Supported by Engagement Migros development fund (https://www.engagement-migros.ch/en/pioneers/myfoodways) and the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, Foodways Consulting AG is developing MyFoodways (myfoodways.com): a smartphone app designed to make it easy for young adults to enjoy healthy and sustainable food and waste less.
Foodways Consulting AG
Implemented in
- Europe and Central Asia
- Austria
- France
- Germany
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Led by
Sectors of activity
Consumer Goods, Waste, incl. Chemicals, Food & Beverage
Type of initiative
Capacity Building & Implementation, Education & Awareness Raising
Start date
01/12/2016
End date
01/12/2018
Submitted on:
22/11/2016Objectives
Public awareness of the importance of sustainable and healthy nutrition is on the rise. But translating this willingness into simple every day actions isn't always easy. There is no shortage of knowledge available, but it is dispersed and sometimes inaccessible. Individuals also need the skills and confidence to put their knowledge into practice. Supported by Engagement Migros development fund (https://www.engagement-migros.ch/en/pioneers/myfoodways) and the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, Foodways is developing MyFoodways (https://myfoodways.com/): a smartphone app that offers its users simple, healthy, sustainable and flexible recipes. Firstly, the app asks users about their individual dietary preferences and values and then suggests suitable recipes that support a shift towards more sustainable eating patterns. Secondly, users can either search for recipes that use the products they have at home or, using our flexible recipes to adapt their favourite meals to the items they have to hand. MyFoodways provides a framework to support young people in developing their confidence in relation to managing and preparing the food they buy, enabling them to enjoy more variety, eat in line with their values and waste less.
Activities
As collected through the One Planet Reporting
Output level
Knowledge resource and technical tool
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Launch of the MyFoodways App on Android and in French and English
Launch of the MyFoodways App on Android and in French and English
Regions
Europe and Central Asia
Online activity
Lead organization
Foodways AG
Objective
Following the positive reception of the MyFoodways app in German-speaking Switzerland, we wanted to translate the app to make it available in other parts of Switzerland but also in other European countries, where we believe consumers are facing the same challenges. We launched the app at both a physical event on World Food Day in Geneva and via an online campaign supported by multiple national and international partners and an extended digital marketing campaign.
Achievements
We are thrilled to have such positive reviews (4.9 out of 5 stars in the App Store) and to have received such excellent feedback from our users. We were also very pleased that the app was ranked as No.1 new free app in the Food and Drink Category in France and No.2 in Germany and the United Kingdom shortly after the launch. Finally, we were really glad to see early evidence of impact in the recently conducted evaluation exercise. This information, along with user feedback, can provide us with a strong foundation for improving the app in 2019. The main challenges faced related to resources and the necessary marketing capacity to ensure that MyFoodways could cut through the noise in the digital marketplace. Apps focused on "quick and tasty" meals or delivery services are very popular with time-strapped consumers. We needed to have a very strong and positive alternative communication message to help potential users see both the immediate and longer term benefits of using our app. It was also vital to understand more about which users derived the most value from the app to better target our marketing campaigns and maximise our impact. I would advise other organisations working in the same space to work closely with partners to leverage their networks and channels, especially when they're working to achieve the same goals and can connect you to audiences who are already actively looking for solutions.
Impact and Results
This project makes a contribution to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 12 by giving individuals the practical information they need to select, prepare and reuse food in a more sustainable way. So far, our users have cooked over 5000 Good Food recipes and 60% have fed back that the tool supports them to eat in line with their values.
An evaluation of the impact of the app, conducted by the FHNW, one of Switzerland’s leading universities of applied sciences, found that active users showed a growing interest in sustainability related values (e.g. eating seasonally) and increasingly selected meals that reflected their values. The longer and more frequently users used the app, the larger this effect became. Interviews with users revealed that just entering their dietary style and values helped users to reflect on how they would like to eat, without feeling judged. The inclusion of a range of recipes (e.g. including recipes with a small portion of meat) helped users feel that the app was suitable for them and could offer them suggestions that would fit with both their value-based (e.g. lifestyle) and practical considerations (e.g. the products they tend to buy and have at home.) A further impact evaluation will follow in summer 2019.
Next steps and how to get involved
We would love to hear from partners who might be interested in working with us to disseminate MyFoodways in their country and/or incorporate our app as a complementary digital offer, alongside their own products or services.