McCormick is introducing a new line to their spices and seasonings portfolio: Speedy Sides. Consisting of a recyclable tray+ lid and seasoning mix, Speedy Sides has consumers add fresh or frozen veggies and microwave until done. The product comes in three flavors: Herb Butter, Teriyaki and Three Cheese.

So What? Last week, I disparaged McCormick’s new Tasty product, but this week is a win for the spice company. While it seems like an extremely simple concept, don’t be fooled by appearances; innovation doesn’t have to be novel and tech-forward to be effective. This product removes several barriers that consistently hinders consumers in their nightly battle to put dinner on the table. The primary barrier overcome is just providing a tasty way to get a healthy side. Meat is the focus of the dinner in most households, but parents are always looking to add in a veggie that kids might consider eating.  The second thing it does is it allows for flexibility in the evening veg. While there are steamable trays and bags of frozen veggies on the market, they are ‘locked’ and don’t allow for movement in terms of personalized seasoning (e.g. add a little extra garlic powder or pepper flakes) or the addition of a seasonal vegetable. Providing a flexible system means its open to the whims and tastes of the family.
However, the biggest strength of this product is that it taps into, what I call, the Collateral Damage of Costco. While a favorite shopping destination of many consumers, Costco’s bulk-buying format has a distinct drawback: waste. Specifically, fruit and vegetable waste. Yes, the bag of broccoli, green beans or cauliflower is a great deal, but finding quick, convenient and tasty ways to stuff your family with all of those vegetables, before they go bad, is a constant race against the clock. In fact, it is my theory that it was Costco, not just our evolving fascination with wellness, that made smoothies popular. Consumers needed a way to quickly use up of those giant bags of spinach, bunches of bananas and gallons of almond milk that were expiring. What better way to tidy up the crisper than grinding (Costco even supplies the blender!) and drinking it. Now McCormick has you add tasty powder and microwave it.
Personally, I’m surprised more companies haven’t developed products that feed on the worry of waste that Costco causes. Consumers likely aren’t going to stop buying in bulk at Club stores, but they also don’t want to throw away food. What they lack are low effort solutions to their bulk problem.

Little Spoon, makers of refrigerated, fresh baby food purees, has launched Little Spoon Boosters. These small sachets are nutrient supplements that parents can add to their children’s food to “supercharge mealtime.” Each packet contains organic spinach or fruit powders along with a combination of vitamins, minerals, fibers and probiotics. The line includes: Whiz Kid (with DHA), Sniffle Shield (Immunity), Poopie Power (Constipation Relief) and Gut Feeling (Overall gut health).
Edesia Nutrition, the nonprofit famous for producing the fortified peanut butter product Plumpy’Nut that has so successfully helped starving children around the world, has announced it will be producing a new line of commercially available snacks called MeWe.  These knead & squeeze shelf-stable pouches contain a mix of peanut butter and fruit puree. Their benefit is to introduce infants to peanuts at an early age and, according to early exposure hypothesis, reduce the number of peanut allergies. As you would expect from their background, 100% of profits help end malnutrition in children worldwide. Flavors include: Apple Cinnamon, Berry Coconut, and Banana Coconut.

So What? Imagine a world where, prior to the implantation of an embryo via IVF, a series of genetic tests are performed to screen fertilized embryos to choose the one that has the lowest chance of developing disease and the highest probability for superior intelligence. While it might sound like science fiction, a company with such potential exists now, in a small township in New Jersey. Genomic Prediction current does pre-implementation screening for 300+ single gene disorders (e.g. Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Anemia) as well as polygenic disease risks (e.g. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and breast cancer). They announced a few months ago that they have the ability to screen for intelligence potential—both ‘mental disability’ as well as high IQ--although they don’t current offer such a service. “I think people are going to demand that. If we don’t do it, some other company will,” says the firm’s co-founder Stephen Hsu.
Whether Genomic Prediction’s services intrigue you or turn your stomach, the truth is that they are just an extreme example of how technology is opening up bold new possibilities for parents. While people have always wanted what’s best for their children, in previous generations that’s meant focusing mainly on the ‘nurture’ side of the ‘nature v. nurture’ equation; putting them in the best daycare, hiring the best tutors, or supplying the best nutrition. Parents did their best with the hand nature dealt them. However, new products are being created that dabble on the ‘nature’ side, offering the possibility of tinkering with your child’s physical makeup (e.g. their gut microbiota, their brain chemistry or their allergen response). Will parents be interested? Absolutely.
Its still early days on all of this, but definitely a whitespace for new startups to jump in. However, the pioneers will have to clear a path in terms of education and communication. Not just for consumers, but also retailers.  As MeWe’s founder Navyn Salem told NOSH, many retailers don’t even know where to stock such functional solutions for children in the store, as most products for kids only tout that they are peanut free, not that they help prevent peanut allergies.
Imagine giving parents the power to forever change their child’s gut microbiota (which has been linked to brain health and weight) or permanently alter brain chemistry? I think these options (or at least the promise of these options) will be things parents and manufacturers will be grappling with very soon.