SHIWU: Service System Design for healthy and sustainable food consumption in Chinese Megacities

Shiwu Service System Design for healthy & sustainable food consumption in Chinese Megacities.

Author Ginevra Romagnoli Supervisor Stefana Broadbent Zhu Xiaocun A.Y 2019/2020

1

A.Y 2019-2020

Master Degree

Shiwu: Service System Design for healthy & Sustainable food consumption in Chinese Megacities

Politecnico di Milano School of Design Master Degree Thesis Product Service System Design

Shiwu: Service System Design for healthy & sustainable food consumption in Chinese Megacities Master Thesis Degree Product Service System Design Student Ginevra Romagnoli Supervisor Stefana Broadbent Co-Supervisor Zhu Xiaocun

Italiano

Abstract A partire dalla seconda metà del secolo scorso, il sistema alimentare cinese ha subito un drastico cambiamento. Tra le principali cause vi sono la crescita economica, l’urbanizzazione e il cambiamento della struttura demografica.Con l’aumento della ricchezza si è sviluppata una classe media composta da avidi consumatori, che hanno cambiato le loro abitudini alimentari, con ripercussioni sulla loro salute e sull’ambiente.

La seguente ricerca, utilizzando metodologie di service design, indaga come facilitare le persone a cambiare le loro abitudini alimentare basate su modelli di consumo poco sostenibili a adottare una dieta più sana e responsabile.

Per acquisire una profonda comprensione del contesto alimentare cinese è stata condotta una prima ricerca. Dopo una rassegna letteraria volta ad indagare il contesto socio economico e culturale, è stato fatto un questionario online per scoprire lo specifico modello di consumo alimentare a Shanghai, per raccogliere alcuni dati più dettagliati sono state inoltre realizzate interviste a consumatori e produttori. Dall’analisi è emerso chiaramente che molti fattori influenzano il comportamento di consumo alimentare e che è impossibile risolvere i problemi di consumo senza considerare l’intera catena alimentare.

Pertanto, sono stati fissati obiettivi di progetto per ogni fase della filiera: produzione, distribuzione, consumo e spreco.Gli obiettivi principali sono il sostegno ai piccoli agricoltori impegnati in un’agricoltura sostenibile e la riduzione del consumo di prodotti di origine animale, che sono emersi come l’elemento più dannoso per la salute e l’ambiente.Sulla base di questi obiettivi, la tesi si è concentrata sullo sviluppo di una soluzione progettuale che potesse sostenere i piccoli agricoltori e guidare i consumatori verso un consumo più sostenibile, comunicando il valore del cibo e una filiera di qualità.

Gli obiettivi di progetto identificati sono diventati i pilastri del concept finale presentato in questo manoscritto.

Shiwu 食悟 è un servizio costituito da uno spazio comune, una rete di ghost kitchen e una controparte digitale che collega i numerosi stakeholder e touchpoints, fungendo allo stesso tempo da piattaforma educativa ed e-commerce.Shiwu, è prima di tutto un luogo dove le persone mangiano e imparano il valore del cibo.Shiwu promuove la cucina a base vegetale. Gli chef agiscono come educatori del gusto, cucinando ricette ispirate alla cucina internazionale, utilizzando prodotti stagionali di provenienza locale da agricoltori di fiducia.Shiwu non è solo un ristorante, ma anche uno spazio sociale e di apprendimento in cui eventi e workshop alimentano conversazioni sulla sostenibilità tra i membri della comunità. La sostenibilità diventa una pratica collaborativa basata sull’unione tra persone, culture, produttori e ambiente.

La parte digitale del servizio è stata prototipata e testata con alcuni partecipanti all’interno del target group identificato. Gli esiti delle sessioni di user testing sono raccolti e presentati nell’ultimo capitolo della tesi. Gli utenti che hanno interagito fino ad ora con il prototipo hanno espresso il desiderio di avere un servizio come SHIWU a Shanghai nel prossimo futuro.

English

Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, economic growth, urbanization, and the demographic structure changes have produced a drastic change within the Chinese food system. As citizens become wealthier, they become avid consumers, changing their eating patterns; this doesn’t only produce consequences on their health, but also directly affects the environment. The research presented in this volume investigates how we might facilitate people’s transition from unsustainable consumption patterns to a healthier, more sustainable diet.

To gain a deep understanding of the Chinese food context, the author conducted a preliminary desktop research. After a literary review to investigate the socio-economic and cultural context, an online questionnaire to discover the specific food consumption pattern in Shanghai was made. To collect more valuable data, interviews with consumers and producers were carried out. It became clear that many factors influence food consumption behavior and that it is impossible to solve consumption problems without considering the whole food chain.

During the strategic analysis phase, project objectives were therefore set for each stage of the chain: production, distribution, consumption, and waste. The primary goals were to support small farmers committed to sustainable agriculture and reduce the consumption of animal-based products, which have emerged as the most harmful element to health and the environment. Based on these objectives, the thesis focused on developing a project solution that could support small farmers and guide consumers towards more sustainable consumption by communicating the value of food and its supply chain.The project objective identified for each step fueled into the final concept presented in this manuscript.

Shiwu 食悟 is a product service system made of a communal space, a network of ghost kitchens, and a digital counterpart that connects the many stakeholders and touchpoints and serves as an educational platform and e-commerce.

Shiwu is, first of all, a place where people eat and learn food value.

Shiwu promotes plant-based cuisine. Chefs act as taste-educators, cooking recipes inspired by worldwide cuisine, using locally sourced seasonal products from trusted farmers.Shiwu is not only a restaurant but also a learning and social space where events and workshops nourish conversations about sustainability among members of the community. Sustainability becomes a collaborative practice based on the union between people, cultures, producers, and the environment.

The digital part of the service was prototyped and tested with some participants within the service’s target group. The outcomes of the user testing sessions are collected and presented in the last chapter of the thesis. The users who interacted with the prototype have expressed their desire to have a service like SHIWU in Shanghai in the near future.

Table of Contents

10

Chapter 1 : Introduction 16 17 18 19 20

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

Project overview Research Context & Paradox Research Question Purpose & Significance of the study Methodology & Structure of dissertation

Chapter 2 : Research Background 24-38

39-48

2.1.

2.2.

Chinese Food System Food Production Supply Chain transformation Food Safety & loss of trust Luxury & imported food Impact on the environment Conclusions 2.1.1.

2.1.2.

2.1.3.

2.1.4.

2.1.5.

New Pattern of Consumptions Trend and driver in Megacities Dietary change in China Impact on the Health Change of behavior during COVID19 Outbreak Conclusions 2.2.1.

2.2.2.

2.2.3.

2.2.4.

2.3.

49-56

Sustainable Diet & Food System Sustainable & Healthy Diet Sustainable food system in China 2.3.2.1 Ecological Civilization & TopDown Policies 2.3.2.2 Bottom up Ecological Initiatives & Afns Conclusions 2.3.1.

2.3.2.

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Table of contents

Chapter 3 : Literature Review 64-68

3.1.

69-73

3.2.

3.3.

74-77

What is consumption?

Everybody Eats Consumerism and food in China

3.1.1.

3.1.2.

Non-subsistence aspect of food 3.2.1.

Socio-cultural transformation 3.2.2.

Personal Aspect 3.2.3.

Social Aspect 3.2.4.

Cosmological Aspect The Role of Service System Design Service design for Sustainable Behavioral Change 3.4.4.

The Post-pandemic role of the Designer 3.4.1.

Chapter 4 : Strategic Analysis 80-90

91-99

100-108 109 110-115 116-119

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4.1.

Preliminary Field Research 4.1.1.

Interview with dietist 4.1.2.

Online Survey to consumers 4.1.3.

Interview to expat consumer 4.2. Shanghai Fod System 4.2.1.

Visit to organic farm 4.2.2.

Interview to AFNs esperts 4.3. Exploring Opportunities 4.4. Goal Setting 4.5 Analysis of best practices 4.6 Food Industry Trends

Chapter 5 : System Concept Design 122-129

130-141

142-143

5.1.

Ideas generation Target Definition First Ideation 5.2. Co-Design Workshop 5.2.1.

Planning the co-design 5.2.2.

Co-Design Workshop 5.3. Final Concept 5.1.1.

5.1.2.

Chapter 6 : System Design 146-149 150-155 156-159 160-175 176-177 178-183

6.1.

6.2.

6.3.

6.3.

6.5.

6.6.

System Definition: Value, mission, vision Offering & System Map Partnership & Stakeholder Touchpoints Business Model Prototype

Chapter 7 : Conclusion 186 187 188

7.1.

7.2.

7.3.

Research Conclusion Reflection & Implementation Personal Conclusion

Chapter 8 : Bibliography & Appendix 191-197 198-201

Bibliography Reflection & Implementation

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Chapter I

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Introduction In this chapter we will briefly explain the general context and we will introduce the research questions.

Then, we explain the purpose of the research and the significance of this study.

Finally, the structure and methodology that we are going to follow after the development of the the thesis is presented.

Chapter I

1.1 Project Overview

This thesis project has been conceived during the Double Master’s degree program in Product Service System Design, between Politecnico di Milano and Tongji University in Shanghai, thanks to the support of two academic tutors, professor Zhu Xiaocun and Stefana Broadbent.

The inspiration for this thesis project comes from the experience of the author as an assistant professor at Professor Zhu’s course in “Design for Sustainability” and from the various discussions with students on the theme of sustainability and Design, in September 2019.

The decision to focus on sustainable food consumption is due to the personal passion for food, the importance of food in Chinese culture, and the willingness to explore the role of Service Designer in changing consumer perspective toward a more responsible and sustainable choice. Indeed, this thesis aims to investigate how a service designer can change people’s behavior towards more sustainable food consumption.

The thesis proposal was officially submitted in November 2019. This date was followed by months of research, both theoretical on secondary research and in the field, thanks to interviews and questionnaires.

The research starts analyzing, in a first phase, the current pattern of consumption in Chinese Megacities and how these changed during the years because of social-economical changes.

Then, in the second phase, some anthropological and economic theories have been studied to understand the motivations of individual choices in a consumeristic society.

Analyzing food consumption is stimulant becau16

se we all do for many reasons apart from the simple act of feed ourselves self. However, often we do not realize how such simple choices can have a massive impact on our health and environment.

Food consumption is part of a bigger and complex system where economics, social and cultural factor should be taken into consideration to understand the reason for our choices and shift the behaviors toward a more sustainable choice, according to our beliefs.

Only by understanding the mechanisms by which the Citizens choose what to eat, it will be possible for the Service designer to make a change of behavior.

During the development of this thesis, different theories have been taken into consideration by cross-referencing different disciplines ranging from anthropology to behavioral economy in order to have an all-round idea of what factors can influence the choice of the individual. These possible drivers have then been tested thanks to a service design approach with the user.

The service design tools were essential to understand the specific behavioral drivers in the Shanghai food supply chain and the limits of the current system. Moreover, they helped to identify the opportunities to design a new system that guides the consumer towards a healthier and more sustainable choice, involving the actors themselves in the project development.

Introduction

1.2 Research Context This Thesis examines how China’s food system and Chinese pattern of consumption are changed in recent years and the reason why, exploring the implication of these changes for food security, public health and environmental sustainability.

To better understand the development of the dissertation is important to give a short introduction of the two concepts presented in the title, Sustainable food consumption and Chinese Megacities, to explain the terms and boundaries.

The Oslo Symposium on Sustainable Consumption defines sustainable consumption as: “The use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations”.

(United Nation, 2019) Sustainable Development and healthy food are strictly linked. Ensure sustainable “production and consumption patterns” is the goal 12 of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and is therefore essential to define what a sustainable and healthy diets mean: “A sustainable diet is a diet that contributes to the good nutritional status and long-term good health of the individual/community, and that contributes to and is enabled by, sustainable food systems, thus contributing to long term food security and nutrition” (Meybeck, 2017) The Author decided to address the challenge to ensure a sustainable food consumption to Chinese Megacities, cities with more than 10milion inhabitants, for several reasons.

In this context, in the past half-century, food consumption increased significantly, and the consumption patterns have changed dramatically, mainly due of two rising driving force: urbanization and income (Ji-Kun Huang-

Wei 2017). China’s growing prosperity in the cities allowed a rapid transition from the lowto upper-middle-income country, nurturing a booming middle class “by 2022, 75 percent of people in cities will be considered middle class, earning a household disposable income from 60,000 to 229,000 RMB a year.”

(Dominic Barton,2019) As citizens in the cities became wealthier, they also become avid consumers: changing their dietary patterns completely and developing an appetite for Western-style diet with repercussion on human health and environment.

The dietary transition due to rising income shows some contradictory effects. On the one hand, rising income are associated with excessive calorie consumption and high intake of protein and fat. On the other hand, rising wealth is also associated with consumer willingness to pay for “quality and luxury food,” developing a preference for buying imported food brands, often moved by concerns about the safety of domestically produced food.

The government have played a key role in addressing the demands of a changing society: producing and importing more food. The reforms in food system were able to ensure “sufficient food” for everyone, but with a high environmental cost that then translates also in difficulties to ensure a “safe food system”.

With just “7% of global arable land and 20% of the world population to feed” (Zhou Yinghua), China embraced a productivity agriculture with excessive use of fertilizer, pesticides that result in negative environmental impact with – eutrophication of surface, excessive greenhouse gas emission (Zhang, 2013) - and a loss of people trust in local system due to many food scandals concerning food safety.

The combination of a population increasingly demanding for more dietary diversity and more meat together with reduced arable land 17

Chapter I

makes difficult for China to feed itself without looking out of his local food system. The Chinese Government tried also to take initiatives in the transition through a Green Economy, developing the concept of “Ecological Civilization” (Shentai wenming). The idea is to emphasize the importance of individual behavior for a lastlonging sustainable practice, creating a culture of environmental protection. In this framework, Chinese government developed many policies and information campaign, promoting a change in lifestyle and enhancing public awareness and action on the part of citizens, but most of these have been catalogued under the name of “Behavioral failures” (Simões, Fernando. 2016)

The paradox is, therefore, that government want to change citizens behaviors toward the environment. Still, as there is no comprehensive investigation about Chinese consumers mentality and factors affecting sustainable consumption, many policies are not effective.

At the same time: Because people current pattern way of consumption requires a complex food system to satisfy the enormous amount and variety, ensure a safe food system became a challenge for the government. Given the fact that the food system is not secure, citizens look for healthy food out of the local food chain with the result that a “healthy choice” become unsustainable.

1.3 Research Question Considering the paradox presented in the paragraph above, the challenge is: Understand the driver of food choices to guide the consumer toward and healthy diet and sustainable food system, to build a nutrition system resilient, healthy and in harmony with the ecosystem. The new food system should then, deliver better nutritional outcomes at lower environmental cost, avoiding overreliance on food imports.

Consequently, my research is the following: - How Service Design can facilitate people’s shift from unsustainable habits toward responsible pattern of consumption in the Chinese Urban Food system?

- Which one are the motivations and drivers at the base of this unsustainable pattern of consumption?

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- How service Design can through a participatory approach re-build the lost trust between producer and consumer?

- And moreover, How Service Design can shift people’s behavior from purchasing imported food to a local and more sustainable choice?

Introduction

1.4 Purpose & Significance of the study Nowadays, China have a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants and the population is growing and moving in the cities. To feed everyone in the future, China should change citizens habits in the present as “approximately a third of the food that China grow for human is currently lost or wasted” (Arup and Elle McArthur Foundation).

Apart from the objective missing capital of food, it has been demonstrated how much unsustainable food consumption affect both the health and the environment, being novice both for humans and nature. The United Nation address this problem in the 12 Goal for sustainable development “Responsible consumption and production”, arguing that there is an enormous need to involve everyone on the supply chain, from producer to final user, giving them the possibilities to know the value of their actions and engaging them in The Sustainable Cause (UN, 2015). As the World’s second largest economy, China production and consumption pattern make an important contribution to sustainable development and Chinese Government raised this challenge to the level of key national strategy: promoting in 2015 new green policies and establishing a green supply chain system into the 2016-2020 FiveYears Plan (Yin, Shijiu, 2010).

Nevertheless, Studies about future development of China warn about the increasing consumerism and an effective investigation about the pain point of the current system with a qualitative research to analyze the new pattern of consumption is needed. The research highlight how food consumption is culturally and socially embedded and seen from this perspective food consumption is not a mere economical transaction, but a way to express a social identity and values in the society.

Building on insight from social sciences and behavioral economy, this thesis contributes to an emerging literature in inter-disciplinary environmental scholarship that seek to

understand how Service Design can guide user toward a more sustainable behavior.

Based on the insights of the research, and intervention for pro-environmental behavioral change will be developed following a service design approach. Preliminary finding shows positive results regarding the combined use of participatory design and behavioral science to understand people’s need and motivation, but there are also insufficient evidence about how behavioral insights can be successfully applied for sustainable food consumption in China. The applicability of this framework will be tested involving different actors involved in the food system in Shanghai, exploring the behavioral nature of the unsustainable consumption and developing the new system in a participatory way.

To better understand the scope of the dissertation, the objectives can be summarized in five points: 1.

To construct a precise analysis - based on scientific data and literature review - on the transition of Chinese pattern of consumption in the last mid-century, with the implications for health and environment.

2.

Understand the reason of these changes according to Chinese culture, studying the literature review and testing the finding on the field.

3.

Understand the role of service design in facilitating the shift from unsustainable habits toward a conscious mindset, starting from cultural and social beliefs.

4.

Research case studies about alternative sustainable food system in Chinese cities.

5. ideate a practical design solution based on Issues and opportunities identified in the research phase.

19

Chapter I

1.5 Methodology & Structure of dissertation Technical route The research is divided in three main stages: understand, explore and develop.

In the phase of understanding, both desk and field research are needed to define the drivers of people’s pattern of consumption. Then the exploration starts with the co-design workshop: where ideas for future habits in food system are generated. Finally, the develop phase where some interaction between user and physical touchpoint are prototyped and the project is revised according these feedbacks.

Research methods This study will apply a constructivism paradigm, and therefore the following qualitative design research method will be used: 1.

Literature Review This report uses secondary research researches to understand both the current food system and the science able to encourage sustainable behavior.

2.

Phenomenological Observation Observation in point of purchasing as supermarket, wet market or organic shops are helpful to segment the user and the preferences in food choice.

3.

Online Questionaries’ A tool to collect quantitative data in different households, to understand the main barrier and drivers in shifting behavior, in a confined target user, and how consumer changed their behavior during COVID19 Outbreak.

4. Interviews Interview to experts in the field of food production and nutrition are essential to understand the local food system challenges and ideate hypothesis.

5. Co-design Once the main drivers influencing customers 20

are investigated, a workshop will be organized to design in a participatory way a service in Shanghai, where citizens can choose and learn food impact on their health and environment, making a responsible choice for them, the local food producer and the environment.

6. Prototype The concept elaborated in the co-design workshop, after been revised and implemented will pass through a prototyping phase: Here the user enters in contact with some of the touchpoint of the service and finally it will be evaluated and implemented.

Key technologies or difficulties in work The research phase does not require particular technologies except for the generation of some tools during the development of the research.

Feasibility analysis & Research conditions There will be difficulties in understanding current policies due to a language barrier and some initial barriers in understanding the frame of thinking of a new discipline: behavioral Economics. Both problems will be overcome interviewing some expert in the field. Another difficulty is related to the evaluation of ethical implication in change people’s behavior, which we try to face in a participative discourse with users. The most critical part will be conducting a field research by remote, as the author is currently in Italy due the COVID19 and cannot do it by person.

The development of the thesis requires a large number of contacts along the process and if on one hand some of the producers, contacted previously, declared already their willingness to help in the development of the project, on the other hand the distance caused by COVID generates some difficulties for field research.

Introduction

Bibliography Arup and Elle MacArthur Foundation, the circular economy opportunity, for urban and industrial innovation in China. Accesses Oct 5,2019.

Dominic Barton, “Mapping China’s Middle Class.” McKinsey & Company. Accessed October 10, 2019. https://www.mckinsey.com/ industries/retail/our-insights/mapping-chinasmiddle-class Yin, Shijiu, et al. “Consumers’ purchase intention of organic food in China.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 90.8 (2010): 1361-1367.

United Nation (2019). “Sustainable Consumption and Production: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed October 15, 2019. https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/ sustainableconsumptionandproduction.

Zhang, G and Shen, R 2013, “Impact of high intensity land uses on soil and environment in China,” In: Toth, G and Xiubin, L (eds.), Threats to the Soil Resource Base of Food Security in China and Europe. A Report from the Sino- EU Panel on Land and Soil. Luxemburg: Office of the European Union, pp. 53–90.

Yinghua, Zhou. “Report on China’s Development and Investment in Land and Water.” Report on China’s Development and Investment in Land and Water - Zhou Yinghua, www.fao.org/3/ ac623e/ac623e0d.htm.

Meybeck, Alexandre, and Vincent Gitz.

“Sustainable Diets within Sustainable Food Systems. “Proceedings of the Nutrition Society76, no. 1 (2017): 1–11. doi:10.1017/ S0029665116000653.

Simões, Fernando. “Consumer Behavior and Sustainable Development in China: The Role of Behavioral Sciences in Environmental Policymaking.” Sustainability, vol. 8, no. 9, 2016, p. 897., doi:10.3390/su8090897.

Ji-Kun Huang-Wei Wei-Qi Cui-Wei Xie - “The prospect of China’s Food Security and Imports: Will China Starve the World Via Imports?

Journal of Integrative Agriculture - 2017” UN (2015) Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015. New York: UN.

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Chapter II

22

Research Background This Chapter provides a description of the main changes in China’s food System, exploring the main reasons and the implication of these changes for food security, health and environmental sustainability.

This snapshot provides the general background, showing how many issues - from unsustainable food production to unconscious food consumption–are interlinked and driven by changes in China’s economy and society.

At the end of the chapter it’s presented a Diet, good for Health and Environment and some initiatives both top-down and bottom-up, who are trying to address China’s food System Challenge.

Thanks to this chapter we are going to answer these questions: -Which are the current pattern of consumption in Megacities today?

-Which is the impact on health & Environment?

-What is a Healthy & Sustainable Diet?

- Which are the priorities to develop a sustainable food system in China?

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Chapter II

2.1 Chinese Food System Drivers

Changes

Open Market

Income Grow & Distribution

Overseas Trades

Urbanization

GLOBAL INFLUENCE

CONSUMPTION DRIVER

BIOPHYSICAL INFLUENCES

POLICY DRIVERS

Climate Change

Culture & Beliefs

Policies & Incentives Resources Constrain

24

FIG. 1 “Drivers, Changes and Consequences in Chinese Food System”. Author’s Image

Research Background

Consequences

Agricultural Change Productivity Increase Increase use of fertilizer and pesticides

GHGs

Soil Erosion

Increasing of livestock production Rural-Urban migration

Post-Harvest Change

ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES

Water Availability and Pollution

NUTRITIONAL & HEALTH OUTCOMES

Less MalnutritionMore Obesity

Longer Supply Chain Changing retail structure Logistic Advertising More waste

Consumption Changes More Western and Processed food (>sugar and fats) More meat, Dairy and aquaculture Fewer cereals and legumes

Diabets and NCDs deseases Food Safety

25

Chapter II

In the past mid-century, China experienced a rapid economic growth and transformation, like no precedents in the History. Changes in China’s food system has been no less dramatic.

China has been an outstanding example, able to feed almost the whole population reaching a 6.5 Score (Low Hunger) in the “Global Hunger Index”, increasing production and food availability through food security policies, technological innovation and trade. Yet, given the size of China and its population, changes in production and supply chain had impact on health and environment, not just at national level, but they affect the global food system.

To better understand the changes in the final costumer plate, the Author adopt a “Food System” lens, examining critical changes in food production and how is increased the supply chain between farm to table.

Food Production: It has increased and changed its configuration substantially to answer the challenge of feeding a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants. Driven by economic reforms and supportive agricultural reform. The Agriculture Sector is still dominated by Small player but is changing and always big player are dominating the game.

Food Supply Chain: It is lengthening. The food processor sector is growing and in urban area market share of supermarket is increasing.

Trends in Consumption: All these transformations are interwoven with changes in people’s attitude and behavior regarding food. The desire for more and “richer” food including more animal protein, dairy products and western style products, together with a scare for food safety in the local food system and a growing concern about health are posing new challenges to the Chinese food System.

2.1.1. Food Production Limited arable land small scale farms characterize the Chinese agricultural industry.

With the population and urbanization increasing, the Government played a central role in “Agricultural Modernization,” supporting productivity growth with food security policies and incentives for food production. The critical transformations in China’s agricultural supply chain are due mainly to: - Transformation in organization and scale of production - Increase in food output - Changes in market and demand - A more significant interaction between China’s supply chain and the Global one Food security as providing sufficient food for the population has always been a critical strategy for the Chinese Government to ensure political & social stability and economic growth & rural development.

Only when the Chinese people are free from food availability and stability of food supply worries can they concentrate on and support the current reform, thus ensuring a sustained, rapid and healthy development of the economy (The State Council, 1996).

The priority for food security in public policy is due to China’s historical and social background.

China experienced many famine and hunger in History, and they are deeply ingrained in people’s memories. To report some number, “in 1920 at least 500.000 people starved to death and almost 20 were left destitute. In 1940, between two million and three million people died in famines in Henan province alone.

Only a few years later, between 1959 and 1961, starvation during the “Great Leap Forward” killed an estimated 30 million people”.

(Scott,Steffanie, et al 2018) In response to starvation during the Great Leap Forward, we can trace the origin of the Household Responsibility System in Anhui Province in 1978 (Lin, 1988). The De-collectivization started as a bottom-up movement. After leaders found out that the production grew by more than

26

Research Background

five times, it became one of the more essential and successful reforms for economic growth, becoming a model for future industrial reforms.

The process of De-collectivization in Chinese farms was finalized in 1983 and expanded to the whole country. The land from commune was redistributed between families, and agricultural production jumped as reforms liberalized production and consumption institutions and markets. In 1979, China shifted from a socialist to a more open, market-oriented economy.

Agricultural production jumped as reform liberalized production and market. Many were also the incentives to boost production with chemical fertilizer and pesticides, “use of fertilizer has expanded fivefold since reforms began, and China now leads the world in both production and use of synthetic fertilizer. [...] Application per ha has increased from fiftynine kg in 1978 to 341kg in 2009, and this overuse has resulted in eutrophication of surface water, excessive greenhouse emission, and soil acidification in many regions” (Scott, 2018).

In the 1980s, the production was growing dramatically, albeit characterized by a small scale of production. Since the 1990s, the Government launched many policies to scale production, underpinned by financial support, to modernize agricultural production focusing on market-oriented, large-scale, and specialized production of higher-value goods (Zhang, 2012).

“The establishment of large agribusiness companies known as “dragon head enterprises” (longtou qiye) and “specialized farmer cooperatives” (nongmin zhuanye hezuoshe) was promoted in order to realize swift vertical integration of agricultural production, processing, and marketing.” (Burak Gurel,2017) Moreover, the opening up of the Chinese agriculture accelerated since 2001, with access to the World Trade Organization. Since this date, many foreign companies started to play an essential role in the Chinese Market. If the Agricultural structure is changed in History due to economic reforms, the agricultural output has changed due to the dietary shift in consumption and market demand.

“Livestock now contributes about a third of agricultural output value, and the area sown to grain crops has fallen by a third since 1980 as the area of higher value cash crops has increased. As livestock feed demand has grown, an increasing proportion of grain production is in coarse grains used for feed.” (Garnett and Wilkes, 2014) The livestock sector also affected China’s food security and obliged China to import massive quantity of soy to feed animals: “China shifted from a soybean net exporter to a net importer in 1996, and the net import volume increased from 920,000 tons to 42.55 milion tons in 2009, or by 46 times!” . (Shihai, 2011)

FIG.2 : Farm Size Comparison worldwide

Source: Food and Agriculture Organizaton of the United Nation. Downloaded 25.07.2020 https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-feeding-china/

27

Chapter II

Moreover, the animal sector is growing through a shift towards fewer, larger, more intensive farms. However, the horticulture sector is still dominated by small-scale producers, contract farming and other forms of cooperation are becoming always more common.

2.1.2. Supply Chain transformation Changes like in the agriculture structure are also present outside the farm gate.

The government supported many policies to achieve a technical modernization of the supply chain with incentives for processing and manufacturing.

The Chinese food and retail beverage market are characterized by different formats, from the traditional wet market to the hypermarket and e-commerce. Supermarkets are becoming always more prevalent in urban realities, and their popularity is due to two main factors: -

The Change of lifestyle Food Safety concern & quality

The first factor is the lifestyle in the cities that changes the way of purchasing. If the older generation prefers to buy fresh food more often and at the market, the young workers who have less time, prefer to have a great shopping experience once a week or to buy food online, a trend that is always increasing in megacities (Atsmon,2010).

The second factor that we will explore more deeply in the next paragraph is the concern for food safety, a matter of both citizens and government. An example of governmental policies incentivizing supermarkets upon the wet market is the “Nonggaichao campaign” (i.e., ‘wet market reform to the supermarket’), initiated in the 2000s. This policy aimed to replace wet markets with supermarkets, “driven by the desire to improve standards of hygiene, ventilation, and waste management, but economic motivations also played a part: the high cost of land in urban areas has increased pressure to use the land for more profitable, tax revenue-generating purposes, and supermarkets generate higher profits than the traditional markets they replace” .

(Herring,2012)

28

However, the Wet Markets are still a “good choice” for many customers as they find the product fresher and cheaper. In any case, there is no drastic division between people buying at supermarkets and people purchasing at the wet market, as the supply chains can be tightly interwoven. But the increasing concern regarding food safety and quality plays against the wet market, in favor of an emerging organic food sector in supermarkets and small movement sponsored by various forms of communitysupported agriculture. Moreover, always more overseas firms play key role roles in Chinese Supply China, as stated by Smith (Smith,2012), just to cite some brands: -

ADM, Cargill, and similar in agricultural processing

-

Nestle, General Mills, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Danone in food manufacturing

-

Yum! Foods (KFC), McDonald’s in food services

“McDonaldization,”“Supermarketization,” “Walmartizaton,” and other such processes that reflect the global experience of bigger, faster, cheaper, homogenized food products, co-exist with China’s traditional food system. Yet, there is a distinct “globalization” to their presence in China, as these global giants incorporate elements of local culture into their practices” (Scott,2018) It’s therefore interesting to note as modern retail, national as foreigners, often embrace a traditional style of vending. An example is KFC or McDonald that introduced rice in their menu or Supermarket as well as Walmart with a floor where customers can choose “fresh” fishes alive in tanks, as in the traditional market.

Last trend that is important to cite in the evolution of the supply chain in Chinese megacities is the increase of out-of-home consumption and food delivery from restaurants. The reason behind this trend can be explained together with the rise in e-commerce and convenient store, as the evolution of lifestyle, lack of time, and convenience.

Research Background

2.1.3. Food Safety and loss of trust As anticipated in the previous paragraph, food safety anxiety is responsible for primary shifts in the food supply chain and influences the way people purchase food.

The food safety crisis can lead to two main directions: - Buying out of the local supply chain, due to distrust and insecurity in the “local,” determining a growing in imports with significant impact on the environment - Buying in Alternative Food Networks, trying to re-establish the lost trust between urban and rural through food transparency and ecological agriculture “Food Safety Crisis” is shaping China Food System and its relationship with the external market. But more than this, as the Anthropologist Yunxian Yan affirms, poses an enormous risk for the society causing the decline of social trust and the basis for a “Risk Society”. The term “Risk Society” (Risikogesellschaft) was coined by the German sociologist Ulrich Beck in the 1980s and means a society increasingly preoccupied with the future and modernization.

The fear for food safety comes from the fact that as Ulrich Beck states: “We are living in a

world beyond controllability” (Ulrich Beck,2006), and our system and progress play against us.

Humans produce many risks, which causes a risk of entrusting in society, where progress becomes part of the problem, not the solution.

To better explain which one are the risks in food safety that bring to a “Risk Society,” Yunxian Yan Analyze the food safety scandals from 1950 to 2002 (FIG.1). The Author categorizes the foodsafety problems as food hygiene, unsafe food, and poisonous food, and he describes the different types of risk that they pose.

1.

Food Hygiene: These problems are not new; they change their place and shape during the last three decades. In the past, these problems were more present in the public canteen as we can see in Fig.3 , now as people started to eat more processed food or outside at the restaurants, it regards more the food processing industry. This industry is highly fragmented in China and poses a new challenge for the user regarding knowing the origin or ingredient of the food they eat: “Such disconnection and sense of alienation associated with food have long been regarded as a major cause of the public fears and the actual incidents of food safety.” (Yan Yunxian,2012) This is a problem that public health agencies and governments are facing every day with regulations about quality control, food

FIG.3: Food Scandals “Evolution” Type

Major Causes

Number of Cases 1950-1982

Number of Cases 1983-2002

A

Meat of diseased animals

26

18

B

Spoiled foods

27

18

C

Pesticides or other chemicals

23

15

D

Problematic canteens

49

55

E

Toxic plants

4

1

F

Improper food preparation

6

G

Unsafe food in restaurant/market

4

H

Food with toxic additives in Restaurants or market

87 23

139

217

Table 1. A Comparison of Food-Poisoning Cases during Two Periods, Yunxiang Yan. *Food-poisoned cases that involved one hundred or more victims

29

Chapter II

processing, and transportation. The consumer also feels confident about the possibility of avoiding these risks, and they may not represent, therefore, a risk for society.

2.

Unsafe Food: These Food Scandals, caused by modern modes of farming with heavy use of fertilizer and pesticides as well as the intensive farms of animals, are the most frequent. Many of these problems are derived from modern agriculture as well as a “modern consumeristic society” (more western-style diet and increase of meat consumption) and constitute a reflexive part of modernity and a risk for it.

3.

Poisonous food: These scandals are relatively new in China, and they can be differentiating by the other two because they involve deliberate contamination of food as a defining feature. The one who adulterates the food violates not only governmental law and regulation but intentionally hurt consumer health. According to the number of scandals analyzed, this one is not frequent as the Hygiene and Unsafe food problem, but they present probably the most severe challenge to public trust and are “Socially lethal” (Yan Yunxian, 2012). One of the most famous cases in China is one of melamine added to milk to boost its protein content cheaply. Due to this scandal, now on the supermarket shelves, we can see mainly New Zealand milk or coming from other

countries because the trust in the local system is lost and difficult to restore.

To conclude, food safety risk and, in particular, poisonous food generate ethical tension and crisis in the society and new challenges that go far beyond nutrition and health.

Food Safety risk fuel two different behaviors: The first, “easiest” and more common choice to have healthy becomes buying food outside of the local food chain with repercussions on the environment. The second scenario is more positive and represents a small part of the population trying to re-establish the relationship with food and people with alternative food networks, pursuing new food sources and food practices (Klein,2013).

2.1.4. Luxury & Imported food China’s food supply and demand have implications that go well beyond its borders.

Given the limitations of the resources and the increasing demand for safer food and more quality food from wealthier consumers, China’s overall food imports are increased in recent years (Huang,2017). The integration process of the Country inside the global food system has taken place since the 1980s, with the liberalization of the market and lowering of import barriers. and it is increased since China’s accession to WTO (World Trade

FIG.4: Soybeans production, consumption and import in China 1974-2011

Consumption Imports Productions 1974

1984

1994

2004

Soybeans are mainly used to feed livestock- in the graph is shown production and imports- Source: USDA

30

Research Background

Organization) in 2001 (Garnett,2014). Among China’s food imports, the most significant is that of soybeans, to feed livestock, which is strictly related to China’s changing dietary preferences and growing appetite for animal products (Lu,Yonglong, 2015) . China was close self-sufficient in grains and soybeans until the 1990s; then, its self-sufficiency ratio has been declining in recent years.

“In countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, this has led to the clearing away of vast swaths of forests to make way for huge soybean monocultures, further driving up greenhouse gas emissions since forests typically store carbon in living biomasses, soil, dead wood, and litter, while plants sequester vast quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.”

(Bajželj et al,2014) FIG.4 shows Soybeans Consumption and Production from 1974 to 2011.

The shift of Chinese consumers toward animalbased products and away from basic staples and other plant-based products impose more significant burdens on agricultural resources inside and outside the Country’s border.

The Impacts of China’s food demand affect foreign countries in different ways, with environmental and socioeconomic consequences.

The “Trade War” between China and the US for soybeans demonstrates how much China food system is deeply embedded in the global political economy. Notable increases have also occurred in the imports of maize, sugar, and dairy products.

Dairy products, in particular, exemplify how much trust is essential in the food system, considering that from the melamine-tainted milk scandals in 2008, almost all the milk boxes on the supermarket’s shelves are imported, mainly from New Zealand. Last but not least, the growing concern about nutrition among the upper-middle class in China, drive a boom in imported luxury food that have enormous repercussion on the global environment. An example of luxury food is the avocado: In 2017, China imported more than 32,000 tones, 22% more than in the previous year. Almost all are coming from Latin America creating environmental concern over water resources and deforestation in Mexico, Chile, and Peru (Cuéllar, 2018).

“Animal-based diets require more agricultural resources and generate more environmental externalities than vegetable-based foods “ (Huang et al, 2017)

FIG.5: Avocado Rush 153 Tonnes

1,497 Tonnes

4,065 Tonnes

15,989 Tonnes

25,127 Tonnes

32,136 Tonnes

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Consumption of Avocado from 2012 to 2017 in China. Source: https://chinadialogue.net/en/food/10951-china-staste-for-avocado-linked-to-drought-in-latin-america/

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Chapter II

2.1.5. Impact on the Environment Today, we live in an Era called Anthropocene.

An Era in which human actions have become the main driver of global environmental change.

Since the Industrial Revolution, agriculture is one of the leading human activity with disastrous consequences on our planet.In this paragraph, we outline the contribution of agriculture to the environmental threats we face today, and which one is China’s foodprint.

The country’s dietary transformation has brought severe environmental and healthrelated consequences. In the ecological

sphere, the rapid growth in agriculture with an excessive and inefficient use of synthetic fertilizer generates greenhouse gas emissions, depletion, and pollution of soil and groundwater resources. (Lam et al. 2013) The Planetary Boundaries model, illustrated below, defines nine critical limits for the resource of our planet, and four out of nine are already overcome. Food production is mostly responsible for at least five of these boundaries: climate change (GHGs Emission), chemical flows and pollutants (P/N Application), freshwater use, Land-use (and deforestation), and Biodiversity Loss.

FIG.6: 9 Planetary Boundaries

ve

le

nt

es

Bi

od

ity rs

No

ss lo

iti

i ve

Clima te cha ng e

/

d in g

e d ep letio n ric o z o n

La nd -sy stem cha

sp he

ng e

a to S tr

Bio

Beyond zone of uncertainly -High Risk-

ge

o ch emi

er

ph os

Ph osp hor us

At

m

es Fr

hw

ic a

a te

ero

so l

se ru

lo a

/

N itrog e n

ca l flo w

s

In zone of uncertainly -Increasing Risk-

idifi n ac O ce a

i ca t

on

Below boundary -Safe-

Boundary not yet quantified

Source: BIT- Report “A menu for Change” https://www.bi.team/publications/a-menu-for-change/

32

Research Background

1.

Climate Change

Climate Change is one of the three EarthSystem processes. With biodiversity loss and interference with the nitrogen cycle, have overpassed the planet boundaries, argues Johan Rockström and it’s one of the main challenges creating a“safe operating space for humanity” (Rockström,2009) Contemporary climate change has been caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, and most of the increase in the last century was due to human activities. Thus, reducing GHG emissions from social activities is a pressing task for international development. Fundamental to meeting human needs, the food chain system (FCS) plays an essential role in the growth of global GHG emissions. (Lu, Yonglong, 2015).

Excessive use of fertilizer in food production and growth in the livestock generates the primary source of greenhouse gas emission.

The environmental impact of the animal production increase is felt at both the local and global levels. This sector is resource-intense and contributes to global climate change, both with direct GHGs emissions and imported feeds (Garnett,2014).

In the scheme on the next page (FIG.8), we can see which steps of food production are responsible forthe highest output of greenhouse gases, and which one are the food products more responsible for this impact. Watching at the first lines of the tab shows how important it is to reduce the consumption of meat in our diet and shift toward a more plant-based one.

FIG.7: Global greenhouse gas emission from food production GLOBAL EMISSION

52.3 billion tonnes of Carbon dioxide equivalent

Retail Packaging Transport

Supply chain 18%

NON-FOOD: 74%

Food Processing

Livestock & Fishfarms

Crops for animal feed

Crops for human food

FOOD: 26%

Livestock and fisheries 31%

Land use for human food Land use for livestock

Crop production 27%

Land Use 24%

Data source: Joseph & Thomas Nemecek (2018). Reducing food’s enviromental impacts through producers and consumers. Published in Science. OurWorldinData.org

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Chapter II

FIG.8: Greenhouse gas emission across the supply chain

Land Use

Farm

Change in biomass & soil carbon

Methan emission from cow, methane, fertilizer, manure and machinery

Animal Feed Processing

Transport

On farm emission Emission from Emission for food from crop energy produced transportation production and to convert in country and its processing agricultural international into feed for product in final livestock food item

Retail

Packaging

Emission from energy use in refrigeration and other retail process

Emission from the production of packaging materials and end-of life disposal

CO2 Emission from most plant-based products are as much as 10-50 times lower than most animal-based products

Greenhouse gas emission per kilogram of food product (kg CO2 - equivalent per kg product)

Note: Greenhouse gas emission are given as global average values based on data across 38,700 commercially viable farms in 119 countries. Data Source:Poore and Nemecek(2018). Reducing food’s enviromental impact through producers and consumers. Science. Images sources from the noun project. OurWorldindata.org - Research and progress to make progress against the world’s largest problem.

34

Research Background

2.

Chemical flow & Pollutants

Under the legacy of Agriculture modernization, “the use of fertilizer has expanded fivefold since reforms began. China now leads the world in both the production and the use of synthetic fertilizers (Fan et al. 2012). Chemical fertilizer use increased from 8.8 to 54 million metric tons between 1978 and 2009, and applications per hectare increased from 59kg to 341kg over the same period.” (Shumilas,2018) In China, the use of fertilizer per hectare is four times the global average (Cyranoski,2018). The overuse of fertilizers and chemicals is nocive for the environment because the crops absorb less than 30% of this substance. The remainder evaporates, runs off into surface water, or causes soil acidification & pollution in many regions.

“In turn, the deterioration in ecosystem quality due to historical and current levels of pollution will potentially compromise the food production system in China. Evidence of food quality issues resulting from environmental contamination is now widespread, and the frequent reports of food contamination have caused great public concern over food safety in China”. (Reuters,2015) 3.

Water use

Globally, over 70 percent of freshwater is used

FIG.9: Share of freshwater by sector (%) in 2014

for agriculture(WorldBank Indicator) and of this percentage, the significant share is dedicated to animal-based production.

“Meats became the most water-intensive food item in China as early as 1982, and the water consumption for meat production has now reached 503 billion m³, accounting for about 40% of China’s total water consumption.” (He et al. 2019) Meat production and animal products require a much higher amount of water than vegetables.

As we can see in the graph below, in order to produce 1kg of cheese requires more than 5,000 liters of water, whereas to produce 1kg of wheat requires around 600 liters of water. If then we have a look at the proteins, become clear that for the same amount of proteins, meat and animal derivates, in general, are most water-intensive in comparison to vegetable substitutes.

The FIG.11 shows China’s total water required for food from 1981 to 2016, highlighting and increasing in 2016 “approximately 1103 billion m3of water is needed to meet the national food production: 1.5times higher than that of 1981.”

(He, et al. 2019) During these years, the consumption of water change objective: demand for grain and vegetables decreased while beans oil and fruits increased water demand . It can also be observed that the protagonists in water consumption are the animals as meat production and derivates risen exponentially in the last 35 years.

Agriculture

Industry

Domestic

South

South

South

South

South

South

91.2

86.3

80.7

72.1

71.8

35.7

South Asia

Middle East & North Africa

Sub Saharian

Latin America & Caribbean

East Asia & Pacific

Europe & Central Asia

Globally 70% of Freshwater is Used for Agriculture Source: World Development Indicators

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Chapter II

FIG.10: Freshwater withdrawals per kilograms of food products and per 100 grams of protein

Note: Freshwater withdrawls per kilograms of products and per 100 grams of protein Data Source: OurWorldindata. org - Research and progress to make progress against the world’s largest problem- Enviromental impact of food production - https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food#citation

FIG.11: Water required for per capita food consumption in China

1986

Wheat

Rice

Milk

Egg

1996

Maize

Beans

Starchy roots

2006

Vegetables

Fruits

2016

Vegetable Oils

Sugar

Water required for per capita food consumption in 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016. Source: He et al, 2019

36

Meat

Research Background

Land use and Deforestation

“43% of the earth’s surface is now agricultural. […] 98% of the land is suited to growing the major crops (rice, wheat, maize) in use). Of this 43%, the great majority (38% of land) is used for food. The great majority of this (30% of land) for livestock production, despite providing just 18% of our calories. The other 82% of calories come from crops for human consumption, on just eight percent of lands.” (He, et al 2019) In China, the arable land for food consumption remarkably changed in the past 35 years. In 1981 the arable land was mainly used for grains consumption, then with progress in agriculture and a decrease in demand, it decreased substantially.On the other hand, the demand for arable land grew for vegetable oils and meat: “From 1981 to 2016, the arable land needed for vegetable oils increased from 12 to 39 million ha,

in the same period, the arable land requirement for meats increased from 25 to 54 million ha, an increase of 116%.” (He, et al. 2019) The fear of food safety and the increasing demand for more meat led to an increase in imports. Agricultural expansion for livestock is the primary cause of deforestation. Eighteen million acres – the size of Panama – is lost to livestock production each year. Moreover, the growing imports of products as soy and avocado generated environmental crises worldwide, especially in Brazil and Latin America, causing drought and deforestation (Lu, Yonglong,2015).

5.

Biodiversity loss

Due to deforestation, pesticides and fertilizer use, soil degradation, and climate change, Agriculture is the leading cause of Habitat and Species loss (World Animal Foundation).

The challenge for China food System now is not

FIG.12 : Total arable land required for China food consumption (ha/year)

1.5E + 08

1.2E + 08

0.9E + 08

0.6E + 08

0.3E + 08

Wheat

Rice

Milk

Egg

Maize

Beans

Starchy roots

Vegetables

Fruits

Vegetable Oils

Sugar

2016

2015

2013

2011

2009

2007

2005

2003

2001

1999

1995

1993

1991

1989

1987

1985

1983

1981

0.0E + 08 1997

4.

Meat

Globally 70% of Freshwater is Used for Agriculture Source: World Development Indicators

37

Chapter II

just producing more food but also do it more in a more sustainable way, reducing GHG emissions and avoiding environmental degradation.

In addressing this challenge, “food production should be considered as part of an environmental

system (soil, water, and biodiversity) and not independent from it� (Lu, Yonglong, 2015).

Conclusion 2.1 A look at the entire food supply chain, from food production to processing, consumption, and waste disposal is essential to defining sustainable priorities.

Indeed, we cannot have sustainable food consumption without having a sustainable food production and vice versa.

From this analysis, it is therefore essential to:

38

-

Sustain Small-scale farm in rural areas for social and environmental sustainability

-

Shortenings food supply chain to re-establish trust in the local food chain, ensuring food safety and transparency of information

-

Reduce consumption of animal products and imported luxury food in food consumption

Research Background

2.2 New Patterns of Consumption In the previous section, we have analyzed how the shift in consumption and Governmental reforms caused a change in production and increasing imports in the past thirty years.

This Chapter analyzes more in deep how consumption and diets have changed over time, identifying the primary macro trend that caused this shift, and examines the impacts of these changes on health.

The main questions that we are going to answer in these Chapter are: -What are people eating in China today?

-Which one are the main reasons of these changes?

-Which one are the implications of these changes on health?

-What changed during the COVID Outbreak?

2.2.1. Food Trends and drivers in Chinese Megacities In the past 30 years, China has witnessed significant increases in household purchasing power. The rising income moved together with rapid urbanization: almost 500 million people have migrated from the countryside to urban areas (SPACE 10).

This migration created some of the world’s largest metropolises. Today, China accounts for six Megacities, cities with more than 10 million inhabitants, and according to the UN, it’s expected to have by 2030 eight Megacities (UN,2018). The rapid transition from low to upper-middle-class income countries nurtured a booming middle class.

The Rising income and urbanization generated a change in the reason people consume particular food (change in significance), and where they consume it. How people consume food is changed and influenced by a rapid digitalization that fueled the growth of the mobile payment system and e-commerce platform. Today (2020), China’s food-delivery market worth

US$51,514m, almost double accounts of the US market, US$26,527m in 2020 (Statista).

Change in significance (Why) It is fundamental to understand the value of food in Chinese culture and how this relationship human-food is changed in recent decades.

“Food is not only the source of nutrition for humans but also plays various roles in our daily lives, beliefs, and socioeconomics” (Ma, et al.

2015) .

In the social sphere, food defines relationships with other people and becomes a symbol of what people are. Inserting the food purchase in the social field is essential because, in this way, food choice cannot be seen as entirely unintentional, and exploring the variables as motives, attitudes, concerns - in food choice becomes the key to change the consumption behavior.

The two main difference in the Chinese context, comparing the behavior of today with the ones of thirty years ago are: -If for the older generations, who lived through the period of famine, leaving food was a shame, today food waste through over-ordering is seen as a sign of wealth: “ from lack to abundance.”

-There is a shift in buying “From necessity to luxury goods” (Farrel, et al. 2006) Change in how and where Growing prosperity has had a direct effect on why, how, and where citizens eat. With the rising of the middle class, the food demand and the way of consuming food are changed: The food delivery at home became part of the daily routine for Chinese citizens, and the E-commerce “grew exponentially, generating a significant amount of food and plastic waste” (Song et al. 2018). Another trend in Chinese Megacities is going out to eat while fewer and fewer people are cooking at home today. The growing wealth of population and “fast-lifestyle” spurred the high growth of fast food and take39

Chapter II

out and food delivery at home.Besides, but no less important, because of many food scandals in the food system as the case of contaminated milk (Wang et al. 2008), people prefer to buy package foods and the market share of the supermarket is increasing, as people look for: - vegetables in the plastic package at the supermarket -processed food (often containing a significant amount of fat and sugar). (Wang, et al 2009)

2.2.2.

Dietary change

These three macro trends cited above: rising income, urbanization, and digitalization aren’t just changing how, why, and where people eat, but also what they’re eating. Chinese middle class has changed its appetite and food consumption patterns dramatically. As the household’s income grows, so does affordability and availability of food, which comes to the tables from distant Chinese provinces and global imports.

FIG.13 : Meat consumption vs. GDP per capita, 2017

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

Note: Average meat consumption per person and GDP follow a linear scale for countries in development; for developed countries outher factors plays a role in flat the line . Source:UN FAO; OurWorldinData/meat-production

40

Research Background

Change in What China’s food system transition moved together with a nutrition transition. As reported by the China Health and Nutritional Survey (CHNS), there are new trends in Chinese food consumption : - Decreased consumption of grains and legumes; + increased of oils and frying of food; + increased consumption of animal-sourced products: In particular pork, but the intake of eggs, poultry, and dairy products are rising; + increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages + increased consumption of food away from home; + increased consumption of non-traditional foods, in particular confectionery and frozen

foods. + Increase consumption in imported luxury food (knight et al. 2008) with enormous repercussions on the global environment.

Generally speaking, people in China today are eating more animal products, as well as more oils, processed food, sugar, and confectionery products, while the consumption of grains and legumes is declining. Moreover, citizens eat always more out from home, and they start developing an appetite western-style diet and “luxury food,” often imported. The most significant changes in diet have been the change from stample carbohydrates and vegetables to an ever-increasing consumption of meat, poultry, and dairy product (He et al.2016).

Increased income seems to be one of the main drives behind the shift toward an animal-based diet, as we can see in the graph FIG 13 there is a linear correlation between the rising income of a state and its meat consumption for developing

FIG.14 : Meat Production by animal in China

Note: In the chart we see how meat production has changed by livestock type from 1095 til 2017 in China.

Source: OurworldinData : https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production

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Chapter II

countries. In China, the economy grew as fast as the animal-protein intake.” The average person eats 63kg of meat for a year, six-fold more than 1978 (OECD, 2020), and this number is expected to rise. Pork will remain the favorite meat in the forecast, followed by poultry, beef, and mutton, with beef consumption making a significant increase. On the whole, the country alone consumes twenty-eight percent of the world meat. Meat consumption has an enormous effect on the planet as it generates climate-change emission at every stage of the production. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, emissions from livestock account for 14.5 percent of total carbon emission. Food production generated methane and greenhouse gas directly, and more indirectly is the cause of deforestation as animal production requires a significant amount of land, and, always, more forests around the world are converted to agriculture to satisfy the growing demand.

2.2.3.

Impact on the Health

Changing food consumption patterns also have striking consequences on the health system.

China has been an outstanding example in reducing the incidence of undernourishment, from 23.9% of the population in 1990-92 to 8,6% in 2015-2017 on the other hand: “Obesity now costs the state more than CNY 580 billion (USD 93 billion) per year, equivalent to 1.1% of GDP.” (Ma et al. 2015) Obesity is more prevalent in China’s cities than it is in the country as whole Chinese urban eating habits are rapidly approaching those of developed countries in the West, characterized by excessive calorie consumption and high intake of protein and fat (Ma et al, 2015) . According to the Arup Report: ”If left to develop unfettered, the incidence of obesity in China’s cities could

FIG.15 : Dietary compositions by commodity group, China, 1961 to 2013

Average per capita dietary energy supply by commodity groups, measured in kilocalories per person per day.

Source: Ourworldindata

42

Research Background

grow to approximately 25% by 2030.”

The Overconsumption of meat and oil and the decrease of coarse grains are associated with the growth of diet-related non-communicable diseases such as hypertension (persistently high blood pressure). The increase in fat and sweets results in a rising number of people with diabetes (Wang et al, 2007).

“In 1980, less than 1 percent of the population in China was thought to suffer from diabetes.

Now more than one in ten Chinese adults have the disease, making China the country with the highest number of diabetics in the world” (WHO) China Today, with a number of 114 million (CGTN, 2019), is the country with the largest number of diabetics. The prevalence of diabetes and people with non-communicable diseases is higher among urban than rural residents, as these diseases are highly connected with new people’s lifestyles in the city characterized by

reduced physical activity and an unhealthy diet (Yang et al., 2010). Moreover, out-of-home consumption accounts for increasing meat consumption and can be a risk factor for higher fat intake and lower nutrient intake. Overall, in urban areas, energy intake has declined, and the percentage accounting for animal protein has grown (Garnett et al.2014). Consumption of processed and unprocessed red meat is associated linked to an increase in disease risk. A study conducted by Michael A. Clark in 2019 clearly shows that between all the food examined: “A daily serving of processed red meat is associated with the largest mean increase in the risk of mortality and incidences of CHD, type II diabetes, and stroke.” (Clark et al., 2019) At the same time, we can see in the FIG.16 That there is a clear correspondence between food nocive for the planet and human health.

FIG.16 : Impact of food on health and environment HEALTH

Totally mortaity Coronary hearth disease

ALL FOODS

Water Use Acidification

Colorectal cancer

Eutrophication

Diabetes

Land Use Stroke

Whole Grains

ENVIRONMENT

Fruit

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Vegetables

Dairy

Processed Meat

Unprocessed Meat

Note: In the chart we see the impact that different aliments have on our health and environment.

Source: Pinas https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1906908116

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Chapter II

2.2.4. Changes due to COVID Outbreak This paragraph was not foreseen at the thesis proposal stage, but as the coronavirus was not.

However, the author considers it of absolute importance to analyze how people’s behaviors have changed during the escalation of COVID-19 and how the supply chain has been affected.

2.2.4.1 Changes in food habits Given the prolonged time people spend in their homes in lockdown and considering that the reason for the virus is strictly connected with what people eat, we will investigate the consumer behavior thresholds and their spending pattern. Some of these changes will be permanent after COVID, and they will re-shape the supply chain according to the new needs.

The confirms that there will be a radical change, comes from the fact that in 2003, the SARS epidemic was the Kickstarter of online retail in China. With SARS, TAOBAO was born, and it completely revolutionized the way people buy.

The SARS Outbreak in 2003 and the COVID-19 have two things in common: they are both transmitted by animals (masked civet the first, and a bat for the second), and they both start from a Wet Market. If SARS was the starting point for raising e-commerce, COVID pushed it to a new level and, as reported by the Mintel report, also made older generations change their habits in the face of social distance measures. The older consumers start to use e-commerce for groceries and benefits of local O2O models (Online-Offline), utilizing social media as WeChat to purchase in their community (Mintel,2020).

The changes did affect not only the shift in buying from offline to online for a significant share of the population but also what people want to eat and how they prepare it.

The two primary drivers of these changes were: A shift from sociality to intimacy due to the lockdown.

Greater attention to food safety and health.

The first driver generated a shift in meaning: If food has always been a vehicle of values, culture, symbols, and identity now emerge the primary functions of life and nutrition.

In a moment of social distancing becomes

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difficult to imagine a hotpot dinner, communal dining experience where people cook their meal and share a pot. On the other hand, we have seen a reconnection of people to food in a private sphere.

We have already seen in China, especially in the megacities, the trend of Ghost Kitchens, intended only for delivery: will this be an opportunity for the spread of more and more of these non-places? And give importance back to the intimate spaces of the house in opposition to public sociality?

Many people started cooking again or buying the fresher product instead of processed one, understanding the primary value of land, agriculture, and food. Sara Roversi, the founder of Future Food Institute describes the opportunity of reconnection that offers us the “lockdown” in this way: “In the post-industrialized and globalized societies in which we live, the digital revolution has taken control of our lives and imposed new parameters on us; the “lockdown” offers us the possibility to re-learn how to buy, to re-connect with food, who produces it and who shares it with us. “ (Sara Roversi, Future Food Institute) This reconnection with food, land, and producer requires more consciousness and awareness.

During the Outbreak, the starting point of this reconnection and shift from long-life food toward fresh food and more cooking at home was due mainly by safety concerns. Comes naturally to ask: If safety and hygiene concern shift people’s behavior toward a more conscious, healthier and sustainable choice, to what extend will this fear generate a positive output in the future?

A study conducted by Nielsen in March 2020, “Where consumers are heading, “investigates how Asian consumers are re-thinking how they eat post COVID19 (Nielesen, 2020) . The data are shown in the following images, and the results show the willingness of Chinese citizens to keep some of the new habits also after the Outbreak.

86% of respondents (in Mainland China) said that they would eat at home more postpandemic. Regarding the Online trend, 70% of the respondents purchase fresh products more than twice a week, and 89% of consumers say they will be more willing to buy daily necessities/

Research Background

fresh products online once the pandemic is over.

Additionally, 80% said they would pay attention to eating healthy even after the epidemic is over.

The virus allowed us to re-think our system and our choices. We were forced to reset cooking and eating more together, and we should take this an opportunity to re-think our choices and understand that our future start at the end of our chopsticks.

The coronavirus “marks the emergence of the unconscious into consciousness, the crystallization of chaos into order, the transcendence of compulsion into choice” (Eisestein, 2020)

FIG.17 : Nielsen Survey on consumer habits during and after COVID

86% of respondent

67% of respondent

89% of respondent

80% of respondent

who said that they would eat at home more post-pandemic (1)

who said they would be willing to buy fresh products online after pandemic (2)

who shopped for fresh & daily necessities more than twice a week during the pandemic (2)

who saidthey would pay attention to eating healthy after the pandemic (2)

People Changed their habits and they are willing to keep some of these habits. Source: (1) Nielsen “COVID-19 Where consumers are heading? Study March 2020. (2) Nielsen Social Intelligence on Coronavirus, Feb 2020.

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2.2.4.2 Changes in the supply chain Changes in consumption also call for a rethinking of the food supply chain. We saw panic buying and unbelievable queues in front of the supermarkets worldwide, with shelves often empty. Like other countries, in the first weeks of Outbreak, China encounters some difficulties in providing enough food for people going to the supermarket, stoking food for the Outbreaks.

In general, for what I observed, a large part of wet markets customers moved they purchase in supermarkets or convenience stores, because perceived safer and more hygienic.

FIG.18 shows a comparison of a Wet Market in Putuo District (Shanghai) in the first week of lockdown versus the wet market in normal consitions. It’s evident that some markets had problems ensuring enough food, as many workers were stuck in the countryside, as they returned for Chinese New Year and could not

come back due to quarantine measures. Food was left in the fields because it could not be collected or transported (Fei et al., 2020) and all these issues will have a long-term impact on both domestic and global supply chains.

“Beijing-based consulting firm BRIC Agri-Info Group estimates that across mainland China, more than 3.3 million tons of farm produce, mostly perishable vegetables, has been left unsold due to disruptions in the transport chain.”

(Zuo et al, 2020) Restrictions on mobility had a tremendous impact on the food supply chain. However, it also creates a positive solution at the community level: many citizens joined purchase clubs (FIG.19) to support food supply and start delivering food to isolated houses and vulnerable residents (elderly and people in quarantine). Collaboration in the community and proximity was essential for these people

FIG.18: Wet Market during the first week of lockdown vs “normal situation”

Due to reduced mobility for the lockdown some markets were running out of supplies Picture of the Authour.

Putuo District, Shanghai.

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Research Background

who may not be able to access online services or cannot buy food. Some cities had an excellent response to transportation block thanks to the “Green basket policy,” a bid where City mayors are responsible for improving the production of vegetables and foodstuff within their cities (Si, Zhengzhong, 2020).

Food Security was reinforced in times of crisis, and many policies were developed to ensure food for everyone, avoiding the loss of production. To face the labor shortage, the local government suggested that farmers use migrant workers returned from cities and created a mutual-aid system (Fei, et al. 2020). Several companies started hiring or “sharing” employees from one sector to another. A majestic example of this so-called shared-employees is Hema, Alibaba supermarket, that hired temporarily nearly 2.000 employees from the restaurant chain (severely hit by the crisis) for the delivery service during the outbreak (Lee, 2020).

FIG.19: Voluntaring service in a compound

A volunteer deliver food to a family in the community. Source: Image of the Author

Moreover, since the distribution of food created issues in sales of agricultural products, many measures to match supply with demand were created. Just to cite a pair of examples reported

by FAO: During COVID Emergence “The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) in a video conference “has enabled sales of 50350 tonnes of agricultural products valuing at 335.8 million yuan (USD 43.3 million) and another public service alliance committed to carrying out no less than 10 billion purchase yuan of agricultural products for poor areas in 2020” (Fei et al. 2020) So far, the government is also encouraging e-commerce enterprises to engage in agricultural product sales actively, and many have initiated farmer aid projects.

To further promote sales, the platforms provide resources of live streaming or short videos,

FIG.20: “Plastic-Shop”

A shop in Shanghai where plastic becomes the protagonist due to COVID. Image of the Author

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sometimes hosted also by celebrities.

The results that these platforms can achieve are astonishing: Alibaba supported and sold 118 000 tonnes of overstocked agricultural products in less than 40 days, JD.com sold 500 tonnes of produce in five days, and Pinduoduo has helped farmers from 400 cities or town, which include more than 230 State poverty counties (Fei et al., 2020) From COVID19 response in China we can draw several lessons for the future: 1.

Our future is fragile, and we should respond connected. It’s vital to foster multistakeholder collaboration and coordination.

2.

The online channel in China helped matched offer with demand. Diversification of distribution channels and digitalization is, therefore, essential to improve food system resilience.

3.

A policy like the “green basket” was fundamental during the lockdown and block of transportation because it ensured local production to the city. In the future, we should foster local production and strength the relationship between urban and rural territories.

We should reflect on all these changes and how collaboration between digital and physical world made the whole supply chain more efficient, inclusive and sustainable. We should think on how large-scale problem found a response in smallscale solution in the local area or community that adapted to the specific needs and helped creating a more resilient food system.

We need to re-think our system, understanding that we are connected, we depend on each other and the planet is one for all of us.

We should, therefore, re-think a system for planetary boundaries with a productive model that optimizes the resources of nature: water, energy, and soil and start again from a short supply chain.

Conclusion 2.2 Achieving a healthy diet from a sustainable food system requires a substantial shift toward healthy dietary patters, a reduction in food waste, and improvement in production & distribution.

The transformation should involve multiple stakeholders, and each of us should invest efforts and commitment, working together toward the shared goal of a healthy and sustainable diet for humans and the planet.

Modernization is essential in creating a more sustainable food system, but it should be used to empower small farmers instead of replacing it with big corporations. Digitalization and diversification of the distribution system with the online channel can indeed be a powerful way to improve food system resilience and help match demand with production, especially in a crisis, ensuring distribution.

The citizens from their side should commit to being aware of the kind of food they eat, being informed about its ingredient, origin, and where it is produced so that they can make a responsible choice. They should also understand that responsible behavior is a triple win for them, the producers, and the planet.

Moreover, the eaters should consider the environmental impact of what they buy and eat, giving value to local small-scale producers and reducing animal-based products’ consumption.

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Research Background

2.3 Sustainable Diet & Food System In the previous chapter, the relationship between the food system and diet, production and consumption have been discussed.

Meybeck and Gitz definition of sustainable diet well express the link between the two: “A sustainable diet is a diet that contributes to the good nutritional status and long-term good health of the individual/community, and that contributes to and is enabled by, sustainable food systems, thus contributing to long term food security and nutrition” (Meybeck and Gitz, 2017).

In other words, a sustainable diet is both an objective and result of a food system, and a means to achieve a transformation of it. Moreover, this concept underlines that both consumption and production have to be considered to increase system sustainability.

“A diet is sustainable if it has both nutritional characteristics and contributes to the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the food system; at the same time, a food system is sustainable once it guarantees long-term food security and enables sustainable diets” (Meybeck, 2019) .

In this paragraph, we will describe using an integrative approach, how a sustainable diet looks like, and which ones are top-down and bottom-up initiatives, which contribute to the Chinese sustainable food system.

Accurately, in the first part, the EAT-Lancet Diet is presented as an example of diet good for humans and Planet. In the second part, “green” policies and Alternative food networks are presented to investigate their ecological, ethical, economic impacts – as well as their interlinkages.

FIG.21: EAT-Lancet Diet and the interconnection between planetary & health boundaries

Eat-lancet diet recognizes that food forms an inextricable link between human health and environmental sustainability. Photo credit: Summary report of the EAT-Lancet Diet. thelancet.com/commissions/EAT.

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2.3.1. Sustainable & Healthy Diet We’ve already anticipated how much diet inextricably links human health and environmental sustainability, but what does a sustainable & healthy diet look like?

Many studies show the possibility of flourishing on a diet that is healthier and more sustainable than current consumption habits.

One of the oldest and more scientifically approved diet good for health and the Planet is the Mediterranean one (Grosso, 2018). In the “double food and environmental pyramid” model developed by BCFN (Barilla Center for food & nutrition), becomes clear the close links between nutritional value and environmental impact. The infographic below becomes visually apparent that foods with a lower environmental impact are also recommended by a nutritionist for its health benefits, while we should moderate the consumption food with

a high environmental impact because of the effects on our health. Thus, the food transition to healthier food consumption would improve ecological sustainability.

Is there a scientific framework to improve the diet globally?

Diets are shifting not only in China but also globally, negatively affecting both human health and the environment. Food choices are among the leading causes of mortality and environmental degradation worldwide and undermine the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The EAT Lancet Committee reports that: “More than 820 million people have insufficient nutrition and many more consume an unhealthy diet that contributes to premature death and morbidity. Moreover, global food production is

FIG.22: Barilla Double Pyramid

There is a inverted correlation between how much food is nutritious and good for people health and its impact on the environment. Source: https://www.barillacfn.com/it/divulgazione/doppia_piramide/

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Research Background

the greatest human-induced pressure on Earth, threatening local ecosystems and the stability of the Earth’s system. “ (Willet et al. 2019) According UN the world population is expected to reach almost 10 billion in 2050 . The current food trends can guarantee neither the caloric intake for all nor adequate attention to the Planet’s resources. The global burden of dietrelated diseases is expected to grow, and the effect of food production on the environment will contribute to reducing the stability of the Earth System.

The Transformation to a sustainable food system and healthy diets is vital, and EAT Commission tried to outline a concrete proposal for change.

The EAT commission is part of the scientific journal “Lancet” and includes a multidisciplinary team of 30 scientists. This group of experts worked for two years to develop a “Planetary diet” for an estimated population of about 10

billion people, remaining in the safe operating space. They developed global scientific goals for a healthy diet and sustainable food production, universal for all food culture in the world, but highly adaptable to the local context, making meals that are consistent with food cultures and cuisine of all regions of the world.

Overall, the literature indicates that a diets “winwin” for both man and the Planet is a diet with adequate calorie intake and consist of: a variety of foods of plant origin, low amounts of foods of animal origin, unsaturated rather than saturated fats, and small amounts of refined cereals, highly processed foods, and added sugars.

The diet is symbolically represented by a half plate of vegetables and fruits, and another half consists mainly of whole grains and plant proteins, unsaturated plant oils, and a small amount of meat and dairy, and some added sugar and starchy vegetables (FIG.24).

FIG.23: Dietary patterns in 2016 and Eat-Lancet diet goal

Dietary gap between dietary patterns in 2016 and EAT-Lancet diet intake of food (Dotted line). Data on 2016 intakes are from the Global Burden of Disease database. Credit image: Eat-Lancet Commission

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FIG.24: “Planetary Plate� & Scientific Target for a planetary health diet (2500 kcal/day)

Healthy Diet have a optimal caloric intake, a diversity of plant-based food and low amoount of animal source food. The Diet report macro food groups that can easily be adapted to different local adaptation globally.

Source: Eat Lancet Commission Summary report. Viable online: https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eatlancet-commission-summary-report/

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Research Background

The diet is then flexible to different dietary needs, geographical areas, and availability of food, personal preferences, and cultural traditions. For example, in some emerging countries, animal products are one of the primary sources of protein, providing health benefits to the population. In that case, the meat reduction should not be so drastic as in the developed countries.

In general terms: “Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts. This includes a more than doubling in the consumption of healthy food as fruits, vegetable, legumes and nuts, and a greater than 50% reduction in global consumption of less healthy food such as added sugar and red meat” .

The reduction in meat consumption is probably the main challenge, but this effort would contribute to at least 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (Caron et al.2018): (SDG2: zero hunger. SDG3: good health and wellbeing. SDG6: clean water. SDG7: affordable and clean energy (since land could be freed for biofuels). SDG11: sustainable communities.

SDG12:responsible consumption and production.

SDG13: climate actions. SDG14: life below water.

SDG15: life on land. It’s no stretch to say that the food system has a bearing on all SDGs.) In the graph realized by a “Tongji University”

student (FIG26), the Planetary diet is compared with intake recommended by Chinese dietary guidelines and the dietary pattern of Chinese urban residents. It shows how much the consumption of animal protein is higher than the guidelines.

Moreover, the EAT analysis focuses not just on food consumption in terms of ingredient composition of a diet. However, it expresses the importance of changing the way we produce food to achieve a “Great Food Transformation.”

Some of these strategies include re-orienting agricultural priorities from providing highquality food to produce healthy food and halve food losses and waste in the supply chain. (Willet et al, 2019) The global adoption of healthy diets from a sustainable food system would safeguard our Planet and improve the health of billions. How food is produced, lost, or wasted shape the health of both people and health. The EATLancet Commission presents an integrated global framework and provides a quantitative scientific target for a healthy diet and sustainable food production.

The commission shows that feeding 10 billion people with a healthy diet is possible within safe planetary boundaries for food production, and it is necessary. Adopting this diet will also be able to avoid environmental degradation and prevent approximately 11 million human deaths per year globally, representing around 20% of total death (Afshin et al , 2019).

FIG.25: Diet Gap between current glibally dietary patterns and intakes in the “Planetary Diet”

288%

Health Boundary

10 0 % 293%

153%

Transformation to healthy diet globally means doubling consumption of vegetables legumes and nuts, and a greater than 50% reduction in meat consumption and added sugar. Source: Eat Lancet Commission summary report

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FIG.26: Current Patterns vs Eat-Lancet Diet and Chinese Dietary Guideliness

A: Fruits

Dairy foods

Eat Lancet Guideliness

Animal protein sources

Vegeta bles

Plant-protein sources Added fats Added sugars

Tubers or starchy vegetables

*The Angle of the pie chart indicated the proportion of the macronutrient intake grams of each food group recommended by the EATLancet Commission

Whole grains

B : Dietary pattern of Chinese urban residents in comparison with the recommendation of the EAT-Lancet Commission and Chinese Dietary Guideliness

Range of intake grams recommended by CDGs Pie chart indicates the actual intake in grams of each food grup by average Chinese urban residents, measured by radius.

the image displays consumption patterns in Chinese urban cities compared with the recommendations of the Eat Lancet commision and the Chinese Dietary Guideliness. Image Credit: Huiyu Ouyang

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Research Background

2.3.2.

Initiatives for a Sustainable food System in China In this paragraph we discuss the responses to a more sustainable food system, analyzing what has been done at a top-down and bottom-up level, in China.

2.3.2.1.Ecological Civilization & TopDown policies The Government tried to answer the environmental challenge through the concept of Ecological Civilization (Shengtai Wenming): “a notion that empathizes the importance of individual behavior for ecological changes”(Simões,Fernando,2016).

It also underlines that China is moving away from pure economic-driven growth, and it is going toward sustainable development that supports both environmental and social context.

“Between the framework of Ecological Civilization, has been developed many green policies to spread a culture of environmental protection and face air, water, and soil pollution, promoting an economic development where individuals, society and nature live in harmony.”

(Schmitt,2018) Ecological Civilization at state of the art is mainly theoretic, but it’s transformative because the social relationships and environmental restoration take priority over ever-growing production. Even though EC is more theoretical than practical, its fundamental principles are evident in some growing bottom-up initiatives in China. Therefore, it is essential to nourish an environmental culture. At the same time, food safety remains a big challenge for China, and the exponential change in food habits have put a dramatic pressure on the food system. The priority for food security in China’s national public policies is embedded in its historical and social context. Indeed: “the standard Chinese greeting, rather than “hello,” is Ni chi le mei you? Or literally, Have you eaten yet? Reflecting a history of food insecurity and the central place of food in society” .

(Li,Zhenzhong 2019)

more meat, Government reacted supporting agricultural production facilitating growth in productivity. However, many difficulties in “multi-level supply chain and inventory management” determine a lousy quality of food products on the market and many food scandals.

The difficulties in guarantee a safe food system led people to look from safety elsewhere in the global sphere since they lost trust in the local food system, causing tremendous environmental harm (Wang, 2015). In response, The Government, in recent years, developed many policies and regulations shaping the “formal” organic sector in Chinese Agriculture and ensuring more safety and hygiene along the supply chain.

Many are the policies issued to promote green and sustainable agriculture, as well as the development of organic agriculture. Yet, the State is trying to achieve a sustainable food system following an old modernization model, scaling up organic farm and “such policies are increasingly contributing to economic, social, and environmental crises in the countryside” (Shumilas,2018).

The Economist Wen Tiejun argue the importance and need to shift policies focus from increasing productivity to rural development: boosting farmer income and rural sustainability. The modernization approach failed to address social and cultural concerns in the countryside and opened up space for various non-state actors. Alternative food initiatives, farmers, and consumers started promoting sustainable food production and ethical consumption, nurturing an “informal” organic sector in parallel with the formal one. These “bottom-up” grassroots struggles for safe, healthy, and sustainable food”(Scott,2018) started creating alternative food networks to respond to both safety issues and environmental & social issues in the Chinese rural area. Still, they represent just a small part of the system, and they have no significant impact on the environment if the Government does not apply the Ecological Civilization also in practice.

This concept of EC should, therefore, act to reestablish trust in the local food system taking care of people’s health and natural capital.

Once people started demanding more food and

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2.3.2.2.

Bottom Up Ecological Initiatives & Afns in China Over the last three decades, the ecological and social consequences of boosting production in Agriculture have become more evident. China’s agricultural sector faces not just environmental challenges due to years of overuse of chemical fertilizer and chemicals, manifested in water pollution and soil erosion, but also social and health challenges.The overuse of chemicals is one of the main reasons for the “food safety crisis” in China. Moreover, the inequalities between urban and rural generated new food scandal characterized by adulterer food (to harm human health): the sum of the two leads to food safety anxiety and a crisis of trust in the local food system. Moreover, there is “a decline of the agricultural labor force and hollowing-out of rural communities” (Scott,2018).

In the process of agriculture modernization and the development of the organic sector, the government provided strong support, yet it favors large scale farms to small scale ones.

In a study about “Organic Food and Farming in China” small players’ difficulties in the market are well explained: 1.

Small organic farmers mare excluded from organic certification.

2.

Small farmers are unable to earn the “right price” from food that they grow without

agrochemicals.

3.

Organic and ecologically produced foods are unaffordable for many consumers, and their value is often not recognized.

In response to this crisis, a small number of alternative food networks have started to emerge, besides the official organic sector. They try to re-establish a direct interaction between consumers and producers to rebuild the relationship of trust. They often use strategies as CSA, buying club, farmer market, and similar to sell their product. The trust is not based on an official certification, but on the producer’s relationship, which often lets the customers visit the farm to see with their eyes and touch with hands from where the products come from.

AFNs in China display strong evidence of alternativeness around food “healthfulness” and nutrition, but weak representations of social and political elements in terms of reconnection, social justice, and forms of political association, compared to AFNs around the globe.

The main motivation of consumers joining Alternative food networks in China seems to be individualistic health concerns. It has been confirmed by the interviews made at the Chinese producers and the rise of these unofficial groups since the late 2000s. Afns have flourished in China because of the food safety crisis of 2008, about tainted milk scandals, and it is unclear how long this food anxiety will continue to

FIG.27: Condition shaping China’s AFNs Drivers

Restains

Economic condition

Collective approach to land globalization - “opening” Urbanization and middle class

Environmental condition

Environmental degradation

Cultural condition

Guanxi network Traditional pastoral Food safety crisis and distrust

Political condition

Top-down policy making Limited civil society rise of the market

Globalization - “opening” Urbanization and middle class Food security and productivism Scientism and standardization Suzhi(quality) discourse Individualization and distrust Top-down policy making Limited civil society Pervasive uncertaintly

Image Credits: Shumilas , Source: “Transformation in China’s Food System.” Organic Food and Farming in China: Top-down and Bottom-up Ecological Initiatives, by Theresa Shumilas et al., Routledge, 2018,

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Research Background

fuel AFNs expansion.The motivation and ethic of the AFNs organizers seem to contrast with those of members. They are trying to reconnect consumers to the lands and food production.

Moreover, many of these networks have as main priority the reconnection between urban and rural, and they try to support the development of the rural areas through an “exchange of support.” The organizer also demonstrates attention to ecological and social sustainability, and they often try to give educational lectures about sustainable food behaviors online or during the visit to the farm. Some of the tools to “educate” and communicate these broader values beyond food safety are social media, especially WeChat and Weibo, used to spread

information among their followers.Through these networks, people are attracted by the idea of healthy and safe food. However, the organizers are trying to communicate also values that go beyond “caring for themselves” and immediate family. They try to reconnect people to land and food production through food safety to promote ecological agriculture and organize peasants.

These networks have enabled the public to rediscover the countryside’s value, which had long been marginalized in the development of the market economy. That said, AFNs functioned not only as a tool for transforming the food system but also as an accelerator for achieving broader rural development goals.

Conclusion 2.3 The adoption by citizens of a healthier diet in cities with a significant reduction in meat consumption in favor of a more sustainable economy could be the key to safeguarding our Planet and citizens’ health.

However, it is crucial not only to consider the composition of the diet but also the origin and sustainability of production methods.

In China, Sustainable production poses several challenges, one of which is the support of small agricultural producers in rural areas, a fundamental element for sustainable and social development. Small-scale farmers need better help to proceed with ecological agriculture: many peasants move from rural areas to the urban regions leaving their village because agriculture is not economically viable without external support.

Nowadays, Informal networks try to answer these challenges. Therefore, it is essential that also, the state moves the focus from policies focused on pure food security to policies that protect even small payers.

Besides, the Chinese citizens now are approaching these alternative food networks mainly for healthy and safe food, due to an untrust in the conventional food system. However, we want to imagine a future where food is safe for everyone without any differences, and there should be still reasons for citizens to support small organic realities.

Then, the citizens will have to understand the most significant values that bring their choices: values that the promoters of AFNs are trying to promote through social networks and educational events.

Greater awareness of individual choices’ values is crucial because it is uncertain if China’s ecological will be formal, informal, or a collaboration of the two. However, for sure: The daily choices of the single matter and the future – of agriculture sustainability and food system- are in people’s hands and chopsticks.

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Literature Review Earlier section of this thesis highlighted a number of interconnecting influences on people’s consumption patterns, as rising of urbanization and income. So far, this research has paid less attention to the attitudes and values that people bring to their food purchasing and consumption patterns.

Focusing on an Anthropological research on Chinese food culture, the Author tries in this chapter to understand the connection from “What is changed” to “Why is changed”. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the value at the base of the changes and act as Service Designer in the same direction of the Beliefs, trying possible path to address the

sustainability problem in the specific cultural context.

Thanks to this chapter we are going to answer these questions: Why people consume? What is consumption?

Which one are the motivation and driver at the basis of this unsustainable pattern of consumption?

How Service Design can facilitate people’s shift toward more sustainable behaviors?

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3.1 What is consumption?

How many times, we heard that current consumption levels are unsustainable, and if this does not change, it will bring us to an environmental catastrophe?

In the previous chapter, we also said one of the main issues in the Chinese food System is the rising of the middle class, often called consumeristic society.

But what is behind these choices? Why people shop?

Critique to consumption have always been associated with egoism, materialism and overconsumption; but what if the answer is the opposite?

The Anthropologist Daniel Miller, in his essay “Making love in supermarkets” (Miller,2004), explains well how, in a consumption society, there is a growing role of the object is, in our case food, as good to express core values.

Buying becomes an “act of love,” the author says, explaining how, in our daily life behind consumption, there are acts of “care, concern, obligation, responsibility […] or frustration and resentment” (Miller,2004). This is not to say that shopping merely reflects love, but it’s definitely a way to show it, we should understand that the act of buying is not just an individual process of choice, but many factors play a role in influencing it.

Once we realized that: “shopping is more about love and altruism than we realized, then it should lend itself also to being green and altruistic with regard to the welfare of other people and the planet more generally” (Miller,2004,264) However, the connection between purchasing as act of love and respect of the planet is not so direct. We should investigate the value that people attribute to specific food and how to change people’s behavior toward a more sustainable diet according to their beliefs.

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3.1.1. Everyone (Should) Eat The paragraph above is essential to understand better why a society changes dietary patterns, and the meaning people give to a particular food.

The Zen Master Ryokan let us reflect on food choices in his book “Great fool” : “Everyone eats rice Yet no one knows why When I say this now People laugh at me But instead of laughing along with them You ought to step back and give it some thought Think it over, and don’t let up I guarantee the time will come When you’ll really have something worth laughing at” In this poem lies the question: Why we eat what we eat? And then we may further ask: Which one are the determinants of our floodways? The answer to these questions is critical Nowadays in a world where the world has, at the same time problem of malnutrition and overnutrition.

A World that is finally able to produce enough food for everyone but still produces and overproduces because much of it is lost or wasted, with massive repercussions on the environment. In this world, where we are lucky to eat, at least three times a day, it’s time to be aware that what we eat have an impact on our health, society, and environment and “Ultimately, the better we understand why people eat what they eat, the better we can feed the world” (Anderson,2014).

People eat to absolve needs that go far beyond nutrition. Food is used by every society to satisfy many needs, as can be seen by analyzing the role of food in the Maslow Pyramid of needs (1970) .At the lower level of the pyramid, we find

Literature Review

food and all organisms’ biological needs. Then we move to higher demands and, ultimately, the self-actualization of the human condition.

Foodways cannot just be explained by nutritional consideration, as a set of protein and nutrients, but other needs play a role in defining every society’s food choice.

“Food is used to communicate, to reassure, to affirm religious faith. Throwing tomatoes at a politician signals something; taking holy communion signals something very different.”

(Anderson, 2014, 62) Together with the biological needs at the second step of the pyramid, we find “safety needs.”

We already said before how much is essential food safety, and the risks can cause the untrust toward a food system, perceived un-secure: “Humans must feel safe and secure, above all.

This is not just a matter of physical safety. It is more important for people to feel accepted, approved, and socially grounded than to feel physically secure. Food is conspicuously important in demonstrating both types of security.” (Anderson, 2014, 64) In the upper part of the pyramid, there are “social needs” and “self-realization.”The social circle is the basis of our food choices, food is essential in sociability, and the interaction with people profoundly influences our food choices.

Food as social act becomes a symbol of inclusion and separation.The Etymology of these two words explain well the correlation between food and sociality:the term “companion” literally means “bread sharer” (from Latin Cum Panis), and the Italian word for banquet “Convivio” means “living together” (Latin Cum Vivere). This shows how the meal is the basis of relationships between people. We evolve as food-sharer, and it is at the base of every one of our relationships.

If from one side food is inclusion, on the other side it can also be separation: “Food marks social class, ethnicity, and so on.

Food transactions define families, networks, friendship groups, religions, and virtually every other socially institutionalized group”.

(Anderson,2014).

To sum up, what we can learn from the Maslow pyramid of value is that food is not just a means to feed ourselves. It is a means to accomplish ourselves and satisfy our needs.Considering All the function that food has for humans, helps understand why choosing the best diet becomes so tricky, “Moreover, we have to trade off control against sociability, pleasure against health, and much more—this in a constantly changing, shifting world.So, we approximate.” (Anderson,2014) Maintaining harmony is an essential goal of much Chinese behavior, however keeping the balance in food for our own body, our social life, and interaction with the world is definitely a huge challenge.

FIG.28: Maslow Pyramid of needs, 1970

Self Actualization: Achieving full potential

Self-fulfillment Needs

Esteem needs

Psychological Needs

Belongingness and love needs Safety needs Physiological needs food, water, rest

Basic Needs

Image edited by the Author Source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

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3.1.2. Consumerism and food in China The value pyramid clearly shows how each society uses foodways for answering many different needs. Therefore, it is not only the individual who determines the food choice but the society surrounding him/her, with the environment and economy as the main determinants.

These factors also shaped the history of the Chinese middle class and the consumeristic society of nowadays.

When we talk about “consumerism,” we do not mean just buying things. Consumerism differs from mass consumption because it is an “ideology and practice that encourages people to consume more than what they need”(Yan Yunxian,2010) and buying things or consuming particular food, becomes a way to express values and relationships.

In China, consumerism was encouraged by the state, and we can recognize three primary waves that brought China from “mass consumption” to “consumerism,” shaping in parallel the Chinese middle class.

The first wave of mass consumption starts in 1979 and goes till 1982 in a rural area with the decollectivization of agriculture and the country’s opening up (Yan Yunxian,2010).

With “privatization,” many peasants were able to duplicate their income, becoming the new rich. Before the “gaige kaifang” (lit ‘reform and opening-up) in 1978, China was dominated by a “redistribution economy,” and in “Mao Era” (1949-76), consumerism was reduced to the minimum (Xiaohong,2010). In fact, during this period, characterized by the “collectivization” in rural areas, people received subsidies for essential goods from the state, and everyone had the same pattern of consumption and lifestyle (Yan Yunxian,2010). The only way to mark one’s social status was the political symbols that start losing importance with the rise of consumerism.

It’s then from 1984 that thanks to urban reforms program that also urban income start rising.

From 1980 to 1990s, consumption and possession gradually replaced political symbol and started defining one’s social status and drawing group boundaries (Yan Yunxian,2010) 1992 is the date of another rapid economic growth. Here,

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private business and money-making become the highest ideal. Finally, from 1992 to 1996, the third wave of mass consumption contains the essential feature of consumerism .

Since 1992 “Consumption and possession gradually replaced political symbols as the path toward defining one’s social status and drawing group boundaries” (Yan Yunxian,2010) Over three decades, the GDP increased from 364.5 billion yuan in 1978 to 24,953 billion yuan in 2007, making for annual growth of 9.88 percent (Xiaohong,2010).

While the economic boom has created a solid material foundation to better the Chinese people’s living conditions, the post-1978 social transformation has been directly and tightly linked with the birth and growth of the Chinese middle class.

“This original economic transformation soon became a driving force of comprehensive social transformation, including changes in class relations and social structure” (Xiaohong,2010).

With the market economy and open up to the world, consuming imported goods becomes the new fashion for youth and people who have gotten ahead economically, and globalization vigorously markets the identity of Chinese consumerism. Further, consumption has become a means for China’s amorphously defined middle class to assert its social status.

Chinese middle class updated its consumption items, from consumer durables like televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators to private houses, apartments, and cars, which are considered better manifestations of their status.

Concerning food, attitudes to consumption underlie not only changes in the amounts of food consumed and wasted but also the range of foods people demand and the place people like to consume it.

The rise of consumerism moves in fact in parallel with the growth of fast food in China, and the success of McDonald’s is attributable to the revolution in family values, as the anthropologist Yan Yunxian well explains. Eating at McDonald’s as “New sociality outside state control and public embrace of modernity and foreign culture.”

People went to McDonald’s to express the value that goes far beyond the taste of eating a BigMac in the 1990s, and they found in McDonald’s an inclusive social space that met their particular needs. Fast food includes a range of “non-

Literature Review

food elements” that well respond to the needs of young: eating manners, environment, and pattern of social interaction were different in foreigner’s fast food than Chinese restaurants in the 1990s : Friendly workers, fast service, clean and comfortable environment, and advantages technologies to order were just some of the characters that shape the rise of fast food (Yan Yunxian,2010). Moreover:

and more people to meet their basic needs and go beyond these and begin to spend for pleasure or to meet other aspirations. Now it’s time to be more conscious and understand that this “materialistic” attitudes have a dramatic consequence on food system and in general terms environmental and social sustainability of the country. Alain Ducasse states in his famous book :

“apparently eating a Big Mac and Fries, like learning typing and computer skills, is part of the mother’s plan to prepare her daughter for a modern society” .(Garnett and Wilkes,2014)

“You can also choose not to do anything! It’s true or you can take your life back into your own hands and become a responsible and committed consumer.” (Ducasse,2018)

In general terms, apart from the success of fast food in China, there has been a change in attitudes and expectations around food people buy and consume. As people become wealthier, they desire richer food, more aspirational food (e.g., dairy and western food), and conspicuous consumption .Rising income is a significant factor driving change in both rural and urban food consumption patterns, with different effects.

On the other hand, rising wealth is also related to other changes in consumer preferences, in particular, consumer perception and willingness to pay for quality food. Along with rising income, urbanization is associated with changes in consumption patterns and rising in consumption of animal products. Much has been made of the rise of consumerism in China. Sustaining a rapid increase in per capita incomes has enabled more

Because eating well means respecting yourself.

And if you respect yourself, you also respect your environment better. At stake is not only an ethics to defend but also a health, cultural, economic and social purpose.

FIG.29: Express shipping crews deal with packages on an assembly line, for Single’s Day

Singles’ Day, or 11 November. Since 2009, Alibaba has transformed Singles’ Day into the world’s largest online shopping day. In 2019 the shoppers in China spent $38bn, crazy number compared to the $7.4bn spent in US during Black Friday (CNBC). Image Credit: GettyImages

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Conclusion 3.1 The change in food consumption patterns in China is often associated with the rise of the middle class and a consumeristic society’s development. What is essential to understand is that the consumption of particular food is used to absolve needs much higher than nutrition. The principal conditions to fulfill are Food safety and social needs. Food is at the base of our relationship, and food is a means to express our value and connections.

Consumerism starts developing in China since 1979 with economic reforms: market economy and open up to the world. Privatization in economy and globalization are also the main pillars shaping the Chinese middle class. Since then, people start using consumption to marks their social status and group boundaries, previously defined by political symbols.

With the middle class’s birth, it is possible to identify two primary users: the “newly rich” and the “young educated generation.” The first one starts consuming more luxury food as a need to show up that is not poor anymore and can pay for quality food. The second one is even more interesting to analyze because they contributed to the rise of fast food to absolve needs that go far beyond nutrition, showing their new status in the 1990s. Young generation found in fast food an inclusive “social space”: expression of modern society.

These places had success for their non-food elements like new eating manners, environment, and social interaction patterns. Moreover, these places had a massive fortune for women because they could finally choose what to eat, while in the Chinese restaurant was usually the man who selects the food to put in the middle of the table; and alcohol and smoke were not allowed.

The success of this food and place to consume food can be seen in changes in the social structure, and we should, therefore, understand the social dimension of Chinese behavior to promote a more sustainable diet. Moreover, if the state is since 1978 the leading supporter of consumerism, now it is time to support other values and help people understand the weight of their choices and the dramatic consequences that they have on environmental and social sustainability.

Because choosing a sustainable diet is not just healthy for its nutritional balance; it is respectful of the environment by virtue of the production methods of the ingredients it uses.

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Literature Review

3.2 Non-subsistence aspects of food In this paragraph, we take a deep dive into social science, describing the key factors that influence our food choices.Food consumption is part of a bigger and complex system where many factors should be taken into consideration to understand the reason for shifting dietary patterns. The food ways are the results of the interaction of the individual and the context with the social, cultural, and economic setting that consciously and unconsciously influence our food choices. Different academic disciplines, from anthropology to behavioral economics and social sciences in general, put more or less emphasis on the individual versus the contextual factor that shapes our behaviors.

They are both correct, and we identify the dominant factors shaping our diet at four levels: • Socio-cultural transformation: The broader physical and economic context shapes our decisions and choices every day.

We can experience these drivers in the physical environment when something is presented to us in a specific place with a certain price and a particular advertisement. These factors that shape our food environment definitely have an essential role in our decision.

• Personal Aspect: “Inner” psychological drivers of behaviors, both conscious and unconscious. This includes our taste and preference, values, and beliefs, but also emotions, heuristic (mental shortcut), and cognitive bias.

• Social Aspect: Others’ influence our choices and behaviors.

These factors include cultural norms, peer influence, and social identity. From this perspective, consumption is viewed less about the act of purchasing itself, and more about a way to express social identities and group boundaries. This is true also for China, where the food served after the 1980s a way to express

class identity and social distinction (Yan Y,2010) • Cosmological Aspect: Food is used since ancient times as a way to communicate with the invisible part of the world. It’s used in rituals, and watching at what people offer to Gods can be a way to understand the most important food for that society.In the following sections, we consider each in turn.

3.2.1. Socio-cultural transformation Humans are influenced by factors such as technological development and economic factors, as well as “smaller factors” in our microenvironment like the disposition on the shelves at the supermarket, an appealing advertisement in the subway, or a simple post of a friend on WeChat. Government policies and subsidies shape the food sector, and often we do not know how much they influence our diets. One example is the maize subsidies in the U.S., used heavily in the processing sector (such as corn syrup), ultimately playing a significant role in widespread obesity and posing a risk as diseases like glycemia cardiometabolic risks. (Siegel et al, 2016). Another example sees China as the protagonist: China is the world’s most gigantic consumer and producer of pork (OECD,2020).

The government undoubtedly contributes to this data, ensuring to his citizens, pork with a stable price. The pig is so important for the Chinese market that the government created in the late 1970s the “pork reserve,” with a massive number of frozen and alive pork to stabilize the meat price (Yiwei et al. , 2020). Pigs are released into the market when they get too expensive (ex. For shortcoming of pigs on the market due to African fever) or buy pigs when they are too cheap, trying to keep farmers profitable. This policy is excellent in providing food if a crisis occurs, but, at the same time, poses a significant barrier to reducing meat consumption.

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3.2.2.

Personal Aspects

Individuals in different societies tend to prioritize different elements when they choose their food. Some of these elements are pretty individual as taste, convenience, Health.

Nowadays, awareness of the environmental impact of food choices is still low compared to the knowledge of the implications for human health. Raising awareness could be, therefore, a winning strategy if leverage other motivations.

Ingredients as milk and meat are elements fundamentals for many consumers in China, as they are perceived as essential to maintaining good health, and therefore goods challenging to replace. Moreover, the idea of a plant-based diet is often perceived as inadequate and notsufficient. Chinese culture is strongly concerned about the health benefits of food.

Many foods in China are consumed because of its nutritional-health impact and their curative

properties. Food is a medicine, and the idea of harmony of elements dominates it.Some of the main principles of Chinese medicine in food consumption are, for example, the balance of cold and hot in elements and the distinction of elements in five categories that connect taste with earth and body (Tian et al,2018): • • • • •

Sweet - earth - stomach Sour - wood - liver Bitter - fire - hearth Pungent - metal - lung Salty - water – kidneys

Chinese Ying Yang and the five elements theory shaped Chinese food culture and the idea of a healthy diet in Chinese society and quality food.

Now, we cannot expect consumers to care about the environment more than their health.

Therefore, we should play on other factors to convince people, without asking them to compromise health, enjoyment, cost, and so on.

FIG.30: Chinese Medicine Goods at the Market

“A Market selling some traditional chinese medicine goods” 24 June 2019 Suonamba, Gansu, China. Picture of the Author

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Literature Review

Choosing a Sustainable diet should be more than any other things convenience and just the awareness is not enough to shift people’s behavior. Many people are concerned about the planets, but it is more “convenient” for them to fly, cheaper to buy new things, and enjoyable to make dinner with friends in front of an hamburger. We care about the environment just when it is easy to do it. Therefore, we should facilitate these choices, beyond mere awareness, and help people overcome barriers that adopting a new diet means. Some of these barriers are, for example: perception of less taste, try new food and recipes, renounce to some of the old habits.

3.2.3.

Social Aspects

In a consumption society, the object acquire a growing role as a good to express the value of society and a way to express relationships. Every eating transaction is social, and food acquires new values in the social context.

Food becomes a means of communication: “the expense, status value, quality and setting of the food communicate more about the critical social dynamic of the situation than language can; much that is hard to verbalize and more than that would be impolite to verbalize is communicated by this channel.” (Anderson,2014) Food is linked to social stratification, class, and cultural identity, and it marks people as part of a group, their lifestyle, and social position.

What people eat also acquire a symbolism on many occasions. Often, we can recognize the importance of the event just having a look at the food served on the table: more the event is important, the richer the diners should be.

The symbolism of food is expressed not just by the ingredients on the table that see the predominance of animal-based food, but also from the number of dishes served and the time the event last (three-four hours for a momentous occasion and accompanied by entertainments).

Particular food, ordinary every day, and cheap are identified with poverty. Thus, they rarely appear at the feast, even if they are delicious and well-liked as green vegetables.

To better understand why people perceive particular food as inferior, why meat is so important in their diet, and what would it take to change their food choices: We might ask

why eating meat has become commonplace in society? and what could change our shared norms toward more sustainable practice?

Through this lens, answers are found in the social and cultural forces described in this section.

The reason why in China, in some occasion there is more animal-based food goes back in time when the banquet reflected the formal structure of government, and different animals and number of courses were assigned to specific roles (Tian et al,2018): • • • • •

Emperor (beef, mutton, and pork) Feudal principles (beef) High ranking official (mutton) Scholar official (pork) Ordinary people (vegetables)

“Meat-eaters” were indicated as a class who were social and political elites, which were contrasted by common people eating vegetables or “herb-eaters” (Gerts, 1999) Status emulation is apparent in food choice: traditionally, people tend to emulate the imperial court or similar in the past. Today the emulated high-status groups tend to be the western world “international-style goods” desire to try new and different things succeeded elsewhere make people adopt foreign food.

“Massimo Bottura said at a conference in Montreal, The most important ingredient in cooking? Culture. With culture comes knowledge, with knowledge comes awareness and with awareness, commitment”(Ducasse,2018) We eat food that reflects our culture, and we identify with it. Also, eating sustainably, healthy, or ethically is partly an expression of belonging to a social group. These social influences can often be directly harnessed to promote more sustainable behavior. For example, simply telling people that most other people have adopted a sustainable habit, effectively encourages these behaviors.

Feel part of a group can be a positive force for people who identify with specific social categories, but a significant hurdle for others, because food is also associated with many stereotypes. For instance, eating meat is associated with masculinity and richness, and 71

vegetarianism with feminity weakness and poor eating. The social stereotypes and associations that are attached to different diets will, of course, vary between cultures. Therefore, we should recognize the stereotype - such as eating vegetables and being miserable- in China and address them.

Once we understand the social dimension of our behavior and the incredible power of food to create radical empathy and social cohesion, we need to get involved in the Changement.

We should recognize that the act of eating, open us to the world of others, and the positive impact that food has on our health and our planet will be higher when it is embedded in a relationship of conviviality, empathy, and pleasure.

A dish has a different taste and a disparate emotional impact depending on our psychological condition, the people around us, and the environment in which we consume it.

Changing our diet to consuming less fat, sugar, animal protein, and more local food will help us ensure quality food. Where quality is a chain of responsibility: The producer is responsible for the land; the restaurant of the producer; and the consumer of his choices.

Quality is accessible to all. Buying food without asking questions means showing total irresponsibility towards one’s health, the health of one’s children, and the health of the planet.

3.2.4.

Cosmological Aspects

Food performs the same function in religion as it does in society. The origin of certain behaviors used today in everyday life to celebrate the occasion or sign a contract in a commercial context owe their origin to religious practices and old rituals.Food was and still is used to communicate with the invisible part of the world and to bring earthly goods to the gods to receive

FIG.31: The Best part of Hot Pot is the Experience

Hop Pot is the most popular food in China and the reason goes far beyond the taste of it. It is a moment where people get around a table and cook and talk together in a moment of “intimacy”. Image credit: © Jiehao Su

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“health and good fortune” in return.

Food serves to mark the importance of the occasion, with food classified hierarchically in this sense: the more valuable the event, the higher the sacrifice (Chang,1997).

In Chinese culture, the gods provide health and fortune (which we cannot control); for our part, we offer the gods material possessions like food, money, and clothes (the representation of burnt paper of cash, clothes, and goods central in sacrificial rites).The food itself feeds on meanings that we then also bring into everyday life. The fruit has enormous significance in some Chinese religions (especially red and orange fruit because they are color associated with luck and auspicious event; pomelo has magical qualities because water keeps the ghost away).

In the book “Food in Chinese Culture – Anthropological and historical perspective” by K.C. Chang, some Chinese rituals are analyzed, and it is shown that the higher the sacrifice has the wine and the higher the sacrifice, the greater

is the gift animal: Simple rituals have fruit in them, in the more important ones, less ordinary dishes are offered (e.g., whole chicken or duck), to follow for the importance birds or pork dishes, in the end, the highest sacrifice: offering an entire pig or something like that After the sacrifice, you can leave fruit buns and drinks.

The main dishes and meat are always taken away to be eaten and shared. Food sharing is the universal method to make a man a faithful companion (cumpanis “bread sharer”), and food in Chinese culture becomes an indicator and link of social transactions.

Conclusion 3.2 Socio-cultural, personal, social, and cosmological aspects shape the diets of every society in different ways. Analyzing these factors helps the designer understand which behaviors can be changed and how. In the same way, it shows which elements are too much anchored in the culture and society, and are difficult to change. In this paragraph, food has been presented as a way to establish relationships, communicate and express value into society, and Consumption as something more than pure status emulation and materialism, involving complex social relationships and broader cosmologies.

In our consumer societies, eating has become a daily political act.

Nevertheless, most of us remain impassive in front of images and debates about themes such as: soil erosion, biodiversity, agrochemical pollution, the disappearance of bees, ecological disasters.

This phenomenon is called by Alain Ducasse as “Collective anesthesia,” and it is explained with the image of a frog that swims in a boiling pot of water, without jumping out. That’s what’s happening to us on a collective level; we are so detached from what we eat that we “we drown in the pot of the consumer society.”

By choosing what we eat and why we eat it, we have a powerful tool in our hands. We can no longer eat without thinking about what we eat.

We must regain consciousness of what we eat and give ourselves the will to choose with complete clarity. Because if we are what we eat, as Feuerbach stated in 1804, and we no longer know what we eat, it means we no longer know who we are.

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3.3 Service Design for Behavioral Change

3.3.1. Service Design for Sustainable Behavioral Change We have talked a lot about a need to change people’s behavior towards sustainable consumption. Today we are living in the Anthropocene Era. A term formally introduced in the early 2000s from the Nobel prize for the chemistry Paul J. Crutzen and the biologist Eugene Stroemer, to underline how human behavior in this era is profoundly affecting and modifying the environment, climate, and ecology of our Planet.

In this epoch, the role of the Service Designer” is essential to let people assume, through a participative approach, a new behavior toward the world and “move from a current unsustainable consumption model to new sustainable ones” (Vezzoli & Manzini, E. 2008,138).

Victor Papanek, in “Design for the Real World” in the far 1984, was one of the first theorists to challenge the social and environmental impact of design, arguing designer’s responsibility in the World. The Designer should design new resilient models, which means according to the definition of 100 Resilient cities:

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the social one, as is underlined by Ezio Manzini, when affirms that in the past epochs, the designers replied to the environmental problem only through a pragmatic approach, ignoring the human dimension (Manzini E, 2015).

This is precisely the critical element that service designer use: participating actively in the social dimension, it involves society in the design process, promoting and guiding the user toward radical social changes to change the human behavior in favor of a better environment and, consequently, a better society (Manzini E.2014).

The Service Designer became, therefore, an essential facilitator to let people assume, through a participatory approach, a new behavior toward the World, empowering people to design solutions relevant to local contexts (Jegou, Manzini 2008).

3.3.2. The post-pandemic role of the Designer

“the capacity of individual, communities, institution, business, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter which kind of chronic and acute shocks they experience” .

(100 Resilient Cities)

During ServiceDesignDrink Milano #24, Ezio Manzini makes us reflect by stating that man’s anthropocentric idea of dominating nature has totally collapsed, and now nature is reacting against us because the Earth can respond and is alive. Our position as the dominant species on the planet has been questioned, and the virus makes us aware not only of other forms of life but teaches us that we are one humanity and that we must collaborate.

The World is growing so fast, our Planet will soon be no more able to support the weight of the modern standard of living, and for these reasons, a radical change is needed. The change should occur at the physical dimension and at

COVID has demonstrated the power of our collective. We saw many people react in crisis time, but the people who responded best to the crisis were part of a community, a support network.

Literature Review

If the community can react and self-organize in the crisis, a resilient world capable of responding to catastrophic events should be rich in communities.

In the future, we need to be much more collective. The Designer should play a role in enhancing the flourishing of communities and adaptability of people, key factors to improve the ability to face the change and create a more resilient planet.

The Designer is a notable figure to face the crisis of COVID19 and to deal with what lies ahead. The designer is a figure who proves to be qualified to meet the complex social, political, economic, and ecological challenges of this period. His strength lies in his collaboration with different professional figures and his ability to facilitate speeches even in fields far from him, envisioning future scenarios.

During this COVID emergency, we have seen many initiatives where designers have joined together to answer the problems that COVID generated.

MoMA curator Paola Antonelli and design critic Alice Rawsthorn launched an Instagram platform to investigate the design’s response to Covid-19.

Many are the projects worthy of note.

Designers have shown during this emergency, more than ever, that they can help change people’s lives for the better and address complex social, political, and ecological issues.

Therefore, the Designer’s role is to continue his or her commitment to building a better world and collaborating with people to solve user needs.

FIG.32: Design Emergency - Explores design’s role and impact on the COVID-19

MoMA curator Paola Antonelli and design critic Alice Rawsthorn launched a Instagram platform to investigate design’s response to Covid-19. Image credit: Screenshot from Design Emergency Official IG Account

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Bibliography Anderson. “More Needs than One.” Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture, New York University Press, 2014, pp. 62–64.

“100 Resilient Cities. (2020, March 25).

Retrieved September 2, 2020, from https:// www.rockefellerfoundation.org/100-resilientcities/ Ballantyne-Brodie, Emily, and Ida Telalbasic.

“Designing Local Food Systems in Everyday Life through Service Design Strategies.” The Design Journal 20, no. sup1 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1 080/14606925.2017.1352816.

Chang, K., & Anderson, E. N. (1997). Food in Chinese culture: Anthropological and historical perspectives. Taipei, Republic of China: SMC Pub. Daniel Miller “Making Love in Supermarket.”, In the Blackwell Cultural Economy Reader, 251– 64. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2004.

Ducasse, A., & Regouby, C. (2018). Mangiare è un atto civico. Torino: Einaudi E. Anderson. Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture - Nyu Press - 2014 Fassi, D., & Simeone, G. (2013, May). Spatial and Service Design meet up at Coltivando Convivial Garden at the Politecnico di Milano. In Design Learning for Tomorrow: Proceedings from the 2nd International Conference for Design Education Researchers (Vol. 3, pp. 1182-1198).

Garnett T and Wilkes A (2014). Appetite for Change: social, economic and environmental transformations in China’s food system, Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford Gertz, Clifford (1999) The interpretation of cultures. Beijing: Yilin Press.

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Jegou, F, & Manzini,E (Eds)(2008) Collaborative Services. Social Innovation and design for sustainability. Milano:Edizioni Polidesign Manzini, E. (2014). Making things happen: Social innovation and design. Design Issues, 30(1), 57-66 Manzini,E. (2015).Design, when everybody designs. Cambridge Massatchussets:MIT Press,pp13,48,129,151,196-202 Maslow, Abraham.Motivation and Personality.

2nd ed. New York: Harper and Row- 1970 OECD (2020), Meat consumption (indicator). doi: 10.1787/fa290fd0-en (Accessed on 26 July 2020) Papanek, Victor. Design for the Real World.

ThamesHudson Ltd, 2019 Ryåokan-Ryåuichi Abe-Peter Haskel. Great fool Great Fool Zen Master Ryåokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings. University of Hawai Press - 1996 Siegel KR, McKeever Bullard K, Imperatore G, et al. Association of Higher Consumption of Foods Derived from Subsidized Commodities with Adverse Cardiometabolic Risk Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(8):1124–1132. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.2410 Tian, R. G., Tian, K., Dandan, Z., & Wang, C. H. (2018). Food Culture In China: From Social Political Perspectives. Trames. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 22(4), 345. doi:10.3176/tr.2018.4.02 Xiaohong, Z., & Chen, Q. (2010). Globalization, Social Transformation, and the Construction of China’s Middle Class. In C. Li (Author), China’s emerging middle class: Beyond economic transformation (pp. 84-94). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

Literature Review

Yan, Y. (2010). The individualization of Chinese society. Oxford: Berg.

Yiwei, W., & Zhong, R. (2019, October 08).

Swine Fever? Trade War? China Turns to Strategic Pork Reserve. Retrieved July 26, 2020, from https://www.nytimes. com/2019/10/07/business/china-strategicpork-reserve.html

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Chapter IV

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Strategic Analysis The previous chapters have presented a picture of China’s food system, understanding the causes and future challenges. This Chapter draw together the finding from the preceding analysis and explore how to address them in the Shanghai context. The first section is characterized by interviews to the main actors involved in the local food system and an online survey to consumers. Once the current system is presented, the author explore possible opportunities for the design phase, defining the specific sustainable priorities and exploring case studies and trend worldwide which are responding to our objectives. In this chapter we are going to answer these questions:

Which one are the difficulties of changing diet?

Why sustainable consumption represents a small proportion of people’s purchasing, in Shanghai?

Which one are the obstacles to follow ethical and sustainable food system, both for consumer and producer?

What did it change during and after COVID Outbreak?

Which one are the main differences between chinese youngster and expat in food consumption?

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4.1 Preliminary Field Research During the first months of investigation, several activities were carried out to understand the current consumption pattern in Shanghai and what is changed in these behaviors during the COVID19 Outbreak (for both Chinese citizens and expats living in Shanghai).

The research starts from an interview with a professional in the field of nutrition, the Dietist Sara Pezzatini, to understand which factors to consider to analyze a current diet and prescribe a diet effective in changing user behavior.Then, the Author developed an online questionnaire following the dietist’s suggestion and analyzed more in-depth some of the behavior discovered in the desk research.

The questionnaire allowed the Author to generate a clear framework for consumption habits and compared two different targets in the market, regarding their preferences in purchasing and final consumption. Finally, the Author interviewed an Expat consumer to understand from a foreigner perspective which one are the main difficulties to follow a Healthy and Sustainable Diet in Chinese Megacities with a focus on a plant-based diet.

4.1.1. Interview to dietist The author thought it would be interesting to discuss the theme of Healthy & Sustainable diets as well as the changing patterns of food consumption with an expert in the field.

The interview with Dott Sara pezzatini was structured in four parts, for a total of one hour of interview: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Get to know the person and profession Introduce Thesis Topic Health & Sustainable Diet Diet & Habits

1.

Get to know person/profession: During the warm-up, the Author asked the expert to talk about her job to have a broad overview 80

of the Dietist Profession. Then, understanding the main difficulties the user has to face when changing Diet and which one are the most important things to take into consideration to make a “good diet.”

The expert explained that Dietist could do three main activities: -Diet for people with the disease (with doctor approval) -Diet for canteens of companies, schools, and hospitals -Food Education Very insightful was the description of the essential things to prescribe an effective Diet and these can be summarized in five questions: -What Do you eat?

-With whom do you eat?

-Where do you eat?

-What is your economic capability?

-Are the ingredients easy to find for you?

2.

Introduce Thesis Topic: The Author introduces the thesis project to the user to explain the context and current consumption behavior in Chinese megacities and introduce the topic of healthy and sustainable diet.

3.

Health & Sustainability: This section aimed to understand the relationship for a professional between Healthy Diet and Sustainable Diet. Moreover, we want to investigate if there are any “sustainable parameters” that Dietist consider when prescribing a diet and which kind of academic learning they received during their formation.

The expert confirmed that there is, for sure, a correlation between Healthy and Sustainable Diet, underlining the fact that a seasonal diet has a better nutritional outcome. For what concern the importance of Sustainability for Diet she explained that at least in Italy environmental factors are taken in consideration for the “collective restauration” (Public canteen):

Strategic Analysis

FIG.33: Dietist Sara Pezzatini

Interview with the expert - Dietist Sara Pezzatini. Image Credit:Unsplash

factors as Km0, Less CO2 emission make more points in the call, and for law, the menu has to be seasonal and change every month. Moreover, she also confirmed that the Mediterranean Diet is absolutely Sustainable & Healthy. However, she stated that “the problem is getting the man of nowadays on this diet because activities like cutting vegetables require time, it doesn’t match people’s lifestyle, and people do not cook anymore.”

4.

Diet & Habits: The last section of the interview deals with the development of new eating habits and then investigates what are the most considerable difficulties for patients, how these are overcome, and how the dietician makes sure that “new” eating habits are followed. The interviewed explain that it is essential to “Take small steps slowly to change people’s habits.”

It is then necessary to facilitate people in following the Diet, for example, giving people a volume diet instead of a weighted one. Last but not least the more important things to consider are social life:

“If someone eats outside from home four times a week have to be taken into consideration, not just the menu but also the influence that others have on him” Insight from the interview Out of the conversation, these were the reflection and insights that have been drawn: - The influence of social life on people’s diet is a crucial element to know to prescribe an effective diet -The correlation between a healthy diet and a sustainable impact is scientifically validated, and an exemplary diet is the Mediterranian one. The problem is that nowadays, this diet match with difficulties with people’s lifestyle -The change should be done with small steps and making it easy for the user ( ex volume diet instead that weighted one)

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4.1.2 Online Survey A questionnaire was prepared and distributed online to Chinese and Expat (foreigners living in Shanghai) users to collect more specific information about food consumption in Shanghai.

The aim was to start getting information about people’s preferences about food choices, what they care the most when they buy food, which one is the preferred place to buy and consume it, and how their food habits changed during the COVID19 Outbreak.

The questionnaire was designed with an informal language, and it was integrated with some images to envision the questions better and facilitate the choice.

It was structured into four main sections.

-General personal data: Age, Sex, Nationality, the composition of people living under the safe roof

-General Eating Behavior: Composition of the plate, purchasing habits, what people care the most when they buy/ choose food?

How often does the users cooks?

With whom does the user usually eats?

Where do they usually eat or buy food?

How often do they consume western/imported food?Which kind of imported food do they like the most? And why do they buy them?

-COVID Outbreak -Food Habits during COVID Outbreak: Change of ingredients, way of purchasing, eating habits Have the user spent more time cooking? And eating?

-After COVID Now that the restaurants are open again, is the user keeping some of the habits developed during the Outbreak?

FIG.34: Online Survey Mockup

Image of the Author. Note: the sentence for asking “How are you?” in Chinese litterally means “Have you eaten yet?”; this demontrate how much food is embedded in Chinese culture.

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Strategic Analysis

Insights from the survey The analysis of data from the questionnaire was analyzed, comparing the answers of Expats and Chinese citizens on software for data visualization called Tableau.The survey was beneficial for understanding which one is the preferred place to consume food in the city as well as the food and the place to eat and purchase it. The study was also useful in knowing how foreigners in china behave and compare the two targets, as well as understanding which ones the preferences for users of different Ages are.

The questionnaire received 116 answers, and the results confirmed some of the initial assumptions coming from the previous research. The key learnings are summarized on the next page, and they are explained by topic: 1.General Eating Behavior in general speaking, Chinese users tend to consume a higher amount of animal products

compared to the expats’ ones, as can be seen in FIG.28. In the same picture, it is then visible that users who were more used to consuming meat consumed more meat during the Outbreak, while people already consuming a pretty vegetarian diet started to eat more vegetables and fruit.

A positive consequence of the Outbreak has been the increase in consumption of homemade food for the meat lover, which substitutes the use of processed food.

The reason that brings the two different users to buy certain ingredients is on the top of the priorities “Healthy” and “Safe” food for both users. Follow attention for seasonal cuisine in Chinese users and cheap products for expats (this info comes from a pretty young target and is not well representative of expats working in the cities). The analysis of consumer behavior has a look also to the favorite place/method of purchase, and it reports that more Chinese buy food at the wet market and online, compared to the expats’ users. It also confirms that the

FIG.35: What is your usual plate vs plate during lookdown ?

How does your dish usually look like? (Choose between A/B/C/D) 50%

Chinese | In China

A

A.

A+B

C+D

The Chinese Diet is less sustainable and with an higher consumption of meat (more C/D Answers) C

B.

C.

A

A+B

C+D

D

D.

C

D

Expat | In China More Healthy/Sustainable

Less Healthy/Sustainable

What is changed during the Outbreak?

Same as before

More homemade

More meat

More junk food

More processed food

More fruit and vegetable

Image from the Author: From option A (Eat Lancet Diet) to Option D there are four different dishes in order for their impact on health and sustainability. Every different block show how the user changed habits suring COVID19

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farmer market and buying club are two services not used, especially the farmer market, which seems to be a ghost identity for expat users.

Finally, the last info relevant to the report is the trend of imported food stores for expat users, which seems unknown for Chinese targets.

About imported food, the Author goes more indepth, analyzing what brings people choosing imported food, and it comes clear that for the two targets, the main reason is: I cannot find it locally produced, and I trust it more. For the Chinese user, there is another reason, almost not reported by the expats’ user: the perception that imported food is healthier than the one produced inside the country.

2. COVID Outbreak We already saw before how people start changed they food habits during COVID Outbreak, consuming more vegetable and fruits.

People started also cooking more at home due to the Outbreak and the willingness to eat more healthily. In FIG.33, the Author analyzes the time that people dedicate to cooking and eating before and during COVID Outbreak. The data show that Chinese users are more used to eat outside and cook less at home than the

expat target. However, some people who were cooking at home just for the special occasion started cooking more. In contrast, the general trend suggests that usually, people who cooked more during the Outbreak were already used to cook in the Pre-COVID time.

3. After COVID The Author surveyed once the lockdown was concluded in China and define this time as “After COVID”. Obviously, we know that the COVID will last longer, and it is not concluded yet, but people in this phase have the freedom to eat again out at the restaurant. Therefore, it is interesting to understand after a long period of lockdown how many of the new behavior developed are kept and how many are not.

We can divide the users into two main typologies, the ones who are happy not to cook anymore and the ones who changed permanently also after COVID their behavior: buying more vegetables and cooking more at home. The practices “After COVID” are also compared, in FIG.32, with the behaviors during COVID. The data shows that the main change for both Chineses and expats was “spending more time cooking,” followed by the new trend of buying fresh food online that

FIG. 36 When I buy food I care about: Legenda: Healthy

Seasonal

Cheap

Tasty

Safe

Sustainable

Fast

Locally produced

Healthy

Healthy

Safe

Safe

Seasonal

Cheap

Sustainable

Seasonal

Cheap

Fast

Fast

Locally produced

Taste Locally produced Low Carbon and calorie REASON WHY

Chinese | In China 84

REASON WHY

Expat | In China

Strategic Analysis

FIG. 37 Where Do you buy food?

Legenda: Supermarket

Foreign Market

Online

Farmer market

Wet Market

Imported food store

Convinient store

Buying Club

Supermarket

Supermarket Foreign Market

Wet Market

Wet Market

Online

Imported food store

Convenient store

Online

Farmer Market

Convenient Store

Foreign Supermarket

Buying Club

WHERE? (%)

WHERE? (%)

Chinese | In China

Expat | In China

FIG. 38 Do you buy any imported food? Why? Legenda: I cannot find it locally produced I trust it more

It’s Cheaper It’s Tastier

Interesting to try new food It’s Healthier

I do not buy it

Mix

Mix

Snack and chocolate

Snack and chocolate

Dairy Products

Dairy Products

Meat

Meat

Exotic Fruit

Exotic Fruit Pasta Oil

REASON WHY

Chinese | In China

REASON WHY

Expat | In China 85

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is kept as a behavior “after COVID” mainly by Chinese consumers.At the end of the survey, with a new mindset orbiting around COVID, the Author asked the users “on what they would be willing to pay more for food” to understand if people care about different things after COVID. As we can see in FIG.34, this question shows growing attention in Healthy Food, followed by recognition in the production of it without chemicals and a caring of people who produce this food with a willingness to sustain the community buying local food.

To conclude, we can summarize the results of the survey by stating that in principle, Chinese consumers consume more animal-based products than expats and the key elements to choose food for both users are ‘Healthy’ and ‘safe.’These are also some of the characteristics that lead users to choose imported food instead of local food, thinking they can trust

the foreign market more. COVID has reinforced these concerns and led many users to buy more raw ingredients, increase the consumption of vegetables and fruit, and cook more.It seems alive for many consumers the willingness to maintain some of the behaviors developed during the lock-down. However, restaurants are open again, and returning to the old routine would be possible. We will, therefore, see a trend towards healthy food in the future, a greater willingness to consume food in intimate environments instead of restaurants, with an increase in online shopping for ready meals and raw foods, and probably also a reduction in meat consumption due to fear of a new zoonotic disease.Another factor to consider following the COVID is the willingness expressed by respondents not only to consume healthy food but also to be free of chemicals and perhaps help support the local community.

FIG. 39 How have your habits changed after COVID? Legenda: What is changed during the outbreak?

No Anything is changed

Yes, I spent more time eating

I buy more fresh food online

Yes I spent more time cooking

Yes, I spent more time doing both

I started eating at home

I buy more cooked food online

Finally, I don’t have to cook anymore Focus more on food safety I buy food online more often I eat more fruit and vegetables I eat fish and meat more often Nothing will change Now I cook more Less money - I buy basic things & less fruit

Now that the Now that the restaurant restaurant are are open again, open are you again, keeping some the are of you habits, keeping developed some of during the the outbreak? habits, developed during the outbreak?

I started cooking the lunch for the office 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Chinese | In China 86

(Time Before Covid)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Expat | In China

15

16

17

18

Number of Records

Strategic Analysis

FIG. 40 Time cooking and eating before the Outbreak Legenda - What is changed during the Outbreak?: No, Anything is Changed

Yes, I spent more time eating

Yes, I spent more time cooking

Yes, I spent more time doing both

/ Never Special Occasion 1 Times a month 1-2 Times a week 3-4 Times a week 5-6 Times a week 7/7 Everyday

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

(Time Before Covid)

Number of Records

Chinese | In China

Expat | In China

FIG. 41 I’d be willing to pay more for food if:

It’s Healtier for me Less Pesticdes & Fertilizers Workers treated well My money goes to my farmer community Animal treated humanely A chef cook it for me I win the lottery

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Number of Records

Chinese | In China

Expat | In China 87

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4.1.3.Interview to Expat consumer To better understand the user who changes Diet and, in particular, the challenges in choosing a meatless diet in Shanghai, we decided to have a conversation with Jaqueline. Jaqueline is a Swedish woman who changed her food habits once she arrived in Shanghai and then turned it again, to pursue a healthier way of eating. The interview was structured in five central part: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Get to know the person Introduce Thesis Topic Changing Diet/food habits in Shanghai Healthy and Sustainable Diet Vegetarian Diet: difficulties and gains

1. Get to know the user: The first part of the interview was built on the dietist’s suggestion to understand something more about the user’s life.Questions about Age and career help understanding also the economic capabilities and lifestyle. Moreover, this part investigates the “usual diet” and “with whom?” the user usually eats to understand the user’s social life better.

Jaqueline is a woman in her 40s that travel a lot for her job, and in Shanghai, she changed her food consumption two times: the first time she stopped cooking and start just eating outside as a way to socialize, then she turned again diet looking for a healthier way of eating and lifestyle.

2. Introduce Thesis Topic: the topic of the thesis is then presented to the user to explain the context and introduce the topic of sustainable diet. In particular, these are the aspects that have been taken into consideration: - Changing user behavior toward a diet that is both health & Sustainable - Chinese megacities | western & imported food - Local food system for a healthy and sustainable diet - CSA/farmer market/buying club as new bottom-up paradigms between society, agriculture, and food 3.Changing diet/food habits in Shanghai: How life in a Chinese megacity affects your food habits? Why did you change your food behavior?

In this part, the Author tries to go deeper into 88

understanding why people in cities often stop cooking themselves and start preferring eating out, also changing the components of their diets.

Jaqueline explained well the reason why many expats stop cooking once they arrive in the city and which ones were the reasons for driving these changes.

“I stopped cooking since arriving in Shanghai, eating out also at luxury restaurants was so cheap, that taking time to cook by myself was ridiculous.”

The economic factor of eating out at a price so convenient is an element leading this shift, but it is not the main reason.

Going more in-depth in the interview, she explained that the reason for going out eating was that she was alone, and eating was an essential activity to socialize: “There was no reason to spend time cooking just for me, I was lonely and without friends when I arrived in Shanghai, going out and socialize was really important to me.”

After a while doing this life, she understood that it was superficial, and she started an inner journey and in parallel, a change in food consumption: “Then, I understood it was superficial, and I started an inner journey. Cooking with friends acquired new importance.”

4.Healthy & Sustainable Diet: In this part, we want to understand what it means for the user a healthy diet, and if, according to her, there are any links between healthy & Sustainable Diet.

Some of the questions regard purchasing habits and the composition of the diet.

The Interviewee explained that after a time in Shanghai, where she was always eating outside, she decided to change her diet for healthrelated reasons. After ten days, she started seeing the health benefits of a plant-based diet and decided to keep a vegetarian diet.

For Jaqueline, eating vegetables means eating healthy, and she started to buy vegetables at the wet market because of the great variety a

Strategic Analysis

FIG.42: Jaqueline’s Blog

Screenshot from Jaqueline’s Blog (9/08/2020). In this article she describe how her life is changed thanks to an organic farm in Shanghai

Sustainability’s problem comes out in the conversation focusing on her health; she stated: ” I didn’t know the quality of food at the wet market, and I knew that in Chinese farming there are used too many fertilizers, so I googled for an organic farm.”

Apart from the safety aspect of organic vegetables, the user gives much importance to the taste explaining that to her, “eating a meal without meat, fish, or chicken felt like incomplete & unexciting.” However, when She discovered an organic farm, everything is changed: “I found vegetarian/vegan meals flavorless, colorless, and bland until I discovered an organic farm, a little away outside Shanghai.”

5.Vegetarian Diet in China: Difficulties and Gains. The user decided again to change diet toward a healthier and plant-based diet. Here the user explains the challenges of changing diet and which ones are the barrier to proceed with a vegetarian diet in China.The Interviewer explained that she had to face many challenges to follow a vegetarian diet in Shanghai, and often she had to make “compromise” for other people: “When I had to go out to eat out with colleagues,

they could not accept me asking for just riceand vegetable, so I made a compromise about eating fish.”

To better explain the difficulties of being vegetarian and being integrated into society, she described a business lunch that she had in China: “Once I went to a restaurant, and I ordered just vegetable, I had to wait like an Hour because at the beginning the main course (meat and fish) are served (at least four), then vegetable is served and at the end just to fill if there are holes arrives the rice.”

The colleague explained to her that “Rice and vegetable is food that we ate when we were poor, now I have a factory, now we want to eat well, and we want to eat meat.”

Regardless, apart from these difficulties, she also explained how much changing diet changed her life. The changes toward a plant-based diet did not make her feel complete until she found an organic farm out of Shanghai.

She talked about the experience of going to the farm and what she likes the most about their service: “I was invited to visit the farm before taking any order, so after a tour, I subscribed to receive a

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vegetable box every week. This vegetable box became the highlight of my week”, and what I like the most was the surprise in unboxing to discover new vegetables (fruit and vegetable never seen before). Strange food, “new” food like Aloe Vera or purple potatoes, different colors.”

Then she stated that after finding this farm, she changed:

characteristic 2.

Some foods allow you to bond more quickly than others, and others that exclude you.

An example is Jaqueline, who more than once found it challenging to follow a vegetarian diet outside with colleagues and friends, and often had to make compromises.

“I stopped eating out & I started cooking again, using fresh and colorful ingredients provided for me by the farm.”

3.

Out of the external judgment, a vegetarian diet can be associated with flat and boring diet also from the direct user and its essential to keep alive the novelty of ingredients and experimentation

Insight from the interview Out of the conversation, these were the reflection and insights that have been drawn:

4.

Novelty, taste, and safety become fundamental elements to counteract social barriers and pursue individual choice.

1.

In certain situations, the relational value of food is even more critical than its healthy

Conclusion 4.1 While the literature review already considers it essential to consider the social circle around the individual consuming a particular diet and the contextual factors, these elements are further confirmed in this chapter. Our expert stresses the importance of analyzing the user’s social life for the new diet to be effective and seamlessly fit the user’s lifestyle. The importance of the social factor has also been stressed in the conversation with the expat user, where this openly states the relational significance of food and how much the context and the people around her influence her choices, sometimes forcing her to make compromises.

Other factors of fundamental importance are, according to the survey, for both users, the health and safety aspects of food. These elements gained even more value during the coronavirus, a time when people were more concerned about their health and the food they ate. Some of the attitudes developed during the COVID Outbreak will remain.

The Author forecast a trend in favor of healthier food and less meat consumption (since the disease was zoonotic). However, these new behaviors should be facilitated with small steps, as advised by our nutritionist. Now that people have started buying more raw ingredients, more fruit and vegetables, and cooking more, we need to encourage these behaviors by making them as easy as possible, perhaps thanks to the use of online technologies that have seen a boom during the lockdown.

As far as the meat reduction is concerned, valuable advice comes from our interviewed user, who underlines the importance of new elements of novelty, freshness, and taste to proceed with a plant-based diet, as this is often perceived as plain and boring. These elements are essential, but they have no effect if the food is not recognized as safe above all. Safety is indeed the key to initially attracting people in informal food networks as small farms and CSA in China and re-build the lost trust in the local food system. However, once the consumer joins the system, other elements should reinforce this relationship to be durable in the time.

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4.2 Shanghai “Alternative” Food System In Chapter 2.3, we analyzed the Sustainable alternative in the Chinese food system. It resulted in evident the importance of sustaining and supporting the small agricultural producers in rural areas: fundamental for sustainable and social development.

The Government made much effort to develop the formal organic sector in China but still with an optical of increasing productivity: now its time to shift attention from increasing productivity to rural development.

Alternative food networks and bottom-up initiatives are trying to address also a social and cultural concern in the countryside. However, it is challenging for small players to be competitive on the market without substantial support, following a sustainable way of production ( without the use of chemicals).

In this chapter, the author will go more in-depth, investigating which one are the central values and difficulties of alternative food networks and small organic farmers in China. The analysis

starts with an observation of an organic farm in the suburb of Shanghai. Then, it goes more in-depth with three structured interviews to representants of alternative food networks and small-scale organic farms in Shanghai.

4.2.1.Visit to an organic farm On the 21st October 2019, the Author arranged a visit to the “Bio Farm,” an organic farm in the suburb of Shanghai. Bio Farm is a medium-scale farm with an official organic certificate.

The visit to the farm was organized by the course in “Design for Sustainability” at Tongji University.

The farmers offer the students a visiting path to present the different facilities and the value of their organizations. The visit began with an explanation of the structure of the farm and CSA and the services offered. Afterward, the farmers

FIG.43: Visit at the Bio Farm

Picture of the Author, Biofarm 21st of October.

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asked the students to envision new sustainable scenarios for the farm.

Therefore, we formed some groups and proposed new ideas to make the system more sustainable and efficient at the same time, with direct feedback from some farmers.

Although interspersed with some activities of involvement, the explanations carried out in a very didactic way through explanatory slides, and the workers of the farm further emphasized the importance of food education.

At this moment, a student asked the farmer a very pragmatic question: “How many more “Biofarms” would be needed to solve the environmental problem in China and feed the whole country? This question was followed by an even more interesting answer from the farmer who said that the approach of their farm itself could be more sustainable and has a neutral approach compared to small, entirely seasonal organic farms. Then, the farmer explained that they are aware that they could be more environmentally-friendly. However, they could not financially support their business in other ways if they do not always guarantee the products on the market.

The lesson and scenario development activities were followed by a visit to the farm explaining the various sustainable production methods. An example is the lotus plants in the river that allow purifying the water for irrigation, absorbing heavy metals in the water, and separate the production of the farm from the nearby polluted land (where chemical fertilizer and pesticides are used).

In addition to the various fields and some animals, the structure has offices, a restaurant, and a small market to sell their vegetables and aromatic plants.

The lunch took place right inside the farm restaurant. The owner describes the restaurant area as one of the favorites of families visiting the farm and was created to educate them about food while eating. The chef then prepares the products of the farm, and the convivial moment of lunch becomes, in turn, a moment of food education.

However, there were some contradictions during lunch: a dish consisting of sausage and potatoes was served. The disagreement does not lie in the fact that the plate has an identity very far from what we usually associate with rural and homemade meals, but in the evidence that meat was served when there are no pigs on the farm. In 92

any case, the farmer will later explain that even in their online marketplace, they deny selling certain foods that are not part of their farm as animals and dairy products, and are from small partner farms.After lunch, it was time for some questions. The questions were on two main topics: The first one was to understand better which business model the farm was based on and if their farm has any government support, and then they talked about what experience users were looking for when visiting the farm.

Jane then explained that their farm is based on a CSA Model, whose customers are families who subscribe annually, and they receive weekly a box of vegetables. Besides, they also serve high-end hotels and some supermarkets and online e-commerce. Regarding incentives, the interviewee explained that in China, there are no incentives with financial support to support biodiversity, but there are some environmental protection policies to reduce fertilizers and pesticides.Talking about the user at the farm, she explained that the primary users coming to visit the farm are families with one child and schools. The fundamental approaches that they use are workshops, like picking vegetables, for example, an activity that “gives experience and reduces farm work labor’. The interview explains that this activity works very well with children.

However, adults are between two fires: on the one hand, they don’t want to go back to country life for shame, and they want to break away from the past, but at the same time, they want to get closer to food production, if hygienic.

The visit to the farm was fundamental to understand the approach used by the promoters of alternative food networks to promote their values and services. From beginning to end the visit revolves around the theme of education, through more or less participative activities.

The tour acquires a scenic and “idyllic” aura that serves to convince the consumer of how much healthier it is to eat that food and how good it is for the environment, with increasing attention to food safety and healthy food. In Author perception, the experience lacked lacked authenticity as if those products arrived at home without a thread of fatigue or raising a grain of earth. However, it is probably also what it takes to attract the Chinese consumer back to the city for a weekend getaway.

Strategic Analysis

FIG.44: Visit at the Bio Farm

The picture on the top left and the one at the bottom are about the lesson and workshop at the farm. On the top, an image of a pumpkin wildly born on a lamp becomes the symbol of biodiversity. Finally, at the center, a picture of the Lotus’plants used to purify the water.

Image Credit: Picture of the Author

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4.2.2.Interviews to AFNs Experts Three interviews with some of the main actors of the alternative food network in Shanghai have been carried out: including Jane, Farmer at Biofarm (organic farm and CSA), Rose Manor farm (Small-scale organic farm in Shanghai) and Fred Yang (founder of Urban-Rural Bridge).

The purpose of the interviews was to get an overview of their organization and values. These interviews are also essential to understand the main target of these realities and what kind of activities do they offer to their costumers.

Finally, the focus shifts to understanding the most significant challenges they face, the impact COVID has had on their business, and how they imagine the future of their business to counter these obstacles.

4.2.2.1 Interview to Jane - Bio Farm During the visit to the Bio Farm, the Author had the pleasure to meet Jane, a Young Farmer, who has been working on the farm for more than ten years. During the COVID19 Lockdown, the Author contacted Jane to have more information about the farm’s structure, values, and challenges of the farm and how did they overcome the COVID Crisis.The interview consisted of six parts: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Get to know the person and motivation CSA- Costumers demand and Issues Challenges on the market COVID Outbreak Future scenario

1.

Get to know person and motivation: Jane is one of Biofarm’s farmers. She came to the farm as a client, on the advice of a friend.

Once she tried the products, she was fascinated by the freshness of the local products, the benefits they had on her health, and the mission of agricultural land in Shanghai. So, she decided to work on the farm as a volunteer for four months, and she remains to work for ten years then. The motivation that led the interviewee to become part of this network was the desire for healthy food and a lack of trust in the official food system.

2.

CSA – Costumers Demand and Issues Aim: understand who are the main costumers, their needs, the activities proposed to 94

them and issues with the system.

The interviewee explains that many costumers of the Biofarm are foreigners or Chinese who lived abroad, underlining that urban cities need food education, while people who lived abroad easily understand their values. For the visit to the farm: “Almost 90% of the visits that we have, are parents with one child, and they like it because the child can touch with hand nature”.

The foreigners have more difficult to go for a visit because the online registration is in Chinese. In general terms, Jane describes the user who joins the farm program as “active people who are often active in social projects and NGOs in the city.

“On the farm, they do not go to participate at events but just to check the product and facilities. The visit at the farm becomes a moment to convince costumers: “If you pretend just to be organic, people do not trust you without seeing with their own eyes.”

Then, the Author explains that the problem of trust is crucial to the success or failure of alternative food networks. Moreover, she adds that nowadays, for those who do not have time to go to the farm to check the products is becoming popular the live streaming to control the crop and the location of the farm. Later,the farmer explains that many people want to support small farms and the consumption of local food. However, the CSA model is no longer convenient for today’s society accustomed to receiving everything and immediately. What happens is that: “many consumers go to the farm, and once they have established a relationship of trust with it, they order products on e-commerce.”

3.

Challenges on the market Aim: understand which one are the main challenges for a medium-size farm on the market and which one are the major competitors According to Jane, there is now a consumer trend in the market for leaf vegetables.

This favor, on the one hand, the appreciation towards local production, but on the

Strategic Analysis

FIG.45: Screenshot from Biofarm- Wechat Official Account

A screenshot from the BioFarm Official Account, describing the different option to purchase from the farm.

On the right the homepage, in the middle the different packages, on the right the CSA Model.

other hand, they need high standards of transport as the leaves are very easily spoiled. The problem is that “the farm faces high logistical costs, but consumers cannot recognize whether there are pesticides or not and therefore opt for the lowest price.”

On the logistics front it becomes impossible for a farm like Biofarm to compete with giants like Hema (the Alibaba supermarket): “they manage to deliver 20RMB of expenditure in 20min, we have the CSA box once a week, but many consumers decide to switch to e-commerce”.

BioFarm has 200-300 consumers enrolled in the FOOD BOX, and although there are not many, these are the source of the most revenue for the farm. Bio Farm has recently started to sell to e-commerce platforms at a lower cost, and these last ones take care of last-mile delivery. However, the profit for Bio Farm is much lower, and the CSA model is more challenging to promote.

4.

COVID Outbreak Aim: Understand if people changed behaviors during the crisis and how the COVID19 Lockdown affected the farm.

Jane confirmed: “People started consuming more fresher products and cooking more, but using mainly e-commerce because they can offer more variety.”

So, there was a new target interested in safe food as the one that they offer, but they were not able to gain new costumers.

Moreover, she explained that “COVID was also a problem for many farms because many farmers couldn’t come back due to the lockdown. Many small farms had no way to catch the food in the field, and they had to close the activity, while it was an opportunity for big farms.”

5.

Future Scenario The interview ends with a request to imagine a future scenario for the farm to solve some of the challenges they face today.

Jane’s idea is based on shortening the supply chain to a minimum to solve logistical problems by offering a fresh product to the consumer.

“We want to create a project call SPROUT, where small hydroponic farms are spread around the cities growing green leaves and hygienic workforce work there, not farmers.”

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4.2.2.2 Interview to Fred Yang - UR Project and Rainbow of Hope Founder Fred Yang is the founder of the project “UrbanRural Bridge” and “Rainbow of Hope” project.

This project aims to support small farms located in Chinese rural areas selling goods produced in a sustainable way to the urban citizens.

“Rainbow of hope” adopts the model of a CSA and its mission. It is reported on their website, “Strengthen rural communities and promote sustainable agriculture by linking urban families with rural farmers while providing healthy and safe food for all.”

The project wants to sustain financially help people living in isolated villages, communicate the rural area’s values, and destroy the stereotype attached to people living in the countryside.

The interview consisted of six parts: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Get to know the person and motivation Urban-Rural Gap Engage Urban citizens and Issues Challenges on the market COVID Outbreak Future Scenario

1.

Get to know person and motivation: Fred is a man born in a country village in China, lucky enough to move to the city for university studies and have an education. Once he completed his studies, he returned to his country and decided to create a project to help his family and the people in his village.

It was only afterward that, thanks to the teachings of a professor from Tongji, that he began to understand better the needs of sustainable development and that his project was part of a more complex ecosystem. He understands that food, particularly “organic” food, is a fundamental tool to connect urban and rural reality, and man and nature alike.

It’s essential to specify that when we talk of “organic” food in Fred’d project there is not always a certification to attest it, even though sustainable production methods are adopted (no use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides) Moreover, Fred tells us that when he arrived from the countryside to Shanghai, he felt that food was not real and that everything was “well advertised, but normal.”

“Real food should come from nature, grow naturally, not artificially, eco-friendly, food that does not destroy the ecosystem, but it is fully part of it.”

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2.

Urban-Rural Gap: To better understand the value of Fred’s mission, it is necessary to better address the reasons that led to a gap between urban and rural in China, explained by who has experienced it.

Fred explains that the urban-rural gap has its roots in China’s history, and it rose with the Hukou (Household Registration System). The interviewee explains that because of the hukou, it was not easy for him to move to the city to study because he was born in rural areas.

To better explain the situation, he says: “When I was a child, 95% of people in my village were illiterate, then I remember the movement of getting littering rural areas and something like 80% becomes littered”. Now the hukou does not have the same weight as it did in the past, and with urbanization, more and more people are moving from the countryside to the city, and everyone has more opportunities to study.

Talking about the situation in the countryside, Fred tells us that when he was a child, in the 1970s, traditional Chinese farms practiced the “Self Sustain Lifestyle” principle, and farmers did not use any chemical fertilizers.

“It was since China opened to the world that China started to promote fertilizers. If, in the first phase, farmers refused to use them; then, they became dependent on them once they realized how much easier the job was.”

3.

Engage urban citizens and issues: According to Fred, there is a need for three main things to involve urban citizens in this project: Food education because he explains that “Shanghainese do not know the value of organic food.”

Speaking about how to educate consumers, the author says: “ I do not teach them, but I try to set up the situation […], they can go touch and see, shake hands and talk with the farmers and become respectful farmer and nature”.

Apart from food education, “communication and interaction are the keys because we need to have people involved in the scene of food production.”

The idea of the project sees an equal exchange between urban and rural spheres with full involvement of the parts: “The ideal situation is not sale or purchase but the exchange of support, between industrialization

Strategic Analysis

FIG.46: Mission of the project Rainbow of Hope

Source: http://www.rainbowofhope.cn/

and society: while urban support farmer with stuff from the industrialized world as money the farmers support urban citizens with real food and values.”

At the moment, the interviewee tells us that there is a significant lack of trust, and most new consumers join the network only thanks to word of mouth.

Last but not least, another problem enounced for Fred is that “there is a disconnection with nature, no longer physical because it is now possible to reach the wildest nature in a fast way, but at mindset level.”

4. Challenges on the market There is a great mistrust in the market, and now most clients joining the network are recommended by friends or family.

Another point that plays against Fred’s service is the price that is not affordable for many people, “Now there are industrialized organic farms that can have lower costs, and they compete against us.”

But now he’s bringing forward a project called Zerofoodwaste “to make good food fair and accessible for everyone, selling ugly food to restaurants.”

5. COVID Outbreak During the lockdown, the transport was not a problem for Fred’s service, mainly operated by trains. He also tells us that now, compared to 2008, when he started the project, the infrastructure has changed dramatically, and even the smallest rural villages are connected with adequate road systems.

Regarding the new eating habits, Fred tells us that many people have turned to him during the lockdown to look for better food, and he expanded his networks of customers.

6. Future Scenarios In the future, Fred would like to bring forward the “Zerofoodwaste” project, which is currently the most substantial part of the UR Bridge project. The project sees the collaboration of small farms in rural areas that give the restaurant “Surplus” food: “the food is ugly and could not be sold to families who are always looking for a perfect product, although it is good and can be sold at lower prices.”

This collaboration between restaurant and farmers is a win-win relationship: On the one hand, restaurants can offer to their customers healthy, organic ingredients that support a social project in rural areas, paying a reduced price for the food; on the other hand, restaurants play a crucial role in stabilizing production and farmers’ income. Moreover, restaurants play a pivotal role in supporting production and farmers’

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income,ordering larger quantities of food than households, guarantee the farmers’ income so that they can better organize production and take food that could not be sold to market or families because it is considered ugly.

4.2.2.3 Interview Rose Manor Farm

food and then sell it to people with the same need.

She explains: “I started my agricultural path in 2011. When I was a full-time housewife, I was taking care of my kids at home. At that time, food safety was my biggest problem. So, I decided to plant food myself.”

The conversation with the farmer from the organic farm “Rose Manor” in Shanghai was unfortunately concise due to communication problems and the interviewee’s inability to continue the conversation in English.

Despite that, the story of this woman makes us think because the fear of food security was so strong for her, that becomes the reason for changing her life. The concern for unsafe food and the untrust in formal and informal food network, let the woman think about growing her

FIG.47: Rainbow oh Hope CSA - Goals

A screenshot from the TEDx Video where Fred explain the project “Rainbow of Hope”. Source: Sustainable farming: a solution for China’s deteriorating communities | Fred Yang | TEDxYouth@WISS

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Conclusion 4.2 In this part, we explored the motivations that led these users to join or establish an alternative food network themselves, the values of their initiative, who their consumers are and the challenges they face to remain competitive in the market. Finally, we close with two scenarios proposed by our interviewees to overcome today’s challenges in the future.

Four were the main motivations: - The desire for healthy and safe food - Untrust in the official food system - Strength rural communities - Connect Urban and rural through healthy and safe food The main clients of their networks are: - Foreigners - Chinese who have lived abroad - Families with a young son On this topic, our interviewees explain that not all people recognize organic food’s value, and it is fundamental to do food education.The teaching takes place in a more or less didactic way, but a participative method through workshops is preferred because when people see things with their own eyes and touch things with their own hands, they bring a more lasting experience.

The biggest challenges they face are: - The logistics costs that try to be mitigated with the CSA model (1 box delivered every week) are now obsolete for today’s society.

- Product costs are high for many consumers, and it is not easy to compete with big organic farms.

- People are detached from nature and food production, not physically but mentally.

What COVID brought: Respondents confirmed that many more people have started to worry more about the safety of the food they buy,and that the consumption of raw food has grown since many people started cooking at home. Nevertheless, it is difficult for CSA to gain new clients because an e-commerce can provide fresh, organic products more quickly. Moreover and become part of an alternative food network that requires a relationship of trust that is often only established with friends and family’s advice.

Future Scenarios to face these challenges: 1.

The first strategy focuses on shortening the supply chain through small urban hydroponic farms. This idea seems a future of the agricultural world that becomes clean, modern, hygienic, and close to the consumer in spatial terms.

2.

The second strategy aims to continue to support small farms in rural areas through partnerships with restaurants in the cities. The collaboration allows ensuring a stable income for farmers who can better plan production. Moreover, the farmers can sell the “ugly products” to the restaurant at a reasonable price. On the other hand, the restaurant acquires value selling a tasty, organic product that sustaining rural development.

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4.3 Explore opportunities

To answer this question and design a Service System able to achieve this result, it is essential to define the project’s specific objectives, clustering the problem and priorities identified in the previous chapters.

The key points are enclosed in the FIG. N on the next page. This table lists the project’s objectives at the top and the correlated issues at the bottom, reporting the chapter where we identified problems and goals.

Each step of the food supply chain is analyzed independently in the next paragraph, unifying the research results with the key lessons from field research. This will allow the formulation of specific How might we question? That will facilitate the project ideation.

1. Food Production The project must support the production of small farms in the rural area, which adopt sustainable production methods (no chemical fertilizers and pesticides).

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Production Sustainable Agriculture ( Seasonal, no pesticides, fertilizers, hormones) (2.1)

Objectives

At this stage, it is crucial to remember our starting research question: How might Service Design facilitate people’s shift from unsustainable habits toward responsible consumption patterns in the Chinese Urban food system?

FIG.48: Issue Map and definition of the Objectives

Issues

This chapter shows the problem areas identified in the desk research, clustered with the field research insights.

The analysis is carried out according to a food supply perspective and therefore takes into account once again not only the act of consumption but the various steps of the supply chain: -Production -Distribution -Consumption -Waste

Support Small-Scale farms in rural ares (2.1) Facilitate the collaboration between multiple stakeholders (2.2) Re-build the lost trust in the local food supply chain ensuring safe food and transparency of information (2.2 - 4.2)

Small scale farm needs customer in urban areas to sustain their activity and use eological farming methodos and they are largely excluded from organic certifications (too expensive) There is social anxiety about food safety and untrust in the system

Main issues identified along the Food Supply Chain and the relatives objectives for the project ideation

Strategic Analysis

Chapter 2: Research Background 2.1 : Chinese Food System 2.2 : New Pattern of consumption 2.3 : Sustainable Diet & Food System

Chapter 3: Literature Review 3.1 : What is consumption?

3.2 : Non-subsistence aspects of food

Chapter 4: Strategic Analysis 4.1 : Preliminary Field Research

Distribution Shortening food Suppply Chain (2.1) Transparency of informations (2.1) Diversification of the distribution system (2.2) Modernization & Digitalization(2.2) Mitigate logistic cost for farmers (4.2)

Consumption Reduce consumption of animal based products & imported luxury food (2.1) Reinforce food consumption pattern beneficial to health and environment: -Chemical free - Less meat, sugar, fat and processed food -More fruit and vegetables -More cooking (2.3)

4.2 : Shanghai Food System

Waste Let people consume the right amount of food (2.3) Food Education on food value and quality food (4.2) Save “ugly” food through differents channels (4.2)

Let costumers regain consciusness of what he eats (3.2) Diet should seamlessly fit with the user lifestyle (4.1)

Last-mile delivery is one of the heaviest cost for small farmers and they cannot compete with big players as “HEMA”

Eating meat is a way to express social status

The CSA model (deliver 1 times a week) is not convenient for costumers.

Now they can order more often and receive faster through e-commerce

If you eat outside with someone to be a good host “you should” : give food in abundance, have main course with fish or meat

Vegetable are associated with food for poor

Chinese middle class consumer shifted their consume from necessity to abundance, generating large amount of waste

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Many of these farms do not have official certifications attesting that the production is organic. This factor poses a significant challenge in building a relationship of trust between producer and consumer.

safeness, and organic products are chosen, but not paying attention to their origin.Considering that food should be safe for everyone and should not be sought in alternative networks, it is necessary to communicate to the consumer that choosing these networks will provide them with healthy and nutritious food and contribute to supporting environmental and social development.

Guaranteeing healthy and safe food will be the key to attracting new consumers to join the network. However, it will then be necessary to act to communicate the product’s values, which go beyond pure food safety.

The questions become, therefore: How might we set up the condition to “educate” urban citizens about “quality organic food and quality chain”?

If safety and hygiene concern shift people’s behavior toward a more conscious, healthier, and sustainable choice, to what extent will this fear generate a positive output in the future?

How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward Ecological and Social values?

The communication of these values is fundamental because as you can see in FIG.TRust today, many people control food safety directly from the producer or with online streaming platforms, because food anxiety is high.

As we see in the FIG.N today, fresh food is often associated with healthy and quality food. Other times, there is greater attention to the products’

FIG.49: Interview Clustering “Trust”

Trust According to the farmers interviewd, the urban citizens lack of knowlege and awareness about the value of organic and they need food education.food

USER 2 : Jane (Bio Farm) USER 3 : Jane (BioFarm) USER 4 : Fred Yang (URb)

3.

2.

4.

Many people want to sustain little farm and local food but there is a problem of trust.

“People trust things that they can see with their own eyes”

I went to the farm to check the products

Citizens trust the system mainly because of World of Mouth

3.

3.

I do not trust the Food System

“The first time you go to the farm and check the quality, then you buy online on e-commerce because is more convenient”

How might re-establish the trust between consumer and producer for a durable relationship and exchange of support?

The picture shows the main insights from the interview connected to the thematic of “Trust”

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FIG.50: Interview Clustering “Food safety & Food quality”

Food Safety/Quality food Food Safety is the main engine for changement.

USER 2 : Jaqueline (Expats) USER 3 : Jane (BioFarm) USER 4 : Fred Yang (UR Bridge) USER 5 : Shanghai Rose Manor

Food Safety

Food Quality

4.

5.

I started my agricultural road is in September 2011 when i was a full time housewife.

3.

I was take care of kids at home. at that time, food safety was my biggest problem. So i decided to plant food myself.

4.

2.

I didn’t know about the quality of food at wet market 4.

4.

Because of COVID: More and more and people started realizing the importance of safe and clean food.

Easy to see if they are fresh, but impossible to determine if there are or not pesticides

Chinese Traditional farms was based on the principle of “Self Sustain Lifestyle”

When China opened to the World, the Government started promoting fertilezers

4.

4.

Real food should come from nature, grow naturally, not artificially, eco-friendly, food that do not destroy the ecosystem, but it’s fully part of it.

Initially the farmers refused, but once they tried and saw how their work was easier they became addicted

“We need Hygienic workforces, not farmer”

How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward Ecological and Social values?

The picture shows the main insights from the interview connected to the thematic of “Food Safety” and “Food Quality”

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Although, once they are sure that a particular farm’s food is “safe,” they prefer to use the channel as e-commerce to receive at home the product in faster terms. The E-commerce model is not profitable for a small-farm because having an intermediary for the last-mile delivery reduces their margin of profit substantially.

How might we re-establish the trust between consumer and producer, for a long-lasting relationship and enriching exchange of support?

2. Distribution From the conversation with the farmer the, as we have just seen, logistics costs are too high for small realities that cannot compete with giants like Taobao or Alibaba. To fight this problem, many alternative food networks have adopted the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model, but this is difficult to promote nowadays.

The CSA model is an excellent model for the producers because it guarantees them a profit, and through a weekly delivery, can optimize the costs of logistics. However, it becomes an obsolete model today, in a society used to have everything right away. Moreover, having more frequent logistics organized directly by smallscale farms would lead to an increase in product prices, already expensive for some consumers.

Therefore, it is fundamental to reduce logistic cost and lower the price of products accordingly asking ourselves: How might we solve the logistic problem for farmers and provide food with a good price to costumers?

Some ideas come from our interviewees, as we see in the FIG. N and they will be further analyzed in the next phase of the design. they see a possible answer to the problem in these strategies: 1. Shortening the food supply chain 2.

Create partnerships with stakeholders, such as restaurants.

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“ugly” and challenging to sell to markets and families at a reasonable price, creating a winwin partnership.

3. Consumption Among the main objectives for sustainable consumption, we have listed in the table above: - Reduce meat consumption -Reinforce food consumption patterns beneficial to health and environment -let the user regain consciousness of what he eats -Let the new diet seamlessly fit user lifestyle However, it is essential to understand better the criticalities of these goals, from what we have learned from research and interviews with users.

In fact, it is scientifically proven that reducing meat is a more effective strategy for environmental sustainability and human health.

However, we should consider that meat in Chinese society defines one’s social status and group boundaries; and vegetable consumption is often associated with a “poor” way of eating.

The question becomes, therefore: How might we reduce the consumption of meat in Chinese Megacities, giving value back to plant-based food In chapter three, we have seen how much food is linked to social stratification, class, social and cultural identity, and we should, therefore, consider Chinese eating behavior as part of a broader social system. In the image Num 52, our dietician stresses the importance of analyzing the social context surrounding the user before “pre-registering” a new diet. To confirm how much others influence our food choices, our expat consumer tells us some of the difficulties she faced when choosing to follow a vegetarian diet and what compromises she made to feel accepted.

different

How might we design a social space where a Plant based diet is accepted by the community?

The collaboration with the restaurants also allows the farmers to sell a greater quantity of products to a single customer and have a secure income that will enable them to better plan the production.In addition, this collaboration also allows farmers to sell food that is considered

Food is still a means of communication and expression today, as we saw it was in the 1990s, in Chapter 3. In those years, the success of fast-food in the 90s was due to its non-food elements: eating manners, environment, and social interaction patterns.

Strategic Analysis

FIG.51: Interview Clustering “Difficulties & Prices”

Difficulties and prices Logistic is a problem for farmers because the last-mile delivery has too heavy cost if not optimezed with many clients. The cost of organic food is too expensive and not accessible for many costumers

USER 3 : Jane (BioFarm) USER 4 : Fred Yang (URb)

Logistic Problem

Future Scenarios

4.

3.

Logistic Cost are quite heavy for a farm like Biofarm

4.

4.

With the project Zerofoodwaste I’m trying to make good food very fair and accessible for everyone.

The Ideal situation is not sale or purchase BUT just exchange of support.

4.

First of all, it’s important to guarantee the income to the farmer . In this way, they can plan also their production better.

3.

3.

Easy to see if the product are fresh, but impossible to determine if they are organic. So..

Often people choose according to the price

4.

In the city, everyone want to smash and achieve its personal goals.

In rural area farmer have to collaborate to face the challenges coming from the nature

RESTAURANT play a really good role in stabilizing the production and income for the farmers.

- Bigger demand - They take Surplus ugly food that we cannot sell to the market, at lower price

SPROUT : Small idroponic farm want to short the supply chain growining green leafs directly in the cities

Price for customer How might solve the logistic problem for farmers and provide food with a “good price” for customers?

The picture shows the main insights from the interview connected to the “Main difficulties” for small farmer to succed on the market

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FIG.52: Interview Clustering “Social Sphere”

Social Sphere: The “New Diet” should be socially accepted and match with the new lifestyle.

USER 1 : Dietist Sara Pezzatini USER 2 : Jaqueline (Expats) USER 3 : Jane (BioFarm)

New life styles

1.

With who do you eat?

2.

2.

When I had to go out eating with colleagues, they could not accept me asking for rice and vegetable, so I made a compromise, about eating fish.

The Colluege explained:” Rice and Vegetable is food that we ate when we were poor, now I have a factory, Now we want to eat well and so we want to eat meat”

3.

2.

2.

The diet should match with the social life

3.

1.

I had no friends and going out to socialize was really important

2.

I stopped cooking once I arrived in Shanghai

3.

How might we design a social space where a Plant based Diet is accepted by the community?

The picture shows the main insights from the interview connected to the “social sphere”

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For customers is more convenient to buy through e-commerce

Cook vegetable requires time.

People do not cook anymore

What I liked the most was the surprise in the unboxing

Because of COVID People started cooking more and buying more fresh products BUT they can choose diverse food on e-commerce

Strategic Analysis

If food is a means of communication and the restaurant a place of ritual and social codes: How might we deliver a message of care for the environment in a place of socialization?

How might we create a social-space where sustainability is a collective and creative practice?

Additionally, it emerges from our desk research, our user survey, and interviews, that the “Healthy” and “Safe” factors are decisive for purchasing a particular product. A strategy could be then re-framed climate change, environmental and social problems as really being about human health.

How might we re-frame climate as being about human health?

It is important to remember that healthy and safe food acquired more importance during the COVID Emergence, and people changed their habits. In that moment of crisis, food has seen a shift of meaning: If it has always been a vehicle of values, culture, and identity, it emerges its primary function of life and nutrition during the crisis.

In a moment of social distancing becomes difficult to imagine a hotpot dinner, communal dining experience where people cook their meal, and share a pot. On the other hand, we have seen a reconnection of people to food in a private sphere.

tend to order more than necessary, regardless of waste, we must now adopt more mindful behavior.

It is true that alternative network food is often more expensive, but it is crucial to understand what determines that cost and what is the real value of good food, buying it in the right amount.

Food education is the key, according to our farmers’ interviews. The “food education” can be done in both didactic and experiential ways, as we can see in FIG. 108. In any case, it has been demonstrated that experiential activities, through workshops and direct interaction with the producer, generates a more lasting relationship.

Last but not least, it is also vital to limit waste in production. Saving food that is considered “ugly” and not accepted by society thanks to partners such as restaurants that make it acceptable to the consumer it is a strategy adopted by one of the interviewers. Although, with food education, people should understand that appearance does not determinate the value of food and consuming this food will give them the possibility to have a “good” product at a fair price.

How might we communicate to people the value of food and the benefit of consuming the right amount of good food instead of thinking about the quantity and aboundance of it?

The two primary drivers of these changes were: - A shift from sociality to intimacy due to the lockdown - Greater attention to food safety and health We have already seen in China, especially in the megacities, the trend of Ghost Kitchens, intended only for delivery: will this be an opportunity for the spread of more and more of these non-places? And give importance back to the intimate spaces of the house in opposition to public sociality?

4. Waste This last part of the food supply chain is strongly linked to the behavior of purchase. We need to communicate to the consumer the value of food and what is meant by quality food.

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FIG.53: Interview Clustering “Food Education”

Food Education: According to the farmers interviewd, the urban citizens lack of knowlege and awareness about the value of organic and they need food education.food

USER 3 : Jane (Bio Farm) USER 4 : Fred Yang (UR Project) USER 5 : Shanghai Rose Manor Farm

4.

5.

“I made some preparing for the knowledge and technique 2 years before opening my farm.

At that time i was a full time housewife, so i was care of issue of food safety. At the beginning of working in the farm i was moved by the tenacious vitality of plants.

Then i start to loving doing farm.”

4.

“I do not want to educate them at all,BUT I try to set up the situation”

“Awareness should be arised in the urban context”

4.

“Food Education is needed”

3.

“They need food education”

4.

“Communication & Interaction are the key because we need to have this people involved in the scene of food production.”

4.

“Shanghainese have not the knowledge of organic food”

How might we “set up the condition to educate” urban citizens about organic food?

The picture shows the main insights from the interview connected to the thematic of “food education”

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4.4 Goal Setting

In order to design a Sustainable Service System, the investigation has been narrowed down toward the sustainable priorities.

Those are the guideliness to proceed with the following design activities.

The research result are in relation with four “main stage” of the Food System:

and building new partnership between different stakeholders that can optimize it.

Food Production: Reserch result highlighted the importance of sustaining small-scale farm, reinforcing Urban/ Rural relationship and ensuring social and economicalll sustainability for small informal promoters of sustainable agriculture in China.

- Reinforce food consumption patterns beneficial to health and environment. (local, seasonal, no pesticide and fertilizers, less meat, sugar, fat and processed food and more fruit, vegetable and cooking). This involve reduce meat consumption and consume more plant-based food. However to reach this goal we should understand:

The farmers should adopt sustainable production methods (no chemical fertilizers and pesticides), but they are not required to have an official “organic certification”.

To reach these goal, the system should answer these questions: 1. How might we re-establish the trust between consumer and producer, for a long-lasting relationship and enriching exchange of support?

2. How might we set up the condition to “educate” urban citizens about “quality organic food and quality chain”?

3. How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward Ecological and Social values?

Distribution The logistic result from the research is one of the main difficulties for small farmers to compete with big player on the market and we should therefore investigate: 4. How might we solve the logistic problem for farmers and provide food with a good price to costumers?

Thinking in terms of shortening the supply chain

Consumption Among the main objectives for sustainable consumption, we have listed in the table above there is :

5. How might we give value back to a Plant-based Diet?

- Let the user regain consciousness of what he eats, understanding: 6. How might we deliver a message of care for the environment in a place of socialization?

7. How might we create a social-space where sustainability is a collective practice?

-Let the new diet seamlessly fit user lifestyle Waste Last but not least, it is important to optimize the resources and understand the value of food, prefering “good food” to abundance of food.

In order to achieve this goal and reduce food waste we should understand: 8. How might we communicate to people the value of food?

To conclude we can formulate our design brief as: “Design and foster a more sustainable food system in Shanghai, able to induce the customer to consume a healthier and more sustainable diet.”

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4.5 Analysis of best practices

In this section, we include some examples for a more sustainable food system. In the first phase, we analyze the case studies in China, and then we will see some case studies around the world. These examples are analyzed according to the supply chain area where they are going to innovate and are then divided by production,

distribution, consumption, and waste. Following this first division, the author analyses each of these case studies their educational and community component, two aspects that have proved to be fundamental in our research. Each case study shows peculiar characteristics, which may inspire the conceptual creative phase.

4.5.1. Best Practice in China The Hunter Gatherer: Impact on the supply:#Production #Consumption Mission: Serve to people in Shanghai “real good food” produced within a transparent and sustainable supply chain Targets: Shanghainese high- middle class and foreigners Takeaway: Strong brand identity and transparent supply chain Downsides: Low educational component Source: www.behuntergatherer.com It’s a farm to table restaurant and retail food space in Shanghai. The project’s core is the transparency of its food supply chain: they have two farms where they grow product in an organic chemical-free, and they cook using those ingredients or products coming from trusted farms partner. Moreover, they also sell these ingredients at the store, if you do not want to consume them at the restaurant.

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Pure and Whole: Impact on the supply:#Production #Consumption Mission: Accelerating the world’s transition to a sustainable diet Targets: Shanghainese high- middle class and foreigners Takeaway: Various Plant based offer on the menu and strong brand identity Downsides: Expensive and low educational component Source: www.pureandwhole.com It’s a restaurant in Shanghai, serving nutritious plant-based dishes in a modern and comfortable environment. Their aim is serving an healthy delicious vegetarian dish, cooked with sourced ingredients and inspirited by worldwide cuisine to inspire people toward a more sustainable consumption. Apart from the restaurant side, they also offer catering service with healthy food served fresh on site.

Kaixing Chef: Impact on the supply:#Consumption Mission: Empower people toward a more sustainable diet teaching traditional Chinese recipes, with a reduction in meat and using local sourced ingredients Targets: Foreigners Takeaway: Learn about food quality and its impact on health and sustainability cooking and sharing stories with the community Downsides: it is not well known and has no location, the only way to get information about the courses is by writing directly to the chef.

A collective of chefs that organize cooking classes on how to cook traditional Chinese recipes in a healthy way, revisited to be mainly plant-based. Their values are health and wellbeing, quality of ingredients reflected in the use of fresh, local ingredients.

And community because they believe that the best part of eating is the stories and experiences shared around the table, and sustainability supporting a transition to less meat and more local produce.

Source: www.behuntergatherer.com

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Yimishiji: Impact on the supply:#Production #Distribution Mission: fight country’s ongoing food safety concerns while educating the public on environmentally-friendly and sustainable options Targets: ” those who have experience overseas, who are maybe very aware of food safety and health and nutrition issues. The second segment are families with young kids who really care about their food source and its quality. “ Matilda Ho - Founder of yishimishi Yimishiji an online farmers’ market in China. The platform sells organic fruit and vegetables that have passed pesticide testing. The products come from small and medium-sized farms with sustainable agriculture.They promote a healthy and sustainable diet, educating the costumers on the values of “family farmed” products and “pesticide-free” food. Website and social media are storytelling vehicles to introduce consumers to each farmer who grows their food.

Takeaway: Collaboration between farmer and e-commerce and educative component with a showcase of farms and visits to some of the farms’ partner Downsides: Lack of a community that shares the same values; customers consume mainly to get healthy and safe food, with not much attention to the impact of their choices on the environment.

Source: https://www.yimishiji.com/

Meicai: Impact on the supply::#Production #Distribution Mission: Cut the logistic providing food from farms to a final user without a middleman Targets: restaurant, grocery shops, and eaters Takeaway: Smart and efficient logistic Downsides: The app doesn’t offer the chance to see which farm or region produce is coming from and wheter is organic or not.

Source:

https://radiichina.com/meicai-the-7-

billion-usd-app-that-wants-to-change-howMeicai is a mobile e-vendor of agricultural products that serves small-medium restaurants and private customers. Customers can get their products delivered straight from the farm to the comfort of their own homes. The user can browse through different food categories. He can check up on stage of the journey and finally rate it out of the delivery and products received.

In cutting out the middleman, Meicai hopes to provide fresher, lower-priced ingredients to restaurants and produce shops and allow a larger profit for farmers.

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Zero Food Waste- Rainbow of Hope: Impact on the supply:#Waste Mission: Sell surplus and ugly food to the restaurant to reduce waste and ensure to farmers a fixed income Targets: restaurant Takeaway: Win-win relationship between farmers and restaurants through the value of “ugly food”.

Downsides: The communication is not strong, and there is no way to see which restaurants take part in this project Source: http://www.rainbowofhope.cn/ Our intervieweer Fred Yang told us about this project. Surplus and “ugly” food which should be sold to families and the market, is sold to restaurants. The collaboration between restaurants and farmers is a triple win: food is saved, farmers receive a stable income and a large order from restaurants, restaurateurs get quality organic food at a reasonable price.

4.5.1. World Best practices Park Slope Impact on the supply: #Production #Distribution #Consumption Mission: Responsible consumption and Selfmanagement Takeaway: a community united for a common cause that invest their time for a cause that concerns them and future generations.

Downsides: It is a commitment and when one begins to be part of this mission one is already educated. It requires an initial cash contribution and an ongoing commitment from members in terms of time each month.

The Park Slope Food Coop is a member-owned and operated food store. Just the member of the community can shop, and they also share responsibilities and benefits equally.The shop offers a diversity of products with an emphasis on organic, minimally processed and healthful foods. They support sustainable agriculture and respect the environment, striving to reduce the impact of their lifestyles.In the community, they educate about health and nutrition, cooperation and the environment, by working for a common cause.

Source: https://www.foodcoop.com/

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Great Project Impact on the supply:#Production #Consumption Mission: Create resilient crops and a community of people aware about the weight of their consumption habits on the environment Takeaway: Active community believing in the same value and contributing for a better future Downsides: / Source: https://great-life.eu/community/

From agricultural production to processing to final consumers, the GREAT aims to test new resilient crops to reduce the impact of climate change on agricultural activities.GREAT promote awareness of the contribution that food choices can have on the environment, health, and the economy through events, a Spotify Podcast, and a collaborative map where the consumers can suggest places, following the GREAT Values.

Simple Feast Impact on the supply:#Consumption Mission: Delicious dishes good for the planet and easy to do for the users Takeaway: Weekly package of plant-based dish with recipes from the chefs Downsides: Low community component Source: https://simplefeast.com/us

Simple feast deliver delicious plant-based meals delicious and good for the planet.

Each Simple feast meal celebrates the simple, pure, clean flavors of our carefully sourced ingredients.They work directly with local farmers to source ingredients that travel the shortest possible distance to costumer table.

They cook never using additives, preservatives, or ultra-high temperature treatment. Delivering the best possible taste requires maintaining the highest food quality.

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Crisp Impact

on

the

supply:#Consumption

#Distribution Mission: Make better quality food available to a wide audience. That is why we focus entirely on super fresh, tasty food of the moment.

Takeaway: Smart logistic and ingredient super fresh - They order from farmer just when customer order from them and they do not need a place to store food. Moreover they buy just what the sell and they never generate waste, as ordinar supermarket do.

Crisp is the Netherlands’ first app-only supermarket, founded with a mission of offering locally-sourced seasonal products to its customers, as well as addressing increasing consciousness over where food comes from and its ecological impact. The app boasts fresh products from over 200 different suppliers, championing mainly small, local specialists.

Downsides: Expensive sevice and low educational component Source: https://www.crisp.nl/

Odd Box Impact on the supply:#Consumption #Waste Mission: All food grown should be eaten Takeaway: Team up with farmer to take “odd goods” not beauty enough for the market and good educational part with the consumer Downsides:/ Source: https://www.oddbox.co.uk/

Every year, ⅓ of all the food grown in the world is wasted. They figured out that in UK 20-40% of produce - over 3 million tonnes of fruit & veg - is wasted before it even leaves the farms. They Rescue from farmers the fruit and vegetables that would otherwise gone to waste because “don’t qualify in the supermarket beauty stakes” and deliver, delicious ‘odd’ & surplus fruit & veg straight to your door.

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4.6 Food Industry Trends

4.6.1. Food Delivery In the research background, we have already mentioned that consumption patterns have changed in favor of strong food delivery growth.

Food Delivery had exponential growth during the COVID emergency, as it became a real necessity for people who could not leave the house due to fear or lockdown.However, it is necessary to

better understand this trend’s dimension and the factors supporting the transition to food delivery and e-commerce in China.

Food Delivery is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most crucial trend in China today. It changes not only what people eat but also the layout of restaurants in the city. First of all, we define the extent of China’s delivery phenomenon with some numbers that help us better understand.

FIG.54: Ghost kitchen in Shanghai

China’s food-delivery boom has led to the rise of “dark kitchens” — restaurants that produce food almost exclusively for delivery. Image Credit: Space10 - YEAST Source: https://medium.com/yeastlab/food-megacity

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About the e-commerce market in general, The numbers are colossal: “The strongest growth of e-commerce over the last few years has occurred in China, where, in 2019, sales were worth US$1.935 trillion— an amount which was more than three times higher than that spent in the United States (US$586.92 billion), the second largest market.

On its own, China represents 54.7% of the global e-commerce market, a share nearly twice the market share of the next five highest countries (US, UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany) combined. (Li et al. 2020) If we look only at the food Delivery, SPACE 10 in the report “Food in Chinese Megacities,” report that “According to Meituan-Dianping, an online retailer (with about 310 million active users and 14.7 million daily transactions), $31.9 billion was spent on food delivery in China in 2017. The sector is dominated by two national competitors, Meituan and Ele.me, who together have 95 percent of the market(with the remainder made up by small, regional players).” (SPACE 10, 2019) Food delivery’s success is attributed partly to urbanization and population density and partly to digitization and development of digital payment technologies.

Another determining factor is the price, which is very cheap, and one can choose from a wide variety of different food.

During the COVID, we saw that delivery in the fresh food categories has grown, and this category could become more and more the norm in China.

There was a “260% year-on-year growth un online fresh food business in February – (This included for milk and dairy products which increased 86,5%, as wel as rice, flour and cookink oil which increased 110% y-o-y compared with February 2019” (FoodNavigator Asia, 2020) It is essential, however, who are the primary users of these services.According Daxue Consulting “consumers are overwhelming young with 75% between ages 18-39. From the perspective of the occupation, in 2015 the food delivery app users were mainly white-collar workers (83%), students (11%) and blue-collar (6%), accounting for 91% of the total.” (DaxueConsulting 2020)

4.6.2. Ghost Kitchen Digitization, increased demand for food delivery, and rising property prices have led to the “Dark Kitchens” phenomenon.

Before explaining this trend is important to give some definition.

Dark, ghost, or cloud kitchen: they are synonyms for kitchens without a restaurant. Activities that prepare and deliver dishes only at home.

It’s impossible to say the number of these realities in Shanghai. However, according to SPACE10 - Report on Food and Megacities - if in the UK in 2019 there were 70 Dark Kitchen “In megacities such as Shanghai or Shenzhen, [...], it is safe to assume there are at least 70 dark kitchens in a single neighborhood.” (SPACE 10) It is easy to see “restaurants” in the street of Shanghai without tables or chairs, with only a counter where drivers (“Kuadi”) arrive to pick up a new delivery order. There are no waiters in this so-called “restaurant”, only staff who receive orders and cook for them.

The characteristics of traditional restaurants, such as service or environment becomes irrelevant and the only metrics that user use to value a restaurant are review, rating and promotions on the digital platform.

SPACE 10 report also shows that ghost kitchens are also changing the city’s urban planning in Shanghai and the street’s appearance.

“A study by Shanghai’s Tongji University mapped the location of these delivery-focused restaurants and found that they tend to cluster three kilometers from the main commercial streets, filling the in-between spaces of the city, where rent is cheaper, and they are closer to dense residential areas. “ (SPACE10) Some of the advantages of these places-not places are: - Reduced rent because space is reduced to the minimum useful area - A Reduction of costs for the restaurant’s furnishing and marketing, because just a kitchen is enough, without tables and decorations.

- A most effective workflows as workers can concentrate on delivery orders and have no clients and waiters present.

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To conclude we don’t want to affirm that the “future is dark” and that this model is the future but for sure is a business to study.

Albeit, this model brings advantages from an economic point of view; it is always necessary to keep a high level of attention to the personnel at work and the raw materials’ quality.

These hidden places must not lead to the exploitation of labor and the use of ingredients that are not excellent, but they can be revolutionary models if used carefully.

kitchens to young entrepreneurs has proved to be innovative. Young chefs in this model can afford to experiment with different businesses without making a large initial investment, such as opening a physical restaurant.

However, the author believes that it is unnecessary to be entirely virtual to benefit from a ghost kitchen’s advantages. Having a restaurant presence will help establish a stronger brand image and a stronger trust relationship with the consumer.

In these months, the reality of ghost kitchens and some brands like “Karma Kitchen” in the UK raised astronomic investment (( according Sifted magazine, it raised £252m in a Series A funding when they set out to raise £3m). In fact, at a time when some restaurants have had to re-invent themselves digitally to counter the emergency, a project like Karma Kitchen that rents out

FIG.55: Ghost kitchen in empty mall

A CloudKitchens location in San Francisco. Developers say ‘ghost’ kitchens can create new interest in vacant retail and warehouse space. Photo: Jason Henry for The Wall Street Journal

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Bibliography FoodNavigator- Neo, P. (2020, May 25).

‘Consumption evolution’: Further boom predicted for China’s fresh food e-commerce platforms post-COVID-19. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://www. foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2020/05/25/ Consumption-evolution-Further-boompredicted-for-China-s-fresh-food-ecommerce-platforms-post-COVID-19 Li, C., Mirosa, M., & Bremer, P. (2020). Review of Online Food Delivery Platforms and their Impacts on Sustainability. Sustainability, 12(14), 5528. doi:10.3390/su12145528 Sifted - Columnist, S., Pratty, F., & Colin, N. (2020, July 15). How rental kitchen startup Karma Kitchen raised £252m when it set out to raise £3m. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://sifted.eu/articles/karma-kitchenraises-252m/ SPACE10 - “Food and the Megacity.” SPACE10.

Accessed October 10, 2019. https://space10. com/project/project-food-and-themegacity/.

Thibaud. (2020, September 03). The food delivery market in Great China in 2019: Daxue Consulting. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://daxueconsulting.com/o2o-fooddelivery-market-in-china/

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120

System Concept Design In this paragraph, we start by defining the project target, and we realize a first concept on the project objectives we set ourselves in the previous chapter.

Once a first draft of the concept has been outlined, a co-design with the service’s final users is carried out.

During the co-design, we open up to new ideas not considered by the author, ideating on the How might we question. Then the concept is presented to the user, and they evaluate and implement it.

insight from the co-design and the outline of a new concept.

The main steps that we are going to address will be: - - -

Ideas Generation Co-Design Workshop Final Concept

The chapter then concludes with feedback and

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5.1 Ideas Generation

5.1.1. Target Definition In this section it is important once again to bring to memory our starting HMWq:

FIG.56: Target Definition - Behaviour to change

How might Service Design facilitate people’s shift from unsustainable habits toward responsible consumption patterns in the Chinese Urban food system?

To be able to start designing, it is necessary to understand better which is the preferred target of intervention to obtain a more significant impact. Therefore, the various profiles identified in the research have been listed in the table on the following page to have a clear picture and define the project target. We have then chosen to have as the main target of the service young Chinese and expat, and now we will explain the motivation that led us to select this user.

PRIMARY USER Young Chinese and expats compose the primary target of the service. The analysis showed that young Chinese often lack food education and have scarce experience buying or cooking food.

They just eat, and this is the reason why they relate so much on delivery and taste. Besides this lack of knowledge, they are also very curious and open-minded, willing to try and always learn new things. They like to experiment a lot on food and try different styles, experimenting with new cultures. The western food is appreciated but especially in the company of friends, info resulting from our survey. This data demonstrates that more than the nutritional component of food, youngs care about its “relational properties.”

The need to always try new things, a lack of food education, and a primary need to socialize leads this user to consume an unhealthy and not even sustainable diet. Also, the expat target is a primary target because the research emerges that many users stop cooking once they arrive in the city. Even though they often have more 122

YOUNG CHINESE STUDENTS (19-25 y.o)

PURCHASE: Buy food mainly at supermarket, wet market or online

CURRENT BEHAVIOUR

CONSUMPTION: They mainly eat out, rarely cook and often use food delivering services DIET: Rich of animal-based products, and processed food with high contents of fat. They like to try and experiment with new cusine and taste is a major concern.

PURCHASE: A convenient way for buying and consuming food

FOR BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE THIS USER NEEDS

WHY

CONSUMPTION: Food education and cooking skills.

DIET: Taste education to understand that a sustainable diet can also be tasty. Food education will then be necessary to spread awareness about sustainable consumption

Plant-based diet is perceived as poor, plain and “not exciting”. The needs of trying new things and experiment leads to an unhealthy and unsustainable diet.

In this map the insight from the research about the user are summarized and the primary target is defined

System Concept Design

Primary users:

Secondary Users:

- Young chinese students (19-25) - Expats students & workers (20-30)

-New covid consumer of healthy and safe food

Tertiary users: -Mom with kids

EXPATS STUDENTS & WORKERS (20-30 y.o)

PURCHASE: Buy food mainly at supermarket, foreign market annd imported shops CONSUMPTION: stopped cooking once he arrived in China because eating out is cheap and an opportunity to socialize.

NEW COVID CONSUMER (Healthy food and habits new adopter)

MOM WITH KIDS (Healthy and Safe food anxiety)

PURCHASE: They started caring more about healthy and safe food, but they relate mainly on e-commerce platforms

PURCHASE: They buy mainly from foreign supermarkets and imported brand foods due to lack of trust in the Chinese system.

Sometimes they turn to AFNs to buy directly from farms organic product.

CONSUMPTION/DIET:Start recently to cook more but can easily come back to old habits.

DIET: A lot of processed food riche of fat and oils, high consumption of imported goods PURCHASE: Trusted source and information about local producers and products.

PURCHASE: They need info about alternative food networks and a convenient way to buy from them.

CONSUMPTION/DIET: A place of socialization where is possible to consume in an healthy way while meeting new people and cultures (the expat and Chinese communities are not well integrated and there are few places frequented by both).

CONSUMPTION/DIET: need motivation to continue to follow new habits, helped by a community that shares the same passions and feeds the need to buy healthy food with recipes and stories from different cultures.

Relational needs becomes more important than nutritional needs, and leads to an unhealthy and unsustainable diet

half of the user who took part at the survey they were more than happy to go back to old habits and eating again outside home now that the restaurant are open again.

CONSUMPTION/DIET: Safe and healthy food

PURCHASE: They need info about trusted producer and alternative way to buy food, outside of the chinese official food system.

CONSUMPTION/DIET: User needs are well addressed by AFNs and they rapresent the main target of farms.

Many food scandals are the cause of their lost of trust in the system and safe anxiety about food..

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knowledge of the Chinese target (which usually has never cooked) on food quality. They start eating out for convenience, time, and price, but especially to socialize. The need to feel part of a community brings the expat to consume an unhealthy and unsustainable diet. Moreover, the integration between expat and Chinese is almost totally absent. There is a need for a community that allows these cultures to exchange, where the two targets can socialize, sharing quality food and learning together, the impact that this has on the social and environmental sphere, and finally on their future. A gathering place for the community, where the two users can enjoy hanging out together, as well as a movement and mission they can stand behind.Having a community with expat also allows to establish a greater confidence in the Chinese consumer because very often the foreigner is considered more scrupulous in choosing food and more careful about food safety “If they consume it, it’s good” is what a Chinese user said in an interview about expats choosing food. Finally, the last reason that led the designer to choose the young target is the impact in the time: now they are willing to learn more than adults target, then, they will transmit these learning and eating habits to their future family and future generations.

SECONDARY USER They started focusing more on healthy and safe food, buying more fresh ingredients and cooking more, but they need motivation to keep the new habits. Moreover they need a community and food education to understand that behind safe food there is “quality food”: good for him, people and planet.

TERTIARY USER Target well addressed by AFNs but they need information to know this farmers, otherwise they consume mainly from high-end supermarket and imported food from foreigners brand.

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FIG.57: Target Definition - Food System engagement

YOUNG CHINESE STUDENTS (19-25 y.o)

FOOD SYSTEM SHOULD

Attract with tasty plant-based food and then evolve one’s care about food taste and safety toward ecological and social values.

Tasty chef-made meals inspired by worldwide cusines that gives value back to plant-based food

INITIAL ENGAGEMENT

Workshop to learn how to cook and food values a community where sustainability is a common practice and where there are other values apart from taste to create quality food.

Screenshot f Image Credit: Author

System Concept Design

Primary users:

Secondary Users:

- Young chinese students (19-25) - Expats students & workers (20-30)

-New covid consumer of healthy and safe food

Tertiary users: -Mom with kids

EXPATS STUDENTS & WORKERS (20-30 y.o)

NEW COVID CONSUMER (Healthy food and habits new adopter)

Give them a place where they can enjoy hanging out eating healthy and sustainable food, as well as a movemet and mission they can stand behind.

Motivate the user to keep the new habits, involving him in a community.

Healthy food and a place where meeting new people, united by a same mission.

Motivating the user to keep new habits with recipes and suggestion from the community.

Workshops and events to know people while learning the impact that food has on the environment.

The community will have the goal of evolve the individual need for safe food to a care for people and planet.

MOM WITH KIDS (Healthy and Safe food anxiety)

Showcase trusted producers

Provide Food education and information about alternative food network will be needed to shift user’s purchasing from large distribution to Alternative food systems.

Afns strategies are already affective to address this target.

A channel to know local trusted producers and reduce the consumption of imported food.

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5.1.2. First Ideation session Starting from the HMWs questions presented in the previous chapter and following the definition of the primary target, we proceed here with the ideation phase.

The first idea generation session is carried out by the designer independently, and it is thanks to this that the first concept is generated. The idea will then be evaluated and implemented during a co-design session with the end-users of the service, and a second version will be formulated accordingly.

In this paragraph, we explain how the first creative session took place and how the initial concept was generated.

The creative process starts with the project goals. In particular, we recall our project brief, described during the strategic analysis, that was formulated as “Design and foster a more sustainable food system in Shanghai, able to

FIG.58: First Ideation

Some notes of the Author developing the “Concept Zero”

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induce the customer to consume a healthier and more sustainable diet.”

To achieve this ultimate aim, a series of subobjectives have been drawn up in various food production stages. These goals range from supporting small farms with sustainable products to a healthier and more sustainable consumption that limits foods with a high environmental impact and harmful to health such as meat and reduces waste.

Starting from these points, the first activity that was decided to be carried out was an individual brainstorming. After a first-round of ideas generations to solve the problems listed above, the author evaluated the most promising ideas and gave shape to the “concept zero.”

5.1.2.1 Concept “Zero” Definition The first concept proposal is a multifunctional

System Concept Design

space. This space takes on a different function for different times or days of the week. Its main components are: 1.Market 2.Ghost Kitchen 3.Community Kitchen 1. The Farmers’ Market takes place one day a week and is created to introduce producers and consumers and establish a relationship of trust based on food quality.

2. Ghost Kitchen- The kitchen acquires different properties at different times of the day. This is both a “Ghost kitchen” and a Community kitchen. The term “Ghost Kitchen” means a kitchen where food is prepared only to make delivery meals. In this case, we want to rent the kitchen to different chefs who can enhance the ingredients and promote a plant-based culture.

This model’s value lies in the optimization of the logistics and the resources because the

online menu can be customized according to the availability of ingredients provided by the producers. The logistic is simplified because the producers deliver the raw materials in one place.

A third party company then takes care of the last-minute delivery of ready-made products, guaranteeing a fair profit to the producers.

Besides, the ghost kitchens are now a trend model widespread in the megacity, because, given the high cost of real estate, this allows you to have kitchens even in less frequented places and to where people do not pass in front of the local, with lower rents. After all, the spaces are in locations not centered, and the size is reduced to a minimum enough to cook. For our project, we imagine creating a kitchen that is “ghost” for his way of working but in a central area because, in addition to the delivery of food, we will have to perform different functions for the community at different times. But if the idea could work on the brand created in the kitchen1 other kitchens could be launched, not for the

FIG.59: Concept “Zero”

From Dark Restaurant to Dark Market: A place intersection of food, people and cultures

Trasparence of the food provenience.

Optimization of the resources Try new food good for you and you environment

3 in 1 Market Kitchen Community

Bridge people and empowe citizens as eaters! offering workshop,events to learn how to cook/ store/reuse food

Production

Distribution

Consumption

Waste

TIME FOR BUSINESS Morning: one day a week Day: Rented to different chef experimenting with food (but plant-based) Evening & Weekend: A place for the community

Image of the Author. Note: A space with different functions in different moment of the day and week

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community, in various areas of the city.

3.Community kitchen- The other function of the kitchen is during the weekend, where the place becomes a place for the community: where events and workshops are organized where the participants. Here the value of quality food and supply chain is transmitted, and sustainability becomes a collective practice that takes place around a table.

In addition to these offline functions, an online platform performs three functions that are integrated with the offline part and are: 1.The Market for cooked food 2. Buy the “raw” ingredients 3.Calendar 1. The Market for cooked food is connected with the ghost kitchen. The user chooses between the plant-based food proposed by the chefs and receive the order at home.

Buy the ingredients: There is also the possibility for the user to see from which farm the dish’s ingredients come from and navigate in the catalog of the farm. The farm will set a minimum of orders to optimize the logistic.

3. Events Calendar and Booking System: This functionality is connected to the “Community Kitchen”. Here it is possible to check the events and the workshop available and book the one you are more interested in.

The “concept zero,” as you can see in the table on the side, aims to achieve the project objectives and to respond to the HMWq, but you have to understand the final user’s opinion about it. A co-design session with young Chinese and expat will be organized in order to evaluate this service and implement it according to their preferences. Before proceeding to the “concept zero” presentation, the author wants to open up new possibilities that he has not thought about asking participants to respond to the HMWq. To do this, five main questions will be chosen, one for each step of the food supply, enclosed by a primary objective: to move from the care of the individual to healthy food, to a focus on environmental and social issues.

FIG.60: Concept “Zero” - Objectives and Offer of the service

OBJ Production : Sustain Small Scale farm, following a sustainable agriculture 1. How might we re-establish the trust between consumer and producer, for a long-lasting relationship and enriching exchange of support?

HMW1 2. How might we set up the condition to “educate” urban citizens about “quality organic food and quality chain”?

HMW2 3. How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward Ecological and Social values?

HMW3

OBJ Distribution : Convenient for producer and consumer 4. How might we solve the logistic problem for farmers and provide food with a good price to costumers?

HMW4 In this map we highlight how the concept designed respond to our objective on the Food Supply Chain

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System Concept Design

HMW2 HMW5

HMW5

Buy Cooked (Plant-based) food

HMW1

Buy the ingredients + Get info about the farm and catalogue of products HMW2 HMW3

Farmer Market (Showcase of products)

1A

DIGITAL

2A

HMW4

1B

PHYSICAL

3A

3B

2B

Ghost Kitchen with Chef cooking farm’s ingredients HMW5

Events/Initiatives Calendar + Booking System

Workshops to promote food education

HMW3 HMW6

HMW6 HMW7 HMW8

OBJ Consumption: Reinforce food consumption patterns beneficial to health and environment and let the users regain consciousness of they eat.

5. How might we give value back to a Plant-based Diet?

6. How might we deliver a message of care for the environment in a place of socialization?

7. How might we create a sociaspace where sustainability is a collective practice?

HMW5

HMW6

HMW7

OBJ Waste: communicate the value of food to reduce waste 8. How might we communicate to people the value of food?

HMW8

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5.2 Co-Design Workshop

1. FRAME: Here are presented the project objectives with the related problems identified in the research, in the four steps of the food supply chain. In correspondence to each stage, there is a How might we question? Useful for the realization of the project objective.

2. IDEATION: This is a phase of openness to new ideas. Users have to conceive autonomously on HMWq without limitation dictated by the concept zero and evaluate all together the ideas considered with more potential.

3. EVALUATION: This is a phase of convergence.

The author presents the concept zero to the users who vote for the idea and give feedback on it, implementing with new ideas proposed in the ideation phase.

4. IMPLEMENTATION: Users based on the proposed project must imagine the menu, the information provided, the place, and the name of the project, giving shape to the concept so far abstract.

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Production

Objectives

The structure of the co-design consisted of 4 main parts: 1.Frame 2.Ideation 3.Evaluation 4.Implementation

FIG.61: Co-Design - Framing the problem

Issues

The Co-Design was held online on July 15, 2020, with the participation of 3 young Chinese boys and 4 Expats. Given the participants’ location in 3 different countries due to the COVID emergency, the author decided to carry out the workshop online with the Miro tool.The purpose of the co-design was to design, together with the end-user of the service, solutions to solve the problems identified in the research and understand the concept’s effectiveness.

Support Small-Scale farms in rural ares following a sustainable agriculture ( Seasonal, no pesticides, fertilizers, hormones) Re-build the lost trust in the local food supply chain ensuring safe food and transparency of info

Small scale farm needs customer in urban areas to sustain their activity and use eological farming methodos and they are largely excluded from organic certifications (too expensive) There is social anxiety about food safety and untrust in the system

HMW

5.2.1. Planning the Co-Design

1. How might we re-establish the trust between consumer and producer, and betwen urban and rural?

the Author presented the research insight to the co-design participant in this way. Showing Objectives, Issues and HMWq

System Concept Design

FR AM E

Distribution Mitigate logistic cost for farmers Shortening food Suppply Chain Diversification of the distribution system

E AT E ID

Consumption Reduce consumption of animal based products & imported luxury food Reinforce food consumption pattern beneficial to health and environment:

EV AL UA TE

T EN M E PL IM

Waste Let people consume the right amount of food Food Education on food value and quality food

Let costumers regain consciusness of what he eats

Last-mile delivery is one of the heaviest cost for small farmers and they cannot compete with big players as “HEMA”

Eating meat is a way to express social status

The CSA model (deliver 1 times a week) is not convenient for costumers.

Now they can order more often and receive faster through e-commerce

If you eat outside with someone to be a good host “you should” : give food in abundance, have main course with fish or meat

2. How might we have a logistic convenient for both producer and consumer?

3. How might we give value back to plant based food?

Vegetable are associated with food for poor

Chinese middle class consumer shifted their consume from necessity to abundance, generating large amount of waste

4. How might we communicate to consumer the value of food?

5. How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward ecological and social values?

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5.2.2. Co-Design Workshop

FIG.62: Co-Design - Ideation

5.2.2.1 Framing This phase was useful to introduce participants to the research results and project objectives.

5.2.2.2 Ideation In this phase, users start to design autonomously, on the “How Might We question?” identified in the Goal Setting (CH 4.2).

1.

How might we re-establish trust between consumers and producers? Urban and Rural?

2.

How might we have a logistic convenient for both producer and consumer?

3.

How might we give value back to plantbased food?

4. How might we communicate consumers the value of food?

to

5.

How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward ecological and social values?

This phase helps the participants better familiarize with the context and understand Chinese and expat users’ point of view and ideas to solve these problems.

Each of the questions has generated some interesting insights that are summarized in this paragraph: 1. To re-build trust, our user proposed four strategies: - Transparency of the information. Info about the production process can be shown through official certifications, clear labels, photos, and video documentation.

-Direct communication with the producer. A live chat to ask questions directly to the producer was one of the proposals.

-Real Experience in a shared space like a community kitchen or farmer market, where you can “touch and see” the product’s quality.

2. Regarding logistics, we have talked about methods to shorten the food supply chain by creating community gardens or more futuristic

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2. How might we have a logistic convenient for both producer and consumer?

4. How might we communicate to consumer the value of food?

Some Screenshot from the co-design session| Ideation phase

System Concept Design

1. How might we re-establish the trust between consumer and producer? Urban and Rural?

3. How might we give value back to plant based food?

5. How might we evolve from one’s care about food safety toward ecological and social values?

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strategies such as driverless logistics.

Another strategy focuses instead on optimizing the delivery, carrying just what is necessary, and cutting out the waste.

In this strategy, the attention should point at the user, who should be guided in planning his weekly spending, perhaps with suggestions for receipts or seasonal products.

According to our participants, the priority should be more on communicating the values rather than finding ways to provide a fast and convenient logistic that responds to a market logic that we want to change. A participant well expresses this concept saying: “Emphasize the experience rather than the speed.”

FIG.63: Co-Design - Ideation Cluster

3. The strategies to give value to a plant-based diet are different for the two targets, and the author considers it necessary to report them separately.

For Chinese users, the strategies are two: -Taste. Cook something tasty but don’t say that the restaurant is vegan, or replace the meat with plant-based food keeping the original flavor.

-Good storytelling showing the direct benefits of this choice for people’s health. According to our users, the storytelling can be lead by KOL (key opinion leader), Chinese influencers.

For expat users, the most important factors are: - Education on plant-based food showing the impact on health and environment, with the information about this choice’s benefit.

- Discussion through a platform where people can interact and debate 4. Understand the value of food can be done through: -official communication channels like a commercial advertisement and a “campaign” of food concerning the environment or culture -Education & Community - users imagine workshop oriented to sustainable food topic in a common space and trips to the producers where the consumer can work with the producer understanding the value of the work behind producing food.

-Information & Awareness - Clear labels and packaging of the food with info about the production process.

-Activities & Workshops where consumers can pick themselves the plants and understand the effort of growing it.

5. Evolve value from one’s care to socials, and 134

Screenshot of topic cluster realized by the author at the end of the co-design

System Concept Design

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ecological values use similar strategies to the previous HMWq. Therefore, it’s once again emerges the importance of: -Education -Awareness - Workshop/seminars with food expert to educate on the stage of food production and provide cooking classes -Information - (Deliver the food with a set of usually not communicated info as ad example the amount of water needed to produce particular food) -Community - “Make it a community project”.

5.2.2.3 Evaluation In this phase, the author presents to the participants the “Concept Zero” designed by him to fulfill these objectives. The concept is presented with a map that defines its components online and offline, with the related services.

On this map participants are asked to vote for the part they like the most and then to comment together on the different parts.

FIG.64: Co-Design - Evaluation

Lu Kitchen: A place intersection of food,people and cultures Farmer Market 3 in 1 Market Kitchen Community

Ghost Kitchen

Community Place

The project is appreciated by the users, but some parts are more critical than others.

About the online part the services like but users suggest us to take care of the farm profiles by inserting the history of the farm and information about the production processes, with photos and videos.

The offline part of the discussion is above all the offline part that consists of: 1.

Farmer market 2.

‘Ghost Kitchen.’

3.

Workshop to promote food education 1.

Farmer Market - About the market participants point out that wet markets often smell and are not clean, and this use could degrade the image of the place.

2.

The Dark Kitchen - In the concept zero we remember that it was a kitchen where chefs cook the ingredients from the farm, and the ready meals are delivered to the consumer’s home. On this point there have been the biggest discussions as users have requested to eat in the place or maybe in a garden or park nearby so as to “connect with nature”. In case this can’t happen for space reasons, this could be a pickup point space, and the pick-up moment could be an educational moment.

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Screenshot of the concept’s evaluation with direct feedbacks of the participants

System Concept Design

ONLINE

OFFLINE

-Buy Cooked plant-based food: cooked by chef

Morning: a market with fresh product

-Buy the ingredients: of the receipt coming from the organics farms Events/Initiatives calendar: A way to know the initiatives and participate to workshops

3 in 1 Market Kitchen Community

Day: Rented to different chef experimenting with food (but plant-based) Evening & Weekend: A place for the community

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3. Workshops - Table for the community, after the workshop, you can eat and talk together.

5.2.2.4 Implementation In the last phase of the co-design, participants are asked to describe how they would like this place by answering questions that link the service offers to the previous HMWqs. The first thing to decide is the Menu.

How can we give value back to plant-based food becomes, What do you want to eat?

Participants then express their desire to try new dishes from around the world and traditional dishes revisited with plant-based ingredients.

Then in the second part the focus is on the information that the user wants to receive.

How can we re-establish trust between urban

and rural? Becomes What do you need to know?

The information required ranges from information about the producer (history of the farm and production methods) to the final realization of the dish with information on nutritional properties and environmental impact.

Then we move on to understand how they want the information to be communicated through workshops and activities.

How might we communicate to consumers the food value? How might we evolve from one’s care towards ecological & social values?

Understanding also when they would like to participate in these activities and where they imagine this place in Shanghai.

In addition to the lessons on the environmental impact of food production and production costs, the participants see the kitchen as the workshops’ protagonist. Here an exchange between cultures must be proposed, where they

FIG.65: Co-Design Online

Image of the Author. Screenhot from the Co-Design Session | Ideation phase

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System Concept Design

learn how to re-cook dishes at home, and there is an exchange of recipes and advice between different cultures.

Regarding the time and place, the user propose the events to happen during the weekends and the palce could be in the city centre or in the University District (Siping Road).

the mind of the participants that the day after the co-design, one of the partecipants sent to the author a message explaining better the meaning of the name, as it can be seen in the FIG.66 , below.

, Finally, in the last activity, now that it is clear the purpose of the service and the needs to be fulfilled, the participants are asked to choose the service’s name.

Shiwu Shiwu is the final decision and it is interesting to understand the meaning of this name because even if the two words are pronounced in the same way, they have two different Chinese characters that mean food and awareness, respectively.

The sum of the two terms means “Understand the food you eat,” which can also be abbreviated by taking the first character of food and the last part of understanding. The name was so impressed in

FIG.66: Implementation - Choose the name

Screenshot of the name definition. The participant proposed the name for the project and since this moment we are going to call the service designed “SHIWU”

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5.2.3.Insight Elaboration To best implement the service, the author integrated the service offering map with the ideas developed in the ideation map, the feedback from the evaluation, and the implementation suggestions.

FIG.67: Insight Elaboration

*Ideation

*Evaluation

*Implementation

From the co-design, it turned out that the concept presented some criticism: - There must be behind the “simple delivery of cooked plant-based food,” a robust educational component. Users need a guide to understand the impact of their choices and the sustainable alternative on the market. Consumer education is, therefore, more important than consumption itself. “Educate consumers to wait for a little and emphasize the experience rather than the speed” is what our users tell us.

The ghost kitchen model presents some issues because users wish to eat in the place or at least pick up there the food. Therefore, we can think about creating some ghost kitchens around the cities and expanding our consumers with a more effective logistic, just once the brand is well known. Regarding the ghost kitchen, we decided that the first place to open should be open to the public, and the customer can eat or pick up food there. This also becomes a place for the community to participate in events and workshops on the weekend about Healthy and Sustainable consumption, to understand the value of food and what is a” quality food” and “quality chain.”

Another essential point of the workshops is the kitchen and the community. The fundamental constant of each workshop is the kitchen. The participants will cook plant-based recipes from all over the world with chefs using the farm ingredients. The workshop will then end always in the same way, as in a ritual, we sit around the table and talk while eating, exchanging cultures and knowledge.

Regarding the “Farmer Market,” Users recognize the importance of communication with the producer. However, according to them, there is no need for a real market that is often seen as dirty and unhygienic. A live chat can be used to contact the producer and ask questions, while producers can present their products at events and workshops.

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Get to know about local food Experience “Enough” Information

Awareness

Communication

Trasparence Info about the producer Story and culture of the farm Info about time and resources to produce it and provenance

*Chinese

Give the user weekly receipts ho help him planning what to buy for the entire week

Buy the ingredients + Get info about the farm and catalogue of products Informative platform with info about health benefits and enviromental impact of food production

*Expats

image realized by the Author re-elaborating the co-design Insights on the concepts “zero”

System Concept Design

Communcation

Something new to try Dishes from all over the world

Constant communication between producer and consumer

Something I can eat with the hands Taste always first

Buy Cooked (Plant-based) food

DIGITAL

Events/Initiatives Calendar + Booking System

Make it hygienic & clean

Farmer Market (Showcase of products)

PHYSICAL

Ghost Kitchen with Chef cooking farm’s ingredients

Workshops to promote food education Education

Communication

City center or university district

Live chat to directly ask questions to the producer

Weekends

Experience

Community

Experience “Tasty” Do not say it’s vegan, just make it delicious Replace meat but keep the original taste

Show cooking process Make this place a pick up point

Add the possibility Experience to eat there, “Slow” maybe outside for a Educate reconconsumer to nection with wait a nature little Emphatize on the experience rather than the speed

Table for the community, afer the workshop we sit around the table eating and talking together

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5.3 Final Concept

Based on the information collected during the co-design, the concept takes on a new form.

The project consists mainly of three parts: 1- A space: this is both a restaurant where the chefs cook plant-based food, taking inspiration from worldwide cuisine, and using just sustainably sourced products; and a social space dedicated to nurturing conversation about sustainability while creating a multicultural community.

The food comes from small trusted farms/ producers who follow a sustainable way of production. It is provided to our system at a reasonable price because we also take the food defined “ugly,” which is difficult for the farms to sell at families and markets, and then it is cooked by our chefs.

Regarding the possibility of buying the raw products, in the end, we decided that we do not position ourselves as intermediaries between consumer and producer. However, we will showcase our trusted farms’ partner on our platform, and the costumers can contact them to purchase directly according to their requirements/policies. The relationship between producer and consumer is also promoted during some of the place’s events and with direct visits at the farms. During these events, farmers present their product, and the chefs explain how creatively use them in the kitchen.

Finally, concerning the convivial space and goal of creating a community where sustainability becomes a collaborative practice, we decided to have besides the cooking workshops, other events not strictly related to food that allow a discussion of the community on environmental issues. The only rule is to keep food in every event/workshop because we firmly believe that good food is the key to re-establish a balance between people, agriculture, and the planet.

2- 142

A digital platform: The physical space

is joined by an “official account” on WeChat and a website that allows people to order food and, at the same time, understand the impact of their choices with an information section explaining the project’s mission. The WeChat official account and website will have the same functionalities. However, we decided to build also a website mainly for expats, which sometimes are not so practical to use WeChat, but both the touchpoints are in both English and Chinese.

The education takes place not only on the platform but mainly on-site. However, these channels are used to inform users about events and workshops organized weekly and let them book and pay to participate.

Regarding food, users like the idea of cooking dishes from all over the world with local ingredients but would like to integrate the service with a part where you can read recipes when you want to cook at home. A section with recipes and advice of the chefs on seasonal products is then added to the website. In this part, we want to give voice again to the community of expats and Chinese. Therefore, we inserted a section where users from different nationalities can suggest an interactive map, a plant-based recipe typical of his/her countries cookable with local ingredients.

3- Ghost kitchens: In the second stage of the project, once people know our brand and mission, it is essential to establish more ghost kitchens around the city, to provide better quality food to a wide audience. This means places that are closed to the public, but they allow to take more products from the farmers and, at the same time, serve a larger part of consumers with a more convenient logistics.

This phase will focus more on delivering a healthy ready meal, without the project’s educational and community component. Therefore, we will place in areas dense of offices, where users look for a healthy and fast lunch.

System Concept Design

FIG.68: Final Concept

Small-Farms following a sustainable agriculture

Raw food and “ugly� food

Money

Kitchen cooking plant -based meals

Restaurant & Community space

Cooked Food

s ning Lear

Ghost Kitchen

Delivery Partner

Digital Platform

Raw Food Cooked food Multicultural Community

Money Learnings

Picture of the Author. The map shows the different stakeholders involved in the concept and the touchpoints ( Physical spaces and digital touchpoints), explaining the relationship between the parts.

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144

System Design Designing the system is the last part of our process. In this chapter, we define the final concept, its values and offerings.

The system will be described analyzing each part of the offer and its actors, showing how the system works. Hence, the interaction between final user and our services will be explained, describing in details the responsabilities of each stakeholders involved and the functions of the different touchpoints.

In the last part of the chapter a business model is studied and the touchpoint are prototyped and tested with the real final users.

In particular in this chapter with different models:

6.1.

System Definition: Value, mission, vision

6.2.

Offering & System Map

6.3.

Stakeholder Map – Motivation matrix

6.4. Touchpoints 6.5. Competitors 6.6.

Business Model

6.7. Prototyping

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6.1 System Definition

System Definition: Objectives and mission Shiwu 食悟 is a commitment to a more sustainable food system.

It is a system that is composed of several parts.

The name explains its function well and means “Be aware of the food that you eat.”

The word shiwu is composed by the sum of two words pronounced in the same way but written in two different Chinese characters: SHIWU, written in this way 食物 means food, while SHIWU with these other characters 识 悟 means awareness; the sum of one of the characters of food and awareness encapsulates our project’s mission under the name SHIWU. The food and awareness components are offered through different service offerings.

Shiwu is a farm to table restaurant offering sustainable healthy food cooked by chefs, and a learning and social space to foster awareness about the sustainable food system.

Shiwu is gastronomy and community.

Shiwu is a place where chefs cook tasty plantbased meals, using locally sourced seasonal products, inspired by worldwide cuisine.

Shiwu is a space of sociality and knowledge where workshops and events to nurture conversation about sustainability and create a place where sustainability becomes a common creative practice and inspire about a more conscious way of eating.

Shiwu is sharing, where different cultures come together to share their plant-based recipes and stories to build a better future.

The mission is to foster a sustainable production and consumption of food by turning a space 146

into a learning-social space and meeting point between organic farms and urban consumers.

The connection between farmers and urban consumers happens thanks to the chefs’ creativity who play the role of “taste educators,” demonstrating that a plant-based diet is a healthy, sustainable, and tasty alternative. The education is then nurtured by stimulating the creation of a multicultural community that shares recipes, stories, and moments in this space.

During the week, space will mainly play the role of a restaurant and pick up point, but the final consumers become the true users of the space during the weekend.

The restaurant will make room for workshops and events that will transmit good food culture through the union of different culinary cultures.

These will also be moments to get to know the producers and participate in initiatives with a sustainability theme.

Although the events are only scheduled for the weekend, the community remains active seven days a week through the digital platform. At this touchpoint, it is possible not only to order food and make reservations for the various events but also to consult the recipes recommended by the chefs with seasonal ingredients and the community’s recipes. In this section, all community members can enter a plant-based recipe from their country of origin, which can be cooked with local ingredients, on an interactive map, to unite cultures through quality food for a better planet and future.

This part of the service meets the objectives we set for the “consumption” section of the supply chain. Now we will see how this system also allows us to respond to the goals identified in production, distribution, and waste.

As far as production is concerned, the project meets the design objectives, taking raw materials

System Design

FIG.69: Design Objectives and Values

Waste

Consumption

Distribution

Production

Objectives Support Small-Scale farms in rural ares following a sustainable agriculture ( Seasonal, no pesticides, fertilizers, hormones) Re-build the lost trust in the local food supply chain ensuring safe food and transparency of info

Mitigate logistic cost for farmers Shortening food Suppply Chain Diversification of the distribution system Reduce consumption of animal based products & imported luxury food Provide a healthy and sustainable diet Let costumers regain consciusness of what he eats Create a community where sustainability is a collective practice

Food Education on food value and quality food

Solutions Food Supply from small-scale farms following a sustainable agriculture.

Producers are showcased on the online platform and the consumer and producer have the opportunity to get to know each other and establish a relationship of trust at events in our “Shiwu� space or visits to farms.

Farmers provide a large amount of food to our restaurant and they do not have to care about the last mile delivery to the direct users. A third part (Meituan, Ele.me, Sherpas) will delivered cooked food for us.

We deliver food through delivering platform and directly at our restaurant.

Our chefs will cook just plant-based meals, with inspirations coming from worldwide cusine and local seasonal ingredients.

Food Education through workshop and events will help people regain consciusness of what he eat, the value of food and the impacts of their choices.

Workshop, events and the recipe-sharing on the digital platform will help building a community where sustainability is a collective practice.

This table shows us how the solution designed will meet the project objectives

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only from small-scale farms following sustainable agriculture. Our digital platform also helps producers re-establish a relationship of trust between producer and consumer, showing our partner farms’ history and giving the consumer the possibility to buy products directly from the farms or visit them, putting the two actors in communication. Another fundamental need of the small producers was to sell a substantial part of the products and assure them the profit to plan the production.

Shiwu responded to this need by opening a series of ghost kitchens, under our brand name, which only deals with the delivery of ready-toeat food.

The ghost kitchens are a strategy that allows us to start with a not too high investment as they can be located in non-central areas, with lower rents and all the used area is used 100%.

Therefore, they are also a solution that helps us have more effective logistics, serving a larger slice of the market. One of the objectives of “distribution” was to diversify the distribution system, and having an O2O system allows us to do so, with both a physical and digital component.

Last but not least, we pose as objective the reduction of waste: this need is met not only by the educational component of our service but also by the raw materials we use.

Shiwu collaborates with the Zerofoodwaste project of the Rainbow of Hope project, acquiring surplus products from farms and fruit and vegetables considered ugly at an affordable price. This collaboration is a win-win relationship between producer and chefs as the farms’ products should be unsold because they cannot be sold to families and markets. In exchange, the chefs get organic quality products at low prices, which allows them to be competitive on the market.

Users of the Service Starting from our first stakeholder map, the author developed the final and more detailed version of the actors map, organizing it in core target group, secondary actors and tertiary actors.

The primary target is the one is composed by 148

young chinese students and expats.

These customer segments’ primary needs have already been explained earlier, but we have summarised them again in the table opposite.

These are for young Chinese students: -need to know about the impact of diet on health and the environment -need to rediscover that a plant-based diet can be just as valuable as an animal-based diet -Need to experiment with new food and new kitchens, without compromising the healthy and sustainable side Similar are the needs of the expat target.

However, with a greater need for the social component, this needs to eat healthy and healthy and enter a community accumulated by specific values. Moreover, for this target, there is also a need for a more significant showcase of local products and producers. They are often inaccessible to an audience that does not speak the Chinese language.

Instead, the secondary target is a broader target that we will call “office workers” and includes the previously called “new COVID user.”

To better figure out who this user is, we use the data that Daxue Consulting reported on the primary user of food delivery in China and, therefore, a “white collar” with age ranging from 25 to 39 years.

Those users are looking for safe and healthy food without compromising comfort.Therefore, this will be the main target of ghost kitchens because they are less interested in the educational and social component. However, they have a strong interest in healthy eating, from trusted sources, and can receive it in full comfort at home on the couch or in the office.

System Design

FIG.70: Benefits of the main actors involved

Users

Problems

FOOD SUPPLIERS

Finding new costumers Small farms following a sustainable way of production (valid also without organic certification)

Have a constant request of food (also “ugly food”) and a stable entry (to plan production) Communicate the value of “quality food” to costumers lack of knowledge about healthy/ sustainable impact of food

FINAL CUNSUMER

PRIMARY TARGET - Young Chinese Students (20-25 y.o) - Expats (20-30 y.o)

Curious of trying new cusine, eats western & imported food that is unhealthy/unsustainable Need a trusted source in the local food system

SECONDARY TARGET

Need to socialize while eating a healthy diet

- Office workers looking for an healthy meal

Need a convenient Healthy and varied meal

Solutions Our Plaform showcase our trusted producer partners we take a large amount of food (no matter of its “beauty”) from the farms and guarantee them a fixed income of money Food Education in with events and workshop in situ + facilitate farm visit setup Informative Platform A multicultural community sharing recipes and doing activities together Restaurant and pick-up point, to eat and take take-away food Plant-based food cooked by chefs with sourced ingredient, inspired by worldwide cusine Delivery service of healthy-plant based chef-made meals

In this table we highlight the users need and we connect them with the offer of our service

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6.2 Offering

Shiwu offers target two different actors: Small farmers following sustainable agriculture and final consumers willing to eat a healthier diet without compromising the taste and the relational aspect of food.

-Communication of food value and quality chain to the final customer -Potential new costumers The final customer of our service receive instead from our service mainly two things: “Great food” and “knowledge.”

These two main things are offered through different services that we will now explain and see on the “offering map” on the next page.

The farmers are the actor who makes the supply of our service possible, and we offer them: - Large product supplies and fixed cash-in - visibility on our page

FIG.71: Name and Main component of the project

Food (Shiwu)

+

食物

Awareness (Shiwu)

识悟 Shiwu 食悟

Food

Awareness

Tasty Plant-based meals cooked with love by our chefs taking inspiration by worldwide cusine and using just locally sourced seasonal products.

A Social-Learning Space fostering sustainable consumption through workshop and event. A place to re-connect with people, food and planet.

+

This figure explain the reason of the name and the main components of the service. SHIWU 食悟 means “Be aware of the food that you eat’ and well summarize the mission of our project.

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System Design

For “Great Food,” we mean tasty plant-based meals cooked with love by our chefs, inspired by worldwide cuisine, cooked with locally sourced seasonal products from trusted “beyond organic” farms. This offer reaches the consumer employing three different ways: A space where it is possible to eat and pick up the order or utilizing delivery (which relies on the kitchen of varying ghost kitchen to cover a larger area).

The user can order the food directly from our WeChat official program or website for the pick-up functionalities. At the same time, if the user wants the delivery, he can do it now on the delivery partner platforms (Ele.me, Meituan, Sherpa’s).

Besides, to re-establish a relationship of trust between producers and consumers, our trusted suppliers are displayed on our digital platform, with their history and offer. Consumers have the opportunity to contact them and compare products directly with them according to their policies. To re-establish this relationship between the two users, events will also be organized in our gathering space with producers and visits to farms.

The “Knowledge” component of our service is instead offered through different offers that can be summarized in three ways in which we want to convey the educational part: -Learn by others -Learn by sharing -Learn by doing

Learn by sharing At the heart of our project is the idea that a more sustainable system is based on people and cultures’ union for a better planet and future.

Therefore, we believe that there is a need to create a multicultural community, where members can share on our digital platform a plant-based recipe from their country, which can be cooked with local ingredients. Sharing recipes is a way to share stories and cultures, united by a common cause.

Learn by doing During the weekend, our public space is transformed: cooking workshops are held in the kitchen with chefs where users learn how to cook recipes from the world with local ingredients in a healthy way for their health and good for the environment.

The workshops are not only about how to cook in the strict sense of the word, but there are also workshops on preservation methods because, as the sociologist Sineri writes, preservation is “pure anxiety.” But it is also hope, and a bet on the future: “who would ever make jams again if they did not have the hope of living at least the time to eat them? Here you learn by hand the value of food, how to respect it in the kitchen, and how not to waste it and preserve it over time.

We will now explain each of the components individually, even if there is not such a clear division in the teachings.

Learn by others This section includes events where the main focus is environmental and is addressed with participating guests, such as farmers or other organizations promoting more sustainable consumption, followed by a moment of discussion with the community. Regarding the farmers’ meeting, this is done both in our place and with events organized at the farms of the partner producers.

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FIG.72: Offering Map

Large orders and fix entries

Farmers needs

Food

Ghost Kitchens

Created by mikicon from the Noun Project

Plant-Based Meals Restaurant Pick-up Deliver

S h i w u

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Digital Platform Trusted producer showcased on the platform Order Food for pick-up on the platform Created by Landan Lloyd from the Noun Project

Cashless Payment

Consumers needs 152

Safe & Healty food

“Convinient” with lifestyle

System Design

Communicate food value & quality chain

Knowledge

Find new customers

Visit the farms Created by Made from the Noun Project

Social/Learning Space

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Created by shashank singh from the Noun Project

Events Meet producer at the farm or discuss with cummunity about sustainability Wrelated topic Workshops Cooking Class & workshop in the kitchen

食 悟

Digital Platform Informative Platform Created by Landan Lloyd from the Noun Project

Learn by Sharing

Knowledge about healthy and sustainable diet

Community sharing recipes - “Sustainability as a collective practice”

Learn by Doing

Learn by Meeting

Meet & Learn while consuming a tasty meal good for you and the planet 153

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FIG.73: System Map

SHIWU Properties

System Map he physical and digital component of SHIWU are highlighted in gray. This map on the right shows which kind of interactions take place between the parties.

Small-Farms following a sustainable agriculture

Main partners are, in fact, the farms that provide us with the raw materials with which to cook and, in return, they have a finalcial flow and a return of image on our platform.

Another partner we see in this chart is the event guests. Our service collaborates with external organizations in Shanghai that already carry out activities to promote more sustainable consumption. Therefore, there will be a financial flow from us to the guests, which turns into a learning flow to the customers.

Other external partners contributing to consumer education are the farms during events at our space or visits to the farms, as we can see in the map.

Finally, we see that education has a direct line with our space because the chefs will take care of cooking classes and workshops in the kitchen on the one hand. On the other hand, they will give the community suggestions through the platform with advice on recipes and seasonal foods. There will not only be advice from the chefs on the platform, but the community will feed it with recipes and stories from different cultures, accumulated from a unique mission.

The last partner we see is delivery, which is entrusted to a third party to lighten costs in the service’s initial phase. In this way, we don’t have to deal with last-mile deliveries, and we have an appear in the most used apps for food delivery.

The delivery will interact both with our public space and with the ghost kitchens.

Ghost Kitchen

Raw Food Cooked food

The Map shows the relationship between the different stakeholders involved in the system

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Kitchen cooking plant -based meals

Delivery Partner

Restaurant & Community space

Guest organizations for events/ workshops

Digital Platform

Final consumer Multicultural Community

Financial Flow Learnings flow

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6.3 Partnership & Stakeholders

To deliver its service, SHIWU benefits from the collaboration of different partners.

We list in the following paragraphs what are important collaborations for the realization of our service and what could be future collaborations.

Food Supply Shiwu works with a network of small local farms

and some farms in rural areas.

A vital partner for the project is the network of Rainbow of Hope producers that we interviewed in chapter Four.

Working with Rainbow of Hope’s “Zero Food Waste” project allows us to obtain the surplus organic farming farms at an affordable price, and in the same way, also products that are considered “ugly” and unsaleable by society (households and markets).

FIG.74: Partnerhip for the distribution

ELE.ME Popular Food Delivery System in China

MEITUANDIANPING Review and Delivery Platform in China

SHERPA’S Food Delivery Service popular for foreign target (only service in both english and mandarin)

The first two are the most used delivery platform in China, the thrird one is used mainly by expat because is the only one that is both in english and mandarin.

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Distribution

Education

For the delivery component of our service, we have decided to start in a leaner way and rely on third parties for logistics.

We, therefore, collaborate with three platforms:

For the workshops, our chefs take care of the cooking classes. However, we work with some organizations that already have Shanghai activities to promote sustainable behavior for different events.

Some of our most popular partners are:

-Ele.me: Popular Delivery platform in China -Meituan/Dianping: Chinese shopping platform was born in 2015 from the merger of Meituan and Dianping. Meituan offers different services, among which the leading food delivery service in China. Dianping is a service similar to Tripadvisor, top-rated for restaurant’s review in China.

-Sherpa’s: Food Delivery Service operating in Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou. It has been chosen because it has a target mainly composed of foreigners since they offer their service in English and Mandarin language since 1999.

-GreenInitiatives Shangai: Organization that deals with environmental awareness, education, and impact through different initiatives. Their missions s to minimize the environmental degradation in China brought by economic growth and ensure that a better standard of living does not compromise the environment.

-ZeroWaste: Organization that believes in the power of communities for a better planet and that we all individually have the means to contribute to our environment and a better future. They organize events and partnerships to

FIG.75: Partnership for events/workshops

GREEN INITIATIVES

ZEROWASTE

Organization well known in Shanghai for initiatives dealing with environmental awareness, education and impact.

Organization focusing on promoting pro-environmental behaviour

FARMERS Visit to our producers’ farm to promote food education

In the image some of the stakeholders that we have in mind for future partnership in shanghai. We chose thes stakeholders because they already do activity with user to foster sustainable consumption in Shanghai.

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drive pro-environmental behavior and could be a collaboration to be considered in the future.

-Visit to the farms We also cooperate with some of the producers and help them to organize some visits to the farm. The interviews carried out show that visits to farms are very popular in China and necessary to establish a relationship of trust between producer and consumer. Nevertheless, some of them are not well organized to receive a foreign audience and do not have an registration form for the visit in English.

Motivation Matrix In the figure in the next page, a tool called “Motivation Matrix” lists the various actors’ motivations to join our system and what benefits they derive from it and those they bring.

For convenience, we enclose the stakeholders responsible for distribution in a category called “delivery partners.” While the partners accountable for the educative part of the service are called educational partners.

FIG.76: Motivation Matrix

SMALL SCALE BEYOND ORGANIC FARMS

GIVES TO

SMALL SCALE BEYOND ORGANIC FARMS

ORGANIZATIONS GUEST FOR WORKSHOPS

- Great product produced in a sustainable way at a convenient price - We take mainly surplus and “Ugly” products from the farm to reduce waste and be competitive on the market Teaching costumers about value of quality food and quality chain.

Together with cooking class, they can bring more customers to farms.

/

DELIVERY PARTNERS

SHIWU RESTAURANT AND CONVIVIAL PLACE

- Large order with sure profit and possibility to better organize the production - Visibility -Enlarge consumer network

FINAL CUSTOMERS Young chinese students and expats

- Enlarge consumer networks

The matrix shows what benefits actors bring to the service and what they get out of it

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ORGANIZATIONS GUEST FOR WORKSHOPS

- products for the workshops

DELIVERY PARTNERS

/

SHIWU RESTAURANT AND CONVIVIAL PLACE

FINAL CUSTOMERS Young chinese students and expats

- Products produced in a sustainable way at a convenient price because “ugly� (like zerofoodwaste project of Fred Yang)

- possibility to buy ingredient directly from the source - Educational tour in the farms

-Knowledge and experience about changing consumer behaviors toward more sustainable lifestyle and food consumption in particular

/

They are responsable for some events with the community

Food Education and skills to improve their consumption habits.

/

- They take care of the last-mile delivery to the final customer

- Take care of the last-mile deliver to final costumers

- Deliver food directly to the consumer

-Give us visibility on their platform

-Possibility to read and leave reviews on their platform

-They give us visibility in their platform ( in the e-commerce section)

- A space to do workshops

- More customers

-Support small-scale farming in a sustainable way

- A community passionate about food and environmental issues

- A percentage on the orders

- Provide healty and sustainable food - Promote awareness about the contribution food choices have on health/ environmentt

- Money from participants at the event (with fee)

- Participation -Subscription fee

- Percentage on the purchase

- A multicultural network standing behind our mission -Money (For plant-based meals and workshops) - A collection of plant-based recipes, coming from worldwide

Healthy and sustainabel food A space to flourish a multicultural community Knowledge about sustainable consumption

Customer base Partecipation to a multicultural community Partecipation to workshops and events

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6.4 Touchpoints

FIG.77: Touchpoint Map and Interaction with actors and users of the service

In this section, the main touchpoints of the service will be explained in order to understand in detail how the main actors involved in the system interact with the offered services.

These touchpoints physically or digitally represent the contact that the actors of the system have while coming across the Shiwu’s offering while using and interacting with the system.

WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT

Digital

Created by Landan Lloyd from the Noun Project

SHIWU - Wechat Official Account WeChat Official Account is used for many features. For those who do not know Wechat, it is the most popular application in China and is used for multiple functions ranging from information, chats, share posts, pay, and so forth.

In the next section, we will explain in detail the features offered by our Official Account.

SHIWU - Website A website has also been created because this touchpoint is often more friendly for an expat audience. The functionalities are the same apart from a particular functionality on the website.

As we will see later, there is only one different feature on the website that allows you to see an interactive map with community members from all over the world and their recommended recipes.

Created by Alexandr Dyatlov from the Noun Project

DELIVERING PATNER E-COMMERCE

SHIWU - Space Our service has an essential physical component that performs three main functions: restaurant, pick up point, and learning space.

In the expansion phase we plan to open two more ghost kitchens in high-density office areas, but these areas are not open to end-costumers.

Only our chefs and delivery service come into contact with the ghost kitchens.

SHIWU WEBSITE

The primary touchpoints are:

Created by Landan Lloyd from the Noun Project

FINAL CUSTOMERS Young Chinese Student (20-25) Expats (20-30) Office Workers In the diagram above we can see the touchpoints of the service and how users interact with them

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Physical

Weekend

KITCHEN

Week Days

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Created by shashank singh from the Noun Project

RESTAURANT/ LEARNING SPACE

Created by mikicon from the Noun Project

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Created by shashank singh from the Noun Project

Created by Made from the Noun Project

GHOST KITCHEN

N. OF USERS

Large

Created by mikicon from the Noun Project

Medium Small

“OUR” ACTORS SHIWU Chefs

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERS Farmers Delivering service Organizations partner for workshops

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FIG.78: Touchpoint- Physical Space

Screenshot from the Co-Design

6.5.1 SHIWU - Space Our service has an essential physical component that performs three main functions: restaurant, pick up point and learning space.

SHIWU Restaurant & Community Space During the co-design, it was decided to place this space in the siping district, a traditional Chinese neighborhood that combines tradition and university district.

The area is frequented by many Chinese and expats students, given the Tongji University college’s presence, and it is believed to be a strategic area to open our point open to the public.

SHIWU Ghost Kitchens -Changshou District : It’s a subdistrict on the southern side of Putuo District, Shanghai. is considered a strategic area as it hosts a high concentration of offices with foreign and Chinese users. This is also a district that is not exactly central but chosen to live in by many young foreigners because it is located in a strategic position for evening life, with convenient rents. The other ghost kicthen is located in an area where workers are the only protagonists.

-Caohejing Area: In the southwest of Shanghai is an economic and technological development zone and a high-tech industrial zone. In the coverage area of 14.28 square kilometers, the Caohejing park is home to 3,600 national and international companies, including 500 with foreign investment and 126 high-tech enterprises set up by Fortune Global 500 multinationals (Source IASP).

SHIWU GHOST KITCHEN

SHIWU RESTAURANT/ “COMMUNITY SPACE”

Changshou & Caohejing District.

Two area with high concentration of offices.

Siping district, Tongji University District. Area frequented by many Chinese and foreign students

Configuration of the physical spaces and where we collocate them on the map of Shanghai

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Physical

Weekend

KITCHEN

Week Days

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Created by shashank singh from the Noun Project

RESTAURANT/ LEARNING SPACE

Created by mikicon from the Noun Project

Created by Made from the Noun Project

Created by shashank singh from the Noun Project

Created by Made from the Noun Project

GHOST KITCHEN

N. OF USERS

Large

Created by mikicon from the Noun Project

Medium Small

FINAL CUSTOMERS Young Chinese Student Expats (20-30) Office Workers

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERS Farmers Delivering service Partner for workshops

OUR HUMAN CAPITAL Chefs

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FIG.79: Mockup - WeChat Official Account

6.5.2 SHIWU - Wechat Official Account The digital component of our service has four main sections that we can see on the Homepage: 1- Blog: The latest news and upcoming events are described in the central part of the homepage 2- About: This section encompasses our mission and values and how the service works.

The user can then choose to order food on this platform and come to us, eat directly at the restaurant, or order from a delivery partner platform and receive it wherever it is located.

3- Shiwu Food: Section where quality food is the protagonist. In this part, there are our menu, our farmers/producers, and our recipes.

According to the season and availability of raw materials, the menu is continuously updated by our chefs and always presented online.

Our trusted producers are told in another section; here, you can find their contact if you are interested in buying some products.

Our recipes section collects contributions from both chefs and members of the community.

Shiwu’s chefs recommend recipes to make the most of the season’s products with inspirations from the world.

Members of the community can suggest plantbased recipes (doable with local ingredients) from their country to build an interactive map full of knowledge and cultures of people joining together for good food and a better future.

4- Shiwu Knowledge: In this part, the users can find workshops and events scheduled in the next months and book their participation. In case the event is on payment, it is also possible to pay through our platform.

Screenshot f Image Credit: Author

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FIG.80: Homepage and About : Mission, How it works and Order

OUR MISSION & VALUES In this section we explain the mission of the project and explain the benefits of a plant-based diet.

To explain the advantages we follow the same logic decided during the co-design with the final user: we start from the benefits of the individual and then we understand the importance for the ecological and social sphere.

HOMEPAGE ABOUT MENU In the main part of the homepage you will find the latest news from the blog. while in the pate below there are three clickable menus: about, food and knowledge

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System Design

ORDER ONLINE TO COLLECT IN STORE Order what you want to eat and decide at what time you want to pick it up.

CONSUME OR PICK UP AT THE RESTAURANT Here you can check the address of the restaurant and the closest tube.

HOW IT WORKS Here the three ways to eat SHIWU food are explained: 1-book it on this platform and pick it up at the club, 2- Eat directly at the restaurant or take it away, 3- Order it on one of the delivery partner platforms (Ele.me, meituan, sherpas)

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Chapter VI FIG.81: Food Section: Seasonal Menu, Farmers and Recipes WHY SHIWU SUPPORT SMALL FARMS

HOMEPAGE “FOOD” MENU

We support small farmers that decide to produce in a sustainable way for the future of real nutritious food and the communities that relies on these farms

OUR FARMER CONTACT THE FARMERS You can find here more info about our trusted producer and contact them directly to buy “raw” food. Then you can decide to recive the products at home or pick it up at our place.

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OUR RECIPES CHEF SUGGESTIONS

The Chefs suggest to you some recipes that you can do at home with the seasonal products

COMMUNITY RECIPES SUGGEST A RECIPE

Here you can share with the community a recipes plant-based from your country that you can cook with local seasonal ingredients

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FIG.82: Knowledge Section: Events, Workshops, Calendar

SHIWU “KNOWLEDGE” MENU

CALENDAR You can check the calendar for events and workshops at SHIWU every month and trips to the farms. then you can directly reserve a place from the app and pay, if needed.

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EVENTS Events are moments for the community where people meet and learn new things. The “meet� event are moment of sharing: You can share a recipe or story with the commnity or listen to a local producer explaining his way of production and the quality of his products. The focus of the events is sustainability, but not all events revolve around the topic of food: there are also evenings where you watch a film and discuss.

BOOK & PAY

WORKSHOPS The workshops are all held in the kitchen. There are both cooking classes with the chefs and moments when a member of the community shares a recipe. In addition to cooking classes there are also workshops with other organizations, around the theme of food, such as a workshop on fermentation.

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6.5.3 SHIWU - Website

To accomplish this scope SHIWU:

In addition to the WeChat Official Account, it was also considered essential to develop a web version. The main reason for this decision is that very often, Expats, are not very practical about the additional features of Wechat.

- Seject intensive agriculture and monocultures in the production phase and supporting small producers who carry out a sustainable method.

The site hosts the same features as the official WeChat account and has only one difference in the section where the user can add a recipe from his country.

In this part, the user can explore the recipes recommended by the community members on the map and decide to leave a recipe himself.

The rule is always the same: share a plant-based recipe from your country that you can cook here, with the ingredients you find in Shanghai.

This map allows to have the community members united in a map and users can experiment with always new recipes, discovering the various culinary cultures worldwide.

The slogan we find on the homepage to address the collaborative map states, “There is monoculture without diversity.” Erasing the letter MO at the beginning of monoculture becomes “There is no culture without diversity.”

This slogan underpins our concept, as SHIWU sees a more sustainable future in the union between farmers, people, cultueres, food and planet.

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- Create a multicultural community where sustainability becomes a collaborative practice.

Re-connecting people through great food foster a more conscious behavior and a more sustainable food consumption.

System Design

FIG.83: Website Mockup- Collaborative Map

Tin the images above we can see how the designer imagines the collaborative map with recipes from the world of community members, on the “SHIWU Website�

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Chapter VI FIG.84: Some Screen from the Website Recipes from the community

EXPLORE RECIPES FROM JAPAN You can see the suggestion of the community about Plant-Based Recipes from their home-country. Check the Azusa’s Suggestion!

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EXPLORE THE MAP Explore the recipes recommended by the multicultural community of SHIWU and contribute to the map with a recipe from your country.

ADD A RECIPE It’s your turn! Send a “postcard” to SHIWU Community, sharing a recipe from your Home-Country

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6.5 Business Model It is important t anderstand SHIWU Business model in order to better highligh its value.

A business model canvas (FIG.85) has been developed to reflect and consolidate business idea.

Moreover is important to understand which one are the activity required to make the “SHIWU System” running. Qui andremo a definire una semplice roadmap che ci spiega meglio di che cosa abbiamo bisogno.

KEY PARTNERS

KEY ACTIVITIES

Network of sustainable small-scale farms/ producers

Set up partnership

Organization partners for workshop

Digital Platform

Adv and delivery partners

Design the brand / communication

Establish the first restaurant/gathering space Set up the ghost kicthens

KEY RESOURCES

6.5.1 RoadMap

Human capital,

First of all, building the partnership and commercial relationship is of first importance.

In particular, we refer to the partnership with our food suppliers - Small farms with sustainable production. The collaboration with the delivery partners will be done in the following stage, after the restaurant’s setting up.

property experties (team of chefs)

As the second step of our roadmap, we need to create a strong brand image and an attractive communication language addressing a young target. To support our brand’s communication, we will open our Wechat official account and website (initially without the market).

Then, we will open our first restaurant/gathering space, adding at the same time the possibility to pay on our platform and book for events/ activities.

We will also build some partnerships with partner organizations for activities and workshops to foster sustainable consumption during this stage.

Finally, due to the expected rise of demand, we will set up the ghost kitchens to enlarge customer segments and producers’ network.

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FIG.85: Business Model Canvas

1 physical space (more ghost kitchen in second phase) network of supplier and partnership for workshop

COST STRUCTURE

- Pay suppliers (producers/farms) -Pay rent of the place -Pay delivery service -Pay partners for workshops/events

System Design

UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

CUSTOMER SEGMENTS

Healthy and sustainable meals cooked by chefs with local ingredients, inspired by the world culinary culture.

provide chef-made healthy food in multiple situation (restaurant or delivered) and food education (online/offline)

Young chinese students (20-25)

A community space fostering sustainable diet through workshop and activities.

Expats (20-30) Office workers (25-39)

CHANNELS

Wechat official account Website Physical space, Diamping & meituan (adv and delivery) + sherpas (delivery “for expat”)

REVENUE STREAM

- Revenues from food delivery ordering -Revenues from consumers at the restaurant -Revenues for workshops and cooking classes

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6.6 Prototype

FIG.86: Prototype the Wechat Official Account

After having developed and visualized the concept, the Author decided to plan a prototyping session to test the project with the final user. We decided to test the Wechat Official account with the main target: A young chinese student and an Expat student living in Shanghai. The testing session aimed at trying the usability of the digital platform to gain feedback on the entire project, with the scope of turning the comments into further improvement for the final development.

The session is structured in three main stage: - Brief recap of the project -Usability test -Final User evaluation and feedback session To supprt this process the user developed a prototype of the Wechat Official Account on “Figma� - an interface design application that runs in the browser. On this application the user can make suggestions and leave comments directly on the canvas, and the author can implemet it right there and then.

Interaction flow of the application to test it with the users

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6.6.1 Prototype with Expats The WeChat’s Official Account has been prototyped with two expats, potential endusers of the service.

From Prototype one, some visual problems have resulted: -the text is too small -in the calendar section, the colored numbers representing the dates are exchanged for the number of activities present The user was really interested in the recipes’ section and the one to participate in workshops/ events.

Regarding the “Recipe section” she suggested some improvements: -Adding the possibility to save a recipe to cook later on -Add some parameters to select when the user

should write down his recipes like “How long does it takes” and the difficulty of the recipe (low-medium-high) to classify them better in the future.

-Add some suggestion for the list of ingredients to use that may appear when the user list out the ingredients because they can forget some components or simply forget the English name.

Regarding the events, the user’s feedback was very positive, but she would like to see “relaxed” events like watching a documentary or similar in the evening during the week, instead of having the events all during the weekend.

The Prototype with the second user has some points in common with user 1.

In this case, the part that attracted more the user was the part of sharing recipes and workshops in the kitchen.

The user’s doubts are instead about prices

FIG.87: Prototype Official Account with final customer - Expats

Image of the Author. Screenhot of the user trying the app prototype saring the screen.

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that are considered too cheap. Therefore, it is necessary to study better if it is possible to offer these costs, according to the agreement that can be made with the producers. Suppose it is possible to maintain our price hypothesis, the user suggests publicizing that it is an international cuisine that competes with Chinese restaurants’ prices because foreign restaurants’ prices are about 2-3 times higher than typical Chinese restaurants.

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6.6.1 Prototype with Chinese student Once again, the user pointed out that some of the writing is too small and not easy to read.

Apart from these form problems, the official program was very much liked by the user who started with “What beautiful photos, I want to try this food.”

All the app features have been clearly understood, and this time the workshops and events section has been the most interesting.

About the way to order the food to pick up the food in the place, some doubts arose because the user usually uses only platforms like ele.me or meituan to order the food.

But the biggest doubt was about the ghost kitchen because the user was happy to have the producers’ information on the platform but expresses a fear about hygiene that a kitchen

closed to the public could have. The user also knows that the Ele.me model relies on ghost kitchens but she believes that a player as big as Ele.me maintains high standards of cleanliness.

Therefore, this is an important point for our thesis that had not emerged with expats users, but that it is necessary to consider and establish a relationship of trust with the consumer.

Our brand should be is associated with high standards of cleanliness and hygiene, because food safety is once again, the Chinese user’s biggest concern (Much more important that the fact that our food is good for health and the environment).

As far as the farmers’ section is concerned, the user is not interested in buying directly from suppliers. However, she likes that the farmer are presented on the platform, and she also would be interested in taking part in some trips in the countryside.

FIG.88: Prototype Official Account with final customer - Chinese Student

Image of the Author. Screenhot of the user trying the app prototype saring the screen.

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Conclusion After the service’s prototyping with the enduser, it is crucial to draw conclusions from our research.

We will then go on understanding once again how the project responds to the project’s objectives and, more specifically, to the initial “how we might we question.”

Then, based on our last prototype, we will reflect on how the concept could be implemented.

The conclusions will then be developed in this order: 7.1 Research Conclusion 7.2 Project Reflection & Implementation 7.3 Personal Conclusion

Finally, we find some personal reflections of the author about what he has learned during this year of thesis development, and more generally, in this five-year at the Politecnico.

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7.1 Research Conclusion

Going back to the initial research questions posed in the introduction, this thesis has exlored the food consumption in Megacities through a food system lens With the change in consumer behavior, the entire supply chain, and the key factors that have led to drastic changes over time have been analyzed. Research has shown that our consumption behavior is interrelated with many facets. It is not possible to think of dealing only with consumption without paying attention to the production, distribution, and waste phases.

Research has shown that the current food system is not a sustainable model. It excludes small producers and depletes environmental resources, creating a massive impact that does not care about future generations.

The designer has set as design objectives to valorize small producers who try to follow sustainable production methods.

Research has also shown that these players have problems competing in the modern market model and have expressed that food education to the consumer is fundamental to understand the value of quality food and quality chain.

Another difficulty emerging from the producers is the distribution because relying on external e-commerce considerably reduces their earnings. The CSA (community supported agriculture) business model is becoming obsolete in a world where the consumer is used to receiving everything and immediately.

Therefore, our service wants to help to solve this need by setting up a network of kitchens supplied by small producers. These “Ghost kitchens” ensure a fixed income and farmers’ possibility to plan the next production. Moreover, we offer the farmers a return of image on our platform, and doing so; the consumer can choose to buy directly from our suppliers.

In the food consumption stage, the element 186

that has the most significant impact on the environment has been identified in the increase in animal-based products. The reasons behind this dietary shift are to be found in the history of China and the value that consumers more or less consciously attribute to this element. In addition to food education on quality food, we have also set out to demonstrate to the Chinese public that a plant-based diet is not only good for human health and the environment but can also be delicious. Another target we have focused on is expats who have demonstrated a need to establish social relationships that often harm their diets’ nutritional component. This user usually has more knowledge than the young Chinese on healthy foods with less impact on the environment. The megacity’s arrival means for him a radical change of style, almost wholly stopping cooking and eating only outside. We want to help this need for socialization and integration within Chinese culture through good food that is good for his health, and events that help create a community where cultures are shared and sustainability becomes a collaborative practice.

Finally, concerning waste, we believe that we need to intervene both at the level of production by taking surplus and food considered “ugly” and not accepted by the market; and through food education. Education is fundamental to communicate to people the value of food and the madness behind the consumption of abundance, in favor of quality consumption.

Our project is a response to all the objectives of the project. However, more research on distribution and waste should be done. Although fundamental to reach a broader range of users, the delivery part is also the least sustainable part of the service.

Conclusions

7.2 Project’s reflection and implementation Concerning the proposed design solution, there are certainly some aspects that could be improved and deserve mention.

The research could undoubtedly have been more complete, but the language was a barrier to access information on Shanghai’s specific context. More information and the possibility to speak to a broader audience would certainly have allowed a better result.

The project certainly requires a more in-depth study in the section that studies its business to develop an effective cost strategy and advantageous partnerships.

One component to be investigated at a business level is logistics. A first analysis decided to entrust it to a third party. However, we should validate whether this could be, reached a certain number of clients, more convenient managed directly by us.

Finally, an issue that has not been dealt with but needs to be considered in project development is its waste produced by the meals delivering.

We are aware that the delivery’s impact should not be underestimated. The waste from onedisposal packaging for delivery and the electric motorbike battery represents a significant part of the development of a more sustainable system.

Therefore, it is essential that upcoming government campaigns and initiatives to promote sustainability projects not only focus on the individual but also ensure that specific behavior is made more accessible by an environment that makes a choice easy and convenient.

Finally, once again, I would like to say that this may not be the ideal solution to solve the problems related to human health and the impact of the diet on the environment. However, I have understood that the answer to a better world is based on people’s relationships.

Food can be a crucial element in re-establishing those lost relationships between people, agriculture, and the environment.

Therefore, feeding networks and communities that take care of the environment is the fundamental starting point for a world where man does not have an anthropocentric vision but considers the nature that surrounds him and cooperates with it.

Because reconnecting with people and the environment means not only taking care of one’s own needs but also making conscious consumer choices that also take the environment and future generations into account.

Even though it can be improved in many of its parts, this project is an inspirational project for the development of sustainable projects in China. It shows a deep understanding of the ramifications of the reasons that lead to certain consumption and the target for a breakthrough.

Initially, we talked about Ecological Civilization and government policy to influence individual behavior towards more responsible consumption. Our analysis has shown us that we are social animals and cannot abstract ourselves from our surroundings.

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7.3 Personal Conclusion

During the thesis, I had the opportunity to learn many new things and meet knowledgeable people full of stories to tell. I consider myself satisfied with the work done, despite a foreign country’s obstacles, a different language, different cultural habits, and a COVID, which led me to carry out the research mainly online.

It was certainly not easy at an early stage to understand how to turn the initial plan into a roadmap to be carried out all digitally, but in the end, it was possible thanks to many new tools that I did not know.

The interviews were carried out utilizing video calls, and I would never have bet that I could talk to Chinese farmers in English from the other side of the world.

The online survey collected super interesting data, and I compared a large number of responses (108), differentiating between Chinese and expat targets, and before-duringafter crisis behaviors.

Co-design and prototyping also took place digitally and gave good results, although I was initially not too optimistic about these methodologies.

Concerning the theme, I was very happy with the choice made once the research was finished.

I have always loved food, which has led me to become passionate about every part of the research, still hungry to discover the connections it creates between people and the planet.

I would have never thought of discovering how food is at the center of the relationships we build every day, how it is used to meet our needs and how it has an incredible impact on the world around us.

I know that this thesis ends here, but I also know that I will take many lessons from this thesis with me, for my professional and personal life.

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Chapter VIII

List of figures

198

FIG.1 Drivers, Changes and Consequences in Chinese Food System

24

FIG.2 Farm Size Comparison worldwide

27

FIG.3 Food Scandals “Evolution”

29

FIG.4 Soybeans production, consumption and import in China 1974-2011

30

FIG.5 Avocado Rush

31

FIG.6 9 Planetary Boundaries

32

FIG.7 Global greenhouse gas emission from food production

33

FIG.8 Greenhouse gas emission across the supply chain

34

FIG.9 Share of freshwater by sector (%) in 2014

35

FIG.10 Freshwater withdrawals per kilograms of food products and per 100 grams of protein

36

FIG.11 Water required for per capita food consumption in China

36

FIG.12 Total arable land required for China food consumption (ha/year)

37

FIG.13 Meat consumption vs. GDP per capita, 2017

40

FIG.14 Meat Production by animal in China

41

FIG.15 Dietary compositions by commodity group, China, 1961 to 2013

42

FIG.16 Impact of food on health and environment

43

FIG.17 Nielsen Survey on consumer habits during and after COVID

45

FIG.18 Wet Market during the first week of lockdown vs “normal situation”

46

FIG.19 Voluntaring service in a compound

47

FIG.20 “Plastic-Shop”

47

FIG.21 EAT-Lancet Diet and the interconnection between planetary & health boundaries

49

List of figures

FIG.22 Barilla Double Pyramid

50

FIG.23 Dietary patterns in 2016 and Eat-Lancet diet goal

51

FIG.24 “Planetary Plate” & Scientific Target for a planetary health diet (2500 kcal/day)

52

FIG.25 Diet Gap between current glibally dietary patterns and intakes in the “Planetary Diet”

53

FIG.26 Current Patterns vs Eat-Lancet Diet and Chinese Dietary Guideliness

54

FIG.27 Condition shaping China’s AFNs

56

FIG.28 Maslow Pyramid of needs, 1970

65

FIG.29 Express shipping crews deal with packages on an assembly line, for Single’s Day

67

FIG.30 Chinese Medicine Goods at the Market

70

FIG.31 The Best part of Hot Pot is the Experience

72

FIG.32 Design Emergency - Explores design’s role and impact on the COVID-19

75

FIG.33 Interview to Dietist Sara Pezzatini

81

FIG.34 Online Survey Mockup

82

FIG.35 Question: What is your usual plate vs plate during lookdown?

83

FIG.36 Question: When I buy fod I care about?

84

FIG.37 Question: Where do you buy food?

85

FIG.38 Question: Do you buy any imported food? Why?

85

FIG.39 Question: How have your habits changed after COVID?

86

FIG.40 Question: Time cooking and eating before the Outbreak

87

FIG.41 Question: I’d be willing to pay more for food if:

87

FIG.42 Jaqueline’s Blog

89

FIG.43 Visit at the Bio Farm - “Pumpkins”

91

FIG.44 Visit at the BioFarm - Lesson and Tour

93 199

Chapter VIII

List of figures

200

FIG.45 Screenshot from Biofarm- Wechat Official Account

95

FIG.46 Mission of the project Rainbow of Hope

97

FIG.47 Rainbow oh Hope CSA - Goals

98

FIG.48 Issue Map and definition of the Objectives

101

FIG.49 Interview Clustering “Trust”

102

FIG.50 Interview Clustering “Food safety & Food quality”

103

FIG.51 Interview Clustering “Difficulties & Prices”

105

FIG.52 Interview Clustering “Social Sphere”

106

FIG.53 Interview Clustering “Food Education”

108

FIG.54 Ghost kitchen in Shanghai

116

FIG.55 Ghost kitchen in empty mall

118

FIG.56 Target Definition - Behaviour to change

123

FIG.57 Target Definition - Food System engagement

124

FIG.58 First Ideation

126

FIG.59 Concept “Zero”

127

FIG.60 Concept “Zero” - Objectives and Offer of the service

129

FIG.61 Co-Design - Framing the problem

131

FIG.62 Co-Design - Ideation

133

FIG.63 Co-Design - Ideation Cluster

135

FIG.64 Co-Design - Evaluation

136

FIG.65 Co-Design Online

138

List of figures

FIG.66 Implementation - Choose the name

139

FIG.67 Insight Elaboration

140

FIG.68 Final Concept

143

FIG.69 Design Objective and values

147

FIG.70 Benefits of the main actors involved

149

FIG.71 Name and Main component of the project

151

FIG.72 Offering Map

152

FIG.73 System Map

154

FIG.74 Partnership for the distribution

156

FIG.75 Partnership for events/workshops

157

FIG.76 Motivation Matrix

158

FIG.77 Touchpoint Map and Interaction with actors and users of the service

160

FIG.78 Touchpoint Map - Physical Space

162

FIG.79 Question: What is your usual plate vs plate during lookdown?

164

FIG.80 Homepage and About : Mission, How it works and Order

166

FIG.81 Food Section: Seasonal Menu, Farmers and Recipes

168

FIG.82 Knowledge Section: Events, Workshops, Calendar

170

FIG.83 Website Mockup- Collaborative Map

173

FIG.84 Some Screen from the Website - Recipes from the community

175

FIG.85 Business Model Canvas

177

FIG.86 Prototype the Wechat Official Account

178

FIG.87 Prototype Official Account with final customer - Expats

180

FIG.88 Prototype Official Account with final customer - Chinese Student

182 201

202

Acknowledgments Many people, professionals, and professors, and friends helped me in writing this thesis.

First of all, I thank my Polimi & Tongji tutors, respectively, professor Stefana Broadbent and professor Zhu Xiaocun, to guide me over the course of the project with precious feedback and for believing in the project also when everything was confused in my head.

Secondly, I thank the selfless contribution of all the people who helped me during the field research.

Therefore, I thank the Chinese farmers and experts for the interviews, the co-design participants, and those who tested the final prototype of the service.

In order of contribution to the research, I would like to thank them: Fred, Jane, Sara, and Jaqueline for the interviews; Valeria, Noemi, Nadia, Liu Hui Chen, Tina, Angelo, and George for the co-design; and Ludovica, Federico, and Jane for the prototype.

These participants have dedicated time from their busy schedules, and I am grateful for their interest in knowing and contributing insightful solutions to my project.

Furthermore, I thank Federico and Giorgio.

Thanks Fede, for being a constant support during my thesis, and I am sure we will do great projects together in Lisbon.

Thanks Giorgio, my internship mentor and friend; never thanked enough for everything you taught me and for your outstanding Italian cuisine on the other side of the globe.

A special thanks go to my family to allow me to do the studies I have done and supported my decision confidently without fully understanding what I was doing. In a particular way, I thank my brother, who has always been a guide and point of reference.

Last but not least, after a long journey that began in October 2014, today I say goodbye to the Politecnico, but I couldn’t be more grateful to have studied here. Special thanks go to all the professors I met along my path who prepared me to grow professionally in the Designer I am today, and the mates & friends I shared projects and Spritz with along this journey for making this experience so fun.

203