Choose organic,
humane certified, free range or free run. **
Purchase a CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture) share or a Good Food Box.
This provides a direct link between you and
a local farmer. You pay the farmer at the
beginning of the season which helps them
financially through the year. They in turn
provide you with seasonal local vegetables,
fruit, dairy and milk.
Stay informed. Read up on food related
issues.
23
24
There are many small but
impactful things that we can do
as individuals to foster positive
change.
**Certified Organic means that the animals were
raised according to the standards of an organic
certification and verified by an independent
inspector.
Humane Certified means that the animals were
raised according to the standards of a humane
society or SPCA.
Free Range or Free Run means that the animals
were not kept in a cage and were permitted to
roam outdoors (free range) or inside a barn (free
run).
“Toronto’s Local Food,” Edible Communities.
Stats Canada. 2006 Census.
Bridgeable
43
KEY DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR influencing
consumer behaviour:
Increase the profile of
sustainable food products by
marketing them and investing
in the sustainable food brand.
Target consumers based on
the times and places where
their willpower can be most
influenced.
Consumers often fail to see the
influence of marketing tactics on their
purchasing behaviours. Leveraging
marketing tactics that have been
successful in the past can increase
sustainable behaviour choices.
A person with more willpower will
find it easier to be more deliberative
and think critically about their food
purchases.
•
•
For example, at retail, place sustainable
food choices at eye level.
Reinforce positive community norms for
individuals and make them noticeable at
the time of purchase.
•
•
•
44
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Individuals may have more willpower during the weekends than during weeknight
shopping trips after they have already
made many decisions throughout the day.
Promotions, events and rollouts could aim
to engage weekend shoppers.
Consumers have less willpower when they
have high levels of load and stress at the
point of purchase decision, resulting in
increased impulsive purchases. Consider
placing more sustainable products at impulse purchase locations, such as at the
cash register.
As willpower is depletive, the ability to extend a person’s deliberative thinking can
make a difference in consumer choice at
each subsequent decision-making point.
At the point of purchase, communicate
sustainable values clearly and in easy-todigest “slices”.
Insights
Emphasize use over purchase
to remind consumers of the
end goal.
People feel the same pleasure in steps
leading to completing a goal as they
do in achieving the goal itself.
For example, signing up for
a gym membership (behaviour) is
the first step to achieving a healthier
body (goal), but it does not necessarily
ensure commitment.
•
•
•
Instead of marketing aimed at the purchasing stage, aim for the end product.
Emphasize use over purchase. Show the
product or service in-use as it would appear at home, or better yet, illustrate the
end results and implications of using it.
Offer some form of social recognition for
accomplishing the end goal.
Use prompts and incentives to move
people along each step in achieving their
goals. A stepped or phased approach
can make behaviour change appear less
daunting for the consumer.
Get consumers to actively
think about their decisions by
engaging their Deliberative
System.
The Deliberative System (DS) is a
system in the brain that is activated
when individuals are actively
deliberating and thinking through
their decisions before making them.
Deliberative thinking contrasts with the
Affective System (AS), which tends to
be effortless and subconscious.
•
•
Use prompts and communication tactics
that will get people to think critically about
their food decisions.
Work around hindering factors such as
time, environmental stimuli, and the cognitive load of consumers.
Bridgeable
45
Fritz Haeg: Edible Estates
Inspiration
An initiative to turn domestic front lawns into places for families
to grow their own food
Lawns are neighbourhood
gems—green spaces just
beyond the doorstep that can
provide food for the family.
Through its garden makeover program, Edible
Estates aspires to transform lawn space into usable
and productive space for food harvest. These
“edible landscapes” alternatively help families (and
their surrounding neighbours) to better connect to
the seasons and organic cycles.
Case
Studies &
Analogs
The prototype garden sites demonstrate
successful transformations. Edible Estates are
planted in the least likely of homes to show what is
possible. Edible Estates have been planted in Rome,
Austin, Manhattan, and London. Each garden is
documented on the website and includes process
information about the site (the homeowners,
the commissioner, the size of yard, design,
materials and plant list). Edible Estates strives to
provide information and inspiration for everyday
homeowners to do the same.
Who is Fritz Haeg?
• Fritz Haeg is an architect, designer, artist,
gardener, ecologist, dancer, performer,
and teacher. In his career, he has
collaborated with others to start projects
that relate to ecology. He launched Edible
Estates in 2005.
• His other projects include Animal Estates,
Gardenlab, Sundown Salon, and Sundown
Schoolhouse.
• Each project is ongoing and involves the
participation of families and communities
all over the world.
Fritzhaeg.com (content and visuals)
46
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Bridgeable
47
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide
An eating guide by Health Canada
The Stop
Inspiration
Local community food centre
Canada’s first food guide was
introduced to the public in
July 1942.
One of Canada’s landmark food banks.
The Stop, based in Toronto, has blossomed into a community
hub of activity offering a broad range of programs that provide
healthy food, foster social connections, build food skills and
promote engagement in civic issues regarding food. There
are community kitchens and gardens, cooking classes, drop
in meals, a food bank, outdoor bake ovens, food markets and
community advocacy. In 2009, the Stop opened The Green
Barn—a sustainable food production and education centre
with a 3,000 square foot green house, commercial kitchen,
classroom, outdoor gardens, and composting facilities.
At that time, it acknowledged wartime food
rationing while endeavouring to prevent
nutritional deficiencies. Since that initial
publication, the Food Guide has been revised
many times—over adopting new titles, new
looks, and new messages. However, it has
never wavered from its objective of guiding
food selection and promoting the nutritional
health of Canadians.
As of March 2011, two additional Ontario towns—Perth and
Stratford—will have pilot sites that replicate The Stop’s
innovative community food centre model focused on using
food to build health, skills and community. The Stop takes
the concept of sustainability further than its basic definition
by embracing the sustainability of growing practices and
incorporating social aspects like dining programs for seniors,
healthy cooking programs for young parents living in low
income housing, community garden programs, and social
enterprise initiatives. The two new locations, which are
relatively rural, will present opportunities for local farming and
farm families.
Recent incarnations include versions
customized for distinct communities. For
example: Eating Well with Canada’s Food
Guide—First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Moose stew? Char? Blueberries? Bannock?
The food guide reflect the values, traditions
and food choices of First Nations, Inuit and
Métis people. This new tailored food guide
includes both traditional foods and storebought foods that are generally available,
affordable and accessible across Canada.
The Stop services:
•
•
•
•
A few tips
• Eat at least one dark green and one
orange vegetable daily.
• Choose raw vegetables and fruit or cooked
vegetables with little or no added fat,
sugar or salt.
• Have vegetables and fruits more often in
their whole form rather than juice.
• Make at least half of your grain products
whole grain each day.
• Have meat alternatives—beans, lentils and
tofu—often.
• Eat at least two Food Guide servings of
fish each week.
• Choose sustainable fish that are low in
mercury such as: char, herring, mackerel,
salmon, sardines and trout.
48
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
•
•
•
•
•
•
Food drop-in
Food bank
Perinatal program
Community action
program
Bake ovens and markets
Community cooking
Community advocacy
Sustainability food
systems education
Urban agriculture
Food events
Jamie Oliver: “I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’ve never seen
anything like The Stop. Every city should have one.”
Health Canada (content and visuals)
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide
The Stop (content and visuals)
Bridgeable
49
FoodShare
Sustainable Table’s
The Meatrix
Local community food centre
Thinking about the entire food system.
An entertaining cartoon series that discusses issues
related to factory farming
FoodShare is a large community organization that deals with
hunger and food issues in Toronto. FoodShare is unique in its
approach of focusing on the entire food system “from field to
table”. As a result, FoodShare impacts all areas of food from
production to consumption. Touchpoints include education
on food security issues, as well as promoting food policies.
FoodShare was originally founded by the Mayor of Toronto, Art
Eggleton, in 1985. The original mission was simply to provide
emergency food services (a food bank). Realizing that limiting
their food services to daily demands would not address long
term hunger issues, FoodShare began to develop strategies,
models and systems to provide long term benefits to the
community. As a result, today FoodShare offers many different
and successful programs. Two outstanding programs include:
The Good Food Box (an affordable food box that provides only
top quality fresh fruits and vegetables mostly Ontario-grown)
and urban bee keeping (a bee keeping project in the city with
more than 12 hives that produce local honey for community
members to purchase).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Good Food Box
Community kitchens
Community gardening
Urban agriculture
program
Growing sprouts and
seedlings program
A market garden
Seeds of our city project
Composting operation
Student programs
Workshops & training
services
Engagement in food
policy
Partnerships with local
organizations
Online learning centre
About GRACE Communications Foundation (founder of the meatrix)
• GRACE is a nonprofit organization that
helps consumers understand problems
related to food supply and alternatives.
GRACE supports the development of
networks that foster sustainable and
community-based food production through
innovative communication strategies.
• GRACE also supports public awareness,
policy-making, policy-protection, renewable
energy systems, and public awareness. In
2003, GRACE created Sustainable Table— a
program to celebrate local sustainable food.
The Meatrix was a collaboration with Free
Range Studio.
FoodShare (content and visuals)
50
Introducing...
Moopheus, Leo,
Chickity, and the
Agent Industry...
Loosely based on the movie,
The Matrix, The Meatrix,
is a grassroots advocacy
cartoon series that aims to
create awareness around
issues surrounding factory
farming. Launched in 2003,
the viral film series has been
translated into more than 30
languages with over 15 million
views. Each film parallels The
Matrix, only tying concepts to
the factory farm industry. It
has become one of the most
successful online advocacy
campaigns. Through humour,
the films have become a
fun yet effective way of
encouraging individuals to
change their lifestyle, the food
system, and the planet.
More on the
approach
•
•
•
•
Inspiration
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Themeatrix.com (content and visuals)
Bridgeable
51
Sustainable Table’s Eat Well Guide
A free online directory of sustainable food locations
LocaL Food Plus
The eat well guide is a
comprehensive mapping
system that locates
sustainable food sources near
your targeted location.
LFP is committed to creating local
sustainable food systems that
reduce reliance on fossil fuels, create
meaningful jobs, and foster the
preservation of farmland—and farmers!
The Eat Well Guide is essentially a google
maps directory where you can plug in a “start”
and “arrival” destination anywhere in the U.S.
or Canada. Based on your route, the guide will
identify local, sustainable, and organic food
stops along the way. Moreover, the Eat Well
Guide allows individuals to create printable
guides based on search results.
LFP was incorporated as a non-profit in October 2005. In
September 2006, LFP launched a program in partnership with
the University of Toronto, the largest university in Canada.
With this partnership, U of T became the first university on the
continent to formally commit to purchasing local sustainable
food for cafeterias and residences across its St. George
campus.
LFP recognized the need for a community economic
development and job creation strategy, the importance of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the benefits of a food
system that supports positive change for all stakeholders.
They developed a certification system that puts these
economic, environmental and social issues at the forefront.
The LFP system addresses production, labour, native habitat
preservation, animal welfare, and on-farm energy use, and
leverages these standards to open new higher-value markets
for Canadian farmers.
More about Sustainable Table
•
Created by GRACE Communications
Foundation, Sustainable Table promotes a positive attitude, celebrating
sustainability and the joy of food and
eating.
•
Aside from projects like the Eat Well
Guide and The Meatrix, the Sustainable
Table website serves as an informational source on sustainable agriculture. Alongside are featured articles,
the latest news and issues, and tips for
shopping. Downloadable presentation
kits provide ready-to-go materials for
teaching and practicing sustainability. A
few notable kits: The sustainable dinner
party kit, meatless Monday kit, and the
factory farm kit.
The LFP process:
• In order to bridge the urban-rural food
gap, LFP has developed a certification
system:
Eatwellguide.org (content and visuals)
Sustainabletable.org/intro/you/ (what you can do)
Sustainabletable.org/spread/kits/ (kits)
52
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Inspiration
Food certification system
1. Develop standards for environmental
and social sustainability.
2. Certify the standards by working
with product inspectors and external
reviewers.
3. Develop markets in institutions by
working with institutional food providers
and distributors.
4. Develop markets in retail and
restaurants by partnering with
restaurants, retailers, and distributors in
the supply chain.
5. Educate eaters by providing a website
directory of the restaurants, retailers
and institutions.
LocalFoodPlus (content and visuals)
Bridgeable
53
Everdale
Fairmont Hotels
A farm and environmental learning centre
‘Know your food,
know your farm’.
Locally harvested honey used
by Fairmont chefs.
Located in Hillsburgh,
Ontario, Everdale is
an organic farm and
environmental learning
centre. There, individuals
can get hands-on practical
learning experience
about farming. Everdale’s
educational program trains
farmers, kids & youth, and
offers public workshops that
teach communities to work
sustainably with the local
environment. In addition,
Everdale operates a 50 acre
working organic farm. They
produce enough food to feed
over 300 families through
Harvest Share programs
located in Hillsburgh and
Toronto, as well as supply
several Farmers’ markets in
Toronto.
Six Fairmont Hotels have set up beehives on
their rooftops and herb gardens. The honey
harvested is used by Fairmont chefs in their
restaurants. Four of the six participating
hotels are in Canada including Toronto,
Vancouver, Quebec, and New Brunswick. In
Toronto, the Fairmont Royal York bees have
helped produce over 430 pounds of honey for
the hotel’s kitchens.
• Participate in the harvest share program to receive
Everdale’s fresh fruits and vegetables. Simply pay Everdale
a set fee prior to the growing season. When the harvesting
season begins, Everdale will provide you with produce on
a weekly basis (harvest season usually begins mid-June
and runs until the end of October). Participating members
benefit from receiving fresh, local, seasonal, and organic
foods.
• There are two program locations, one in Toronto’s Annex
neighbourhood and another in the Hillsburgh farm. The
program is based on a model called Community Shared
Agriculture (CSA) that is becoming popular world-wide.
Everdale (content and visuals)
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
Toronto Royal York celebrates
bees at Nuit Blanche
The Toronto Fairmont Royal York
participated in Nuit Blanche by offering
citizens a glimpse of their rooftop beehives.
Nuit Blanche is a city-wide art event in
Toronto that attracts a million people to
roam the city streets all night long. The Royal
York participated in 2010 by illuminating a
projection of the rooftop bees. Collaborating
with photographer Chris Harrison and
LuminAd, they were able to showcase more
than 300,000 bees who inhabit the 14th floor
garden.
About Everdale’s Harvest Share Program:
54
Inspiration
Rooftop Apiaries
Fairmont (content)
Radio Royal York (visuals)
Bridgeable
55
Contributors
Chris Ferguson, Partner
Chris is the CEO of Bridgeable. He has significant experience working with public
and private sector organizations to pursue innovation-oriented agendas based on
user-centered design. Chris has led projects that evaluate and design innovative
strategies, develop new products, services, programs and user experiences and has
also designed several user-centric internal training and development programs.
Zayna Khayat, Project Lead
Dr. Zayna Khayat is a strategist who has significant experience in managing
healthcare and sustainability initiatives for for-profit and not-for-profit clients. After
earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry, Zayna worked as the Principal of The Boston
Consulting Group’s (BCG) Toronto office.
Bruno Moynie, Ethnographer
Bruno is an ethnographic filmmaker with a unique background in both Social
Anthropology and Ethnographic film. His experience in television and commercial
production and has led him to work on ethnographic marketing and design research
films all over the world: through Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Csilla Kalocsai, Anthropologist
Dr. Csilla Kalocsai is a cultural anthropologist who earned her Ph.D. from Yale
University. She has a strong passion and empathy for people’s stories and everyday
lives. Csilla lectures at the University of Toronto’s Anthropology Department
teaching courses on anthropological theory and methodology, and on the
anthropology of gender.
Michelle McCune, Core Team Member
Michelle is an award-winning industrial designer and core member of the Bridgeable
team. Her work has garnered top industry recognition, including a Neocon Silver
award and an International Good Design Award for consumer products.
Heidi Mok, Core Team Member
Heidi is a core member of the Bridgeable team. As a visual communicator extending
into user experience and service design, she has contributed to projects in the
healthcare and social sector.
Mihnea Galeteanu, Core Team Member
Mihnea is a marketing manager and engineer by profession, and a storyteller by
56
Design for Change: Eating Sustainably
calling. As a Romanian living in Canada with an MBA and a keen interest in design,
he is fascinated by exploring the intersection of cultures (nationalities, corporate,
disciplines) to discover and understand the overarching stories.
Vincent Sowa, Core Team Member
Vincent is a business designer who has served 10 years in the Canadian Navy gaining
insight into some truly global issues. Deeply interested in building businesses using
design principles and the intersection of business and finance, he has pursued his
own business in addition to joining TD Bank since graduating from the Rotman MBA
program.
Dhushan Thevarajah, Core Team Member
Dhushan is a business consultant with expertise in behavioural economics. His
background is in Neuroscience, specializing in the study of Neuroeconomics, where
he examines the influence of personal bias on consumption and financial decision
making. Dhushan has worked at a boutique marketing agency as a marketing and
communication director and is currently completing his MBA at the Rotman School
of Management.
Jayesh Srivastava, Retail Partnership
Jayesh is an innovation professional formerly with the Canadian Tire Corporation.
He is currently completing a Masters degree in Design Theory and Methodology at
the University of Toronto.
Daphne Randall, Expert Contributor
Daphne is a passionate food writer and enthusiast. She is the author to one of the
first dedicated food blogs, Edible Tulip, where she reveals her food inspirations
and observations. She has worked as the Intrepid Chef Columnist for On The Bay
Magazine, a food columnist for several national publications, a recipe writer and
editor for Dana McAuley and Associates / Sobeys Grocer, and the chef at The
Dunedin Art Retreat Centre.
For more information about Bridgeable and this research project, please visit
www.bridgeable.com, or contact the co-founder Christopher Ferguson at chrisf@
bridgeable.com (416-531-2665 x202)
Bridgeable
57
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Research Sources
We are very appreciative of the expert advice and support that the team received
through the course of this research.
Canada and The Environment:
Advisors that provided advice to the project team:
David Dunne (Professor at the Rotman School of Management)
Richard Brault (Industrial designer and co-founder of Studio Innova in Toronto)
“Canada’s Emissions.” David Suzuki Foundation. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.
davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/canada-climate-change/canadasemissions/>.
“Health Care, Environment Top Issues in Canada.” Angus Reid Public Opinion. Web.
20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/6852/health_care_environment_
top_issues_in_canada/>.
Canadian retailers that provided thought partnership:
Canadian Tire Corporation: Anthony Wolf and Jayesh Srivastava
Sears Canada: Dr. James Gray-Donald and Michael Smith
Food Landscape:
Toronto area stores and organizations that provided inspiration:
“10 Reasons To Learn SustainabLe Home Cooking (or: Why It’s Time to Take Back
The Plate!).” Sustainable Table. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.
org/>.
Cruda Cafe (Claudia Gaviria)
Alex Wilson Memorial Community Garden
Preloved Clothing (Julia Grieve)
West End YMCA (Cathy Ann White, General Manager)
O. Noir Restaurant
“Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production.” United
Nations Environment Programme. International Pannel for Sustainable Resource
Management, June 2010. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. <http://www.uneptie.org/shared/
publications/pdf/DTIx1262xPA-PriorityProductsAndMaterials_Report.pdf>.
MaRS Future Lab team and organizers that helped kick off the project:
Lisa Torjman (MaRS Social Innovation Group)
Matt Ratto (University of Toronto Faculty of Information; Critical Making workshop)
Ethnography and photography professionals:
Magda Wesolkowska for providing ethnography training for the project team.
Colin O’Connor for providing photographic services throughout the project.
Bridgeable:
Sam Ferguson for his thought partnership and technical support to the team.
Mike Loveless for his thought partnership and photography.
Emily Freeman for her research support.
Julie Peggar for her research and content support.
“Canadian Food Trends 2020: A Long-Range Consumer Outlook.” Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada. Serecon Management Consulting Inc., July 2005. Web. 20 Mar.
2011. <http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1172757124631>.
“Chicken Safety: Consumer Reports Investigates.” Consumer Reports, Jan. 2010.
Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/
january/food/chicken-safety/overview/chicken-safety-ov.htm>.
“Eating for a Better Future.” Reportage Enviro. 21 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.reportage-enviro.com/2010/08/eating-for-a-better-future/>.
“Grow Local Organic: Organic Food Strategy for Ontario Value-Added Processing.”
Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. World Wildlife Fund Canada, Oct. 2007. Web.
17 Jan. 2011. <http://www.organicagcentre.ca/Docs/GrowLocalOrganic_wwf_Oct-07.
pdf>.
“Learn About The Issues.” The Meatrix. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.themeatrix.
com>.
Macey, Anne. “Organic Field Crop Handbook: a Project of Canadian Organic
Growers.” Ottawa: Canadian Organic Growers, 2002. Print.
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Research Sources
“Meatless Monday.” Meatless Monday. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.
meatlessmonday.com>.
Johnson, E. J., and A. Tversky. 1983. “Affect, generalization, and the perception of
risk.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45 (1): 20-31.
Nash, Ogden. “Food.” New York, NY: Stewert, Tabori & Chang, 1989. 63. Print.
Just, D. R., and C. R. Payne. 2009. “Obesity: Can behavioral economics help?” Annals
of Behavioral Medicine 38 : 47-55.
“Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006.” Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2007.
Print.
Randall, Daphne. “Edible Tulip.” Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://edibletulip.typepad.
com/>.
“Toronto’s Local Food.” Edible Communities. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://
www.ediblecommunities>.
Zboraj, Marian. “Datamonitor Report Identifies Consumer ‘Mega-Trends’”
Nutraceuticals World. 11 July 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. <http://www.
nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/109>.
Loewenstein, G., and T. O’Donoghue. 2004. “Animal spirits: Affective and deliberative
processes in economic behavior.”
McKenzie-Mohr, Doug, and William Smith. “Fostering Sustainable Behavior: an
introduction to community-based social marketing.” 2nd ed. Gabriola, B.C.: New
Society, 1999. Print: 2-3
Quattrone, G. A., and A. Tversky. 1984. “Causal versus diagnostic contingencies:
On self-deception and on the voter’s illusion.” Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology 46 (2): 237-48.
Shiffman, S., and A. J. Waters. 2004. “Negative affect and smoking lapses: A
prospective analysis” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 72 (2): 192-201.
Behaviour Change References
Bertrand, M., and S. Mullainathan. 2004. “Are Emily and Greg more employable than
Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination.” American
Economic Review 94 (4): 991-1013.
Bruyneel, S., S. Dewitte, K. D. Vohs, and L. Warlop. 2006. “Repeated choosing
increases susceptibility to affective product features.” International Journal of
Research in Marketing 23 (2): 215-25.
Camerer, C., G. Loewenstein, and D. Prelec. 2005. “Neuroeconomics: How
neuroscience can inform economics.” Journal of Economic Literature 43 (1): 9-64.
Campbell, C. 1998. “Consumption and the rhetorics of need and want.” Journal of
Design History 11 (3): 235.
Shiv, B., and A. Fedorikhin. 1999. “Heart and mind in conflict: The interplay of affect
and cognition in consumer decision making.” Journal of Consumer Research 26 (3):
278-92.
Sigurdsson, V., H. Saevarsson, and G. Foxall. 2009. “Brand placement and consumer
choice: an in-store experiment.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 42 (3): 741.
Vohs, K. D., and T. F. Jenton. 2000. “Self-regulatory failure: A resource-depletion
approach.” Psychological Science 11 (3): 249.
Young, R., 1993. “Changing behavior and making it stick. The conceptualization and
management of conservation behavior.” Environment and Behavior.
Zajonc, R. B. 1980. “Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences.” American
Psychologist 35 (2): 151.
Dana, J., and G. Loewenstein. 2003. “A social science perspective on gifts to
physicians from industry.” Jama 290 (2): 252.
Case Study References
De Young, R. 1993. “Changing behavior and making it stick.” Environment and
Behavior 25 (3): 485.
Dickson, P. R., and A. G. Sawyer. 1990. “The price knowledge and search of
supermarket shoppers.” The Journal of Marketing 54 (3): 42-53.
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“About Edible Estates.” Web. 23 Aug, 2010 <http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/
initiatives/edibleestates/main.html>.
“Eat Well Guide. Local, Sustainable, Organic Food.” GRACE and Free Range Studios,
2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.eatwellguide.org>.
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WANT TO LEARN MORE?
G
“Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide” Health Canada. 07 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Apr.
2011. <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php>.
Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Centre. Centre, 2011. Web. 20
Feb. 2011. <http://everdale.org/>.
“Fairmont Bees Back for Spring: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.” Fairmont Bees Back for
Spring. 07 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fairmont.com/EN_FA/Articles/
RecentNews/Bees2010.htm>.
“FoodShare Toronto: Good Healthy Food for All!” Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.
foodshare.net/>.
Giles, Julie. “Urban Bees: Radio Royal York. Nuit Blanche At The Fairmont Royal York.”
5 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://radioroyalyork.ca/tag/urban-bees/>.
“Policies and procedures.” Local Food Plus. 2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://
localfoodplus.ca/>.
“Learn About The Issues.” The Meatrix. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.themeatrix.
com>.
The Stop Community Food Centre. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.thestop.org/>.
We recommend visiting these additional sources:
Source URLs have
been condensed
using Google URL
shortener.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (www.agr.gc.ca)
Check out:
The Canadian Consumer Behaviour, Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Food
Products
http://goo.gl/lT5Mt
Statistical Overview of Canadian Horticulture 2008
http://goo.gl/8jpiY
Overview of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector
http://goo.gl/ytrjr
Canada’s Farm Income Forecast for 2010 and 2011
http://goo.gl/3dZG8
Certified Organic Production in Canada 2008
http://goo.gl/SeU0L
Statistics Canada (www.statcan.gc.ca)
Check out:
Food Statistics 2009
http://goo.gl/UGB9E
On Agriculture
http://goo.gl/lXyr5
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