Targeted well-being solutions: VTT explores digitally supported food services and concepts

19 Mar 2018 --- Based on a consumer-centric approach, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed digitally supported innovative food services and concepts to promote well-being from eating. VTT’s research project, Vital Selfie, aims to assist the food industry in developing and launching targeted wellbeing solutions for various consumer groups globally. Private-sector partners included Valio, Raisio, Sinebrychoff, Fazer Food Services and TBWA.

The three-year project coordinated by VTT, alongside the University of Eastern Finland and Aalto University, aimed to increase support consumers through easy food and catering choices. Examples of concepts developed as part of the project include a smart vending machine that customizes snacks, an IoT packaging indicator and solutions that will enable self-monitoring of eating patterns.

Also, research based on eye movement tracking cameras can be used to develop “push” sales methods for food and catering solutions that support a balanced diet, VTT reports.

Consumers are often confronted by difficult choices when in grocery stores, or visiting vending machines and cafeterias. Consumers are increasingly knowledgeable about nutritionally balanced products, but something else often ends up in their baskets, or on their trays. Availability or choice often leads to the selection of products that are not as healthy as desired, particularly when seeking on-the-go and convenient food and snacks.

VTT designed the Vital Selfie service concepts on the basis of consumer surveys and focus groups and market studies, conducted in Finland and partly abroad. In the survey, consumers were segmented on the basis of the barriers they experienced in pursuing vitality. As a result, four consumer segments were identified, two of which (“Vital and capable” and “Busy with vitality conflicts”), were considered key to the development of Vital Selfie service concepts. The focus group study investigated in-depth vitality as experienced by members of the segments, their ways of achieving vitality and the connection between their consumption habits and vitality.

“We are interested in exploring how food might create wellbeing and vitality as part of a larger entity; for example, how to integrate food and catering solutions more closely with occupational wellbeing and exercise services. The goal is to create holistic wellbeing and vitality: we know that food is an important component of this whole. We have a strong belief in building new, successful business models by cross-industry collaboration,” says VTT’s Emilia Nordlund, head of the research team and the Vital Selfie project.

The overall budget of the three-year Vital Selfie project, which was completed at the end of 2017, totaled US$3.1 million and the project formed part of Tekes' (now Business Finland’s) “Fiiliksestä fyrkkaa" (Feelings) program. The University of Eastern Finland and Aalto University also participated in the research and development project, which was coordinated by VTT. Kesko participated in the project in 2015.

VTT tells NutritionInsight that although the new solutions are not available on the market yet, "we are proceeding to prototype some of the concepts this year, and thus we hope that we can facilitate the concepts entering the market as soon as possible." VTT also expressed that possible partners may see their business potential as a result of the findings of this most recent study.