health food craze

Is Vegan the New Black?

Posted on by Marco

Within modern society, new fads come and go like clock-work. The latest one seems to be a health craze running rampant and comprising, in large part, of vegan and vegetarian choices. A survey in 2011 discovered “5% of Americans never eat meat” and “33% of Americans were eating vegetarian or vegan meals more often”. Although data suggests this is not a simple trend that will disappear anytime soon, the question lies in whether or not it will stick around enough to be taken advantage of.

Currently, one company in particular has taken notice and is now looking to fulfill the new demand by expanding its business. Organic Avenue, a vendor of high-end juices, salads, and other specialty foods, is attempting to become a national chain. The company has hired a new chief executive, Martin Bates, to take the reins and lead the Organic Avenue charge to the “promised land”. Bates has had proven success by being one of the leading forces behind the resurgence of “Pret a Manger”, a food franchise, in 2008. Pret a Manger’s turnabout was achieved by tweaking the products and services it provided to the tastes of the consumers’.

Project management will always be essential if companies hope to achieve the success they dream of. In order for Organic Avenue to have success, Bates’ strategy is to form partnerships with gyms, fitness clubs, high-end retailers, and open its own chain of stores as well, to supply the company’s products. One can quickly establish attention is focused on the availability and marketing of the product. Organic and healthy products could be considered to be in their introduction stage, and a tremendous of work must be exerted in order to reach the maturity stage.

Organic Avenue understands its customer base and target market; “people who want food that’s better for them”. It would be a mistake for the company to undermine consumers who simply want healthier products and focus attention on “hardcore” vegetarians or vegans. Currently, Organic Avenue is more known for juices and juice cleanses, but its other products must also be brought to light. The company also provides food (salads, soups, entrees, and snacks) and packages (Booster Packs, Immunity Essentials, and “2-Day Transition” to name a few).

Most people demonstrate xenophobia (fear of the unknown), and the switch to organic/healthy foods seems to be no exception to the rule. Society has an idea of why organic foods are better, but the media constantly manipulates our ideas and leaves people unable to distinguish fact from fiction.

Are organic and fresh foods worth the extra money or do they not provide the bang for our buck?

Will Organic Avenue need to create a new line of products or will alterations to current ones draw news consumers?

More importantly, will people be accepting of the change from fast/junk food to healthier options will people be accepting of the change from fast/junk food to healthier options?

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/business/organic-avenue-says-juice-and-vegan-trends-are-moving-mainstream.html?smid=pl-share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OrganicAvenueTV

Website: http://www.organicavenue.com/

Food Fad?

Posted on by mirelac301s12

I’ve been health conscious for some time now, but it wasn’t until about five month ago after I watched an eye-opening documentary (which I strongly recommend), called Forks Over Knives, that I decided to take the leap into the unknown. That’s right, I became a vegan. Just like that. Cold turkey. No pun intended.

I had already cut out all dairy products from my diet after finding out I was lactose intolerant and my consumption of meat wasn’t on a daily basis, so it couldn’t be that hard, right?. Walking into the grocery store the day I proclaimed myself better than all carnivores was pretty overwhelming. I soon realized how processed all of our “healthy” options really are. Needless to say, I stayed in the produce section.

 

 

I was never one to eat fast food on a regular basis, but it was nice to have it as my very last resort. Now that that’s no longer the case, I’ve realized just how inexpensive it really is to cook healthy meals versus purchasing what one may think is cheap. The picture to the left shows that a meal for four at McDonald’s comes out to be $27.89. With this deal of a purchase, you also get 900 calories per person, 37 grams of fat, 123 grams of carbohydrates, and 23 grams of protein.

Pinto beans and rice, a meal that I now consume on a regular basis (minus that delicious looking piece of bacon), costs $9.26 (serving four individuals)…$18.63 cheaper than the McDonald’s meal and costs roughly $4.66 per person. This delicious meal has only 571 calories (37% less than McDonald’s), 15 gram of fat (59% less than McDonald’s), 83 grams of carbohydrates (33% less than McDonald’s), and 26 grams of protein (13% more than McDonald’s). And you thought vegans were protein deficient.

Have I convinced you to at least make smarter choices yet?

 

 

 

After I became a vegan, I’ve noticed that this “health food craze” is really beginning to take over. Although I probably wouldn’t step foot in McDonald’s unless I had to use the restroom or grab a bottle of water, they now do offer healthier options than what they are known for. If looking at the life cycle of the health food craze, I would place it in the growth stage. Making healthier food choices is like making a New Years resolution about hitting the gym: there’s already a negative correlation before you ever step foot in the gym…or put that first piece of delicious, green, leafy lettuce in your mouth and proclaim that you are full. But I believe that if individuals were more educated on the facts, rather than preconceived notions, they would make better food choices.

 

 

What stage in the life cycle would you categorize the health food craze? Do you think that it’ll ever reach maturity or is this just another fad that’ll eventually fizzle out?