The five words that defined 2021, and five you will need to know in 2022. 2021: Meta: Facebook’s regeneration reflected the fast-evolving relationship between the digital universe and the physical world around us. Crypto: Digital currencies began to influence markets like never before, while NFT artworks shook up the contemporary art world. Suborbital: We witnessed major galactic milestones and a thoroughly modern “space race”, signalling…

A group of scientists is tackling the issue of sustainability in the coffee industry head-on, by developing a lab-grown alternative. With an estimated 138 million cups consumed globally every hour, coffee is the fourth most popular beverage in the world by total volume sales. While demand is steady, the global…

As global brands cut into the $211 billion global hair care market, local businesses fight back. In April 2021, Amazon opened a hair salon in London. The e-commerce giant’s surprise move into hair services is part of its steady expansion into physical retail, which began in the UK earlier in…

With the pandemic resetting rulebooks and routines, parents and broadcasters alike are investing in podcasts designed for young minds. In 2021, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would use part of its Ready To Learn Grant from the US Department of Education to develop a podcast accelerator program. The…

Outside of rides and roller coasters, theme parks are experimenting with new approaches to entice visitors — Theme and amusement parks are an ever-popular holiday destination. A global poll by YouGov showed that 15 percent of people list theme parks as their favourite holiday choice, more popular than cruises (13%) and winter sports (7%). As pent-up demand competes with restrictions on movement and safety concerns, thanks to…

Accelerated by the pandemic, four megatrends drove eating habits in 2020: community, comfort, convenience and health. Driven by insights from industry experts, this series predicts the ways these will continue to shape food culture and flavours in 2021. — The taste of things to come continues here, with convenience. Eating habits transformed in 2020. Citing research from Mondelēz that found 58% of people believe the pandemic has changed their diets permanently, FoodNavigator has called it an “eating revolution.”

Accelerated by the pandemic, four megatrends drove eating habits in 2020: community, comfort, convenience and health. This series predicts the ways these will continue to shape food culture and flavours in 2021. — The taste of things to come continues here, with comfort. In turbulent times, demand for nostalgic and indulgent foods surges. 2020 was no exception. Leading global flavourist Marie Wright saw increased interest in indulgent flavours often considered to be comforting: chocolate, vanilla, chicken soup, cheese, and heavy dishes like macaroni…

Accelerated by the pandemic, four megatrends drove eating habits in 2020: community, comfort, convenience and health. — This new series predicts the ways these will continue to shape food culture and flavours in 2021. The taste of things to come begins here, with health. Food as medicine With an estimated 75% of consumers globally planning to eat and drink healthier as a result of the pandemic, demand remains high for functional foods and active ingredients that improve immunity, energy and stress levels.

As record numbers of older people are embracing e-commerce, we chart the ways in which “pro-age” products and messaging are good for business, innovation and wider society. The world’s population is living longer than ever. By 2050, there will be a predicted 2 billion of us aged 60 years and…