Mood Food
 

Last week, a new startup company called Jetson started shipping seasonal probiotics. The products are ‘formulated’ to fit your body’s needs during particular times of the year. For example, summer probiotics are labeled ‘FIT’ and “help support normal fat metabolism, helps reduce bloating, and supports healthy immune functions.” The company ships direct to consumer. As part of their push for seasonality, Jetson also disparages the idea that yogurt and kimchi are good sources of probiotics (“The Yogurt Myth”)
Inner-eco, a line coconut water based probiotic beverages, has developed newer, bolder branding for their core products. Their sparkling coconut water and as well as their ‘shots’ now carry the distinct tag “You Gut This.” Proceeds from inner-ēco products go toward freeing enslaved people across the globe. Over the past decade, the company claims that their charitable efforts have freed at least six slaves a month (more than 720 lives).
GoodBelly (owned by NextFoods) has introduced GoodBelly Bubbles, a sparkling probiotic beverage. Available in Tropical Orange and Lemon Lime, the new beverages come refrigerated and are 90 calories per bottle.

So What? Probiotics need to pick a narrative. I understand that there are legal challenges to battle through and technical hurdles to overcome, but in an environment where consumer attentions are measured in microseconds, I’m not sure how much longer the window of opportunity will remain open.
While most probiotic companies use digestion, regularity and other ‘gut related’ benefits as their RTB, I think we should aim (literally) higher. A 2015 article from the medical research journal Cell revealed that up to 60% of the neurotransmitter serotonin (popularly associated with feelings of well-being) is produced in the gut. Fast forward to today and you have the start of a new form of treatment at Columbia and Harvard  Universities called Nutritional Psychiatry, the prescription of foods to help with moods; probiotics being a major ingredient in their toolkit.
Over the years, how many food and beverage brands have marketed themselves as ‘mood lifters?’ Coke tells you it “Opens Happiness,” McDonald’s assures you that “I’m Lovin It,” and Pepsi says it makes us all “More Happy” but its all just fluff. Probiotics might just have the ‘real thing,’ why not talk about it.
As the legality of the claims get worked out, there is nothing from stopping probiotic companies from starting to align their brands (softly for now) with more joyful (less medicinal) messaging. Aim toward happy!

Bob’s Red Mill has introduced a new line of Pan-Baked Granolas. These grain and fruit mixes are “Perfectly crispy. Toasted. Golden brown. Our four new granolas are rich in flavor (but not too sweet) and pan baked to taste just like homemade!” So What? A ‘heat sink’ is a common part of electronics. It transfers any heat generated away from the device to stop it from causing damage. ‘Pan-Baked’ is a consumer ‘doubt sink.’ ‘Crunchy’ in granolas can sometimes equate to sugar (the syrup bakes into a crackly glaze that waterproofs the exterior). However, saying your product is ‘crunchy but low sugar because we baked it longer’ isn’t that appealing. ‘Pan-baked’ gives a palatable reason to believe a desired benefit and wraps it in nostalgic charm. Just like ‘Slow-Churned’ channeled the doubt Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice cream buyers had about their low-fat offering, pan-baked attaches a believable hook to a new product.