COOKING MONSTERS RESEARCH REPORT VERONICA NEWELL
Kids are not learning the cooking skills they need in order to lead healthier lives now and into adulthood.
Kids are not getting food education in school. Elementary students receive an average of just 3.4 hours of food and nutrition education each year.
Less than 25% of high school students take cooking classes, which are often among the first programs to suffer school budget cuts.
3.4 hrs
<25% 943 hrs
And with the decline of home cooking, they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learning it at home either. 60% 40% 20% 1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004 2008
2012
2014
In 2014, less than 60% of dinners served at home were actually cooked at home. Only 30 years ago, the percentage was closer to 75%. We are in the midst of a gradual but ongoing decline in home cooking.
These factors have serious implications for our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health- and their future. NUTRIENTS
43%
FAT
2012
26%
CALORIES
1970
We are eating out more than ever before. In 1970, 26% percent of all food spending was on food away from home; by 2012, that share rose to 43% percent.
Food prepared away from home contains more calories, more fat, and less healthy nutrients than at-home food.
In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
One in three of our kids is on track to develop diabetes in their lifetime.
66%
30%
28%
OF PARENTS report that their children did not prepare any dinner for themselves in the last week, not even microwaving a frozen meal or leftovers.
OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS say they can’t even boil an egg.
OF AMERICAN ADULTS say they simply do not know how to cook.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Kids who can’t cook grow up into adults who can’t cook. ... and the downward spiral continues.
WHAT IF THERE WAS A WAY
TO BREAK THIS CYCLE?
People don’t cook because they don’t know how. But if kids start learning how to cook at a young age, they’re only going to get better and better as they grow up. Cooking is a really important skill to have. And that’s something we’re going to talk more about, the importance of teaching this country how to cook again.” -First Lady Michelle Obama
IMAGINE
what the world would be like if kids understood and enjoyed the process of cooking.
If our kids could gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to cook at home...
Then they could grow up in the habit of making their own food...
And pass that knowledge down to their own kids.
thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where my brand cooking monsters comes in.
COOKING MONSTERS is a brand of deliverable cooking kits for kids. The idea is to make cooking fun, easy, and accessible for children in order to encourage them to develop lifelong cooking skills. The brand is based on the concept of cooking subscription boxes, marketed for kids ages 7-13. THE BRAND MAY INCLUDE: PACKAGING Each convenient kit will include a recipe and the packaged, pre-measured ingredients that go along with it.
RECIPE CARDS The simple, easy to follow recipes will complement the skill levels and preferences of each age group.
MOBILE APP A mobile app will add another layer of comprehension and engagement through step-by-step videos and a cooking reference library.
MY RESEARCH TACTICS
Literature Reviews
Competitive Analysis
of articles, research studies, and organizations that discuss children’s cooking skills and the various benefits/ considerations
of similar cooking subscription box brands and their market positioning
Interviews of Nutrition/Food Industry professors as well as parents to discuss their views on my brand and their own children’s cooking experiences
Observational Research
Visual Exploration
by actually working with two children ages 9 and 10 to cook a meal together
of the imagery, colors, symbols, and packaging of similar subscription box brands and children’s food packaging
NO
Blue Apron
Hello Fresh
HomeChef
Plated
PlateJoy
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YES
M ark et ed
competitive analysis
kids in the kitchen What are the possible considerations and limitations of children cooking and being in the kitchen?
Following Recipes Oftentimes kids have trouble properly following each step of a detailed recipe, or multitasking on different parts of the recipe. What can be done to simplify this process?
Time Management Sometimes parents are reluctant to let kids help out in the kitchen because it slows the process down. And with most familiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; busy lives, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harder than ever to find time to cook. What can be done to make cooking fast and easy for kids?
Stove & Oven Safety Parents worry that the stove and oven are dangerous for their kids to use. At what ages can children properly use certain appliances?
Baking Baking is known as a safe and easy option to get kids interested in cooking- kids can create the recipe and let their parents put it in the oven. Are there any processes or methods of cooking that are easier/more enjoyable for kids than others?
Technology Usage Many kids have smartphones and tablets. Can they be helpful in the kitchen, or a hindrance? Knife Safety & Chopping Skills How concerned are parents with their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usage of knives? Is it important to allow children to develop knife skills at a certain age? Can pre-chopped ingredients be sent?
“My daughter finds short recipe videos on Facebook and Youtube. She watches the videos to see how the recipe is done, and she tries to write the recipe down while watching the video but can’t correctly write down all the steps.”
-Dr. Ann Afflerbach
“Kids can get scared and discouraged if they have a negative cooking experience- they burn something once and decide they’re not gonna do it anymore.”
-David Wiley, Chef Instructor
“Kids aren’t getting enough modeling from adults. In one generation, that type of native knowledge that is in people has disappeared. I grew up seeing my mother and grandmother preserve foods, but I never did it, so my children never had that exposure.”
-Dr. Priscilla Connors
“I think there’s a sense of responsiblity, pride, and accomplishment in the end result- pride in cooking dinner for the whole family. It makes him feel grownup.” -Alex Egner
interview thoughts
“My son has trouble with following through the ‘order of operations’ with recipes- like boiling water for pasta, turning the oven on ahead of time, etc. He also has a tendency to gloss over recipe steps if they are more detailed.”
-Alex Egner
“My son went through a phase where he would have baked a cake every day if we had let him. He never even ate the cakes, but just enjoyed improvising the recipe differently each time.”
-Dr. David Kaplan
“It’s important to let kids learn how to deal with objects that may be unsafe. It can challenge them and help them develop fine motor skills. The little possibility of danger teaches them how to handle it carefully.”
-Dr. David Kaplan
“My kids loved making cookies when they were younger- they liked rolling out the dough and shaping it. It depends on how tactile or texture sensitive kids are.”
-Dr. Ann Afflerbach
#
1
problem
Parents donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to include their kids in the cooking process. I get it- families are busier than ever. Between soccer practice and violin lessons thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s barely a spare moment to cook a meal. And many times, having our children help out in the kitchen only slows the cooking process down.
With Cooking Monsters, it will be the kids including the parents in the cooking process. These meals will be something the kids can take responsibility for, something they can be in charge of. The box is delivered to kids directly (No need for parents to go shopping!) They have access to the ingredients, the recipe, and can assume a level of responsibility and control. It allows kids ownership of the cooking process and a goal to work towards. You, the parent, are there to help them reach their goal - rather than the other way around!
# problem
2
Kids donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have fun cooking. The cooking process can be daunting, confusing, and frustrating for kids. They may have trouble following recipes step by step or get impatient easily when their efforts are not immediately rewarded. Maybe their recipes are not at the right skill level, or they are not cooking meals that interest them.
Kids will enjoy the cooking process, start to finish. And theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to do it again and again! Meals are divided into skill levels and age groups so no child will be discouraged by making a meal that is beyond their abilities. Food preferences will be met to ensure that kids really do like what they are cooking. Recipes and ingredients delivered right to their door make for an exciting surprise just for them- something to look forward to. Recipes will be extra simplified to enable kids to follow through on recipe steps and prevent confusion. Detailed process and ingredient photos can allow easy visual identification.
The app will include stepby-step videos to help them visualize the process, as well as ensure their continued engagement. Kids can look up ingredients and cooking processes in the app encyclopedia, as well as rate their meal and upload photos. Every step of the process will be easy, enjoyable, encouraging, and engaging!
This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cooktry new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun! -Julia Child