SPOTLIGHT: FOOD
NOT JUST A SUPER-FAD Who would have thought beetroot and berries were the way of the future? By Nick Hall
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owadays, it’s more than just elite athletes searching for that extra edge. From highpowered executives to working mums, anyone and everyone is hunting down a healthy lifestyle, and superfood cafes are more than happy to accommodate. When the term “superfood” first came into the Aussie lexicon, nutritionists were spruiking the health benefits of antioxidants, moderate fat and fibre. It was marketing genius. Taking the often bland and much maligned fruit, nut and fish diet and rebranding it as a healthy, fun and almost supernatural offering broke new ground, and, coupled with an emerging health consciousness, the culture took hold. But superfood was more than just a clever piece of promotion. The name was given to foods that contain a number of high-value nutrients, aimed at improving overall wellbeing, and despite its good-natured approach, the term didn’t come without its critics. “One can hardly open a newspaper or magazine without coming across a list of the top superfoods you should be eating, or an article debunking the entire premise of them,” University of Adelaide PhD candidate Jessica Loyer says. “But superfood consumers are not as naive as one might think. Most express scepticism towards superfood health claims and recognise that they are being sold a romantic image. However, they are happy to succumb to a bit of magical thinking and eat superfoods as a sort of extra insurance, because they believe that they might help and probably can’t hurt.” Loyer’s observation rings true. Flashback to the early 2010s, at the peak of a kale craze, and you can recall cafes and chains rushing to show off their nutritional credentials. An explosion of goji berries, blueberries, beans and nuts seemingly hit overnight. It led to a surplus of green smoothies and chia seed puddings, but few brands could get the mix of healthy, hearty and “happy to fork over $12 for a smoothie” market right.
FEB/APR 2020 | 90 | WWW.FRANCHISEBUSINESS.COM.AU
