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New Zealand-based startup Pure Food Co has begun using moulds to make its pureed food resemble its original state. The company makes pureed food for those unable to eat solid foods. Founder Sam Bridgewater was inspired to start the business after a family member fell ill and was unable to eat traditional food and struggled to stay healthy. The company reports that ā€œ47 per cent of older people entering hospital or aged care were malnourished and another 43 per cent were at risk of malnutritionā€. During a recent trial of the new moulds at Auckland's The Orchards retirement home, none of the 12 residents suffered any weight loss while being restricted to soft food.

Youā€™re probably not in the business of shaping carrots, but here are two reasons why this innovation is still worth your attention:  

Post-demographic demands. Yes, this isnā€™t the first innovation weā€™ve featured thatā€™s aimed at older audiences: from Town Squareā€™s fusion of healthcare with the Experience Economy to No Isolationā€™s accessible tech to Intelā€™s VR ā€˜travelā€™ experiences. But we shouldnā€™t need to remind you of why. Not only are there forecast to be more than an extra billion people aged over 60 by 2050, but research shows 86% of marketers overestimate how much consumers under the age of 35 spend, whilst 72% underestimate how much consumers 55 and older spend! More importantly, peopleā€™s expectations donā€™t just flatline at sixty. Gen Z arenā€™t the only ones craving well-designed, accessible, convenient, delightful, [insert your key basic need] products and services. Who knew?! ;)

Fake? Or faketastic?! As trend watchers we regularly beat the drum for authenticity. But sometimes youā€™ll need to break the rules and create things that are decidedly and unashamedly inauthentic. In this instance, of course thatā€™s because Pure Food Coā€™s customers canā€™t experience the real thing. But perhaps you could win back trust by exposing your industryā€™s secrets, as Suaveā€™s haircare campaign did. Or make a powerful point about sustainability, as Etat Libre dā€™Orange did with its perfume made from trash, and WWF did with its Ivory Lane campaign. So, hereā€™s a useful exercise for your next brainstorm: where would our customers embrace inauthenticity?!