Harnessing the power of trends with Charles Banks

Rewind back to 2012: Who would have ever said then that plant-based food and drinks would take off as a category? Enter the special guest for this week’s episode of the Oh For Food’s Sake podcast: Charles Banks, cofounder of thefoodpeople! Charles joins us for an in-depth discussion on food trends, the responsibility that comes with food trend analysis and how thefoodpeople are investing in the next generation of food industry innovators. We sit down with Charles, a dream guest of the podcast, to track his food career so far. He tells us about how he spotted the gap in the market that eventually led to him creating thefoodpeople and how the company balances artificial and human intelligence to forecast and publicise upcoming food trends. He explains some of the key values that drive thefoodpeople and how they translate into their day-to-day work. You’ll learn about what goes on at their annual Food & Beverage Trend Summit and how The Food People are actively supporting children’s engagement with food in UK schools through The TFP Foundation.To hear more about food development, food product marketing and having a fulfilling career in the food industry, subscribe to the Oh For Food’s Sake podcast so you don’t miss our weekly episodes. You can also get in touch with us via our LinkedIn or Facebook page to tell us your thoughts.  Timestamps[2:26] “Food was an integral part of my childhood”: Charles’ passion for food[4:58] Charles’ early career in manufacturing and NPD and how he set us The Food People[9:15] The purpose behind The Food People[13:21] What goes on at The Food People’s Trend Summit? [19:27] The role of empathy at The Food People [22:57] What goes into trend foresight? Charles unpacks the power of trends and how they are identified[28:56] The art of using human intelligence to forecast food trends [31:16] Charles gives a behind-the-scenes glance of trend analysis at The Food People[38:28] What actually is the Trend Hub? [42:37] How The Food People are giving back to the next generation[48:50] Why it’s important to get children interested in food [50:17] Charles tells us what’s coming up for The Food PeopleLinks and ResourcesThe Food PeopleThe Food People on InstagramThe Food People on TwitterCharles Banks on InstagramRegister for The Food People’s Food & Beverage Trend SummitChefs In SchoolsFeed Your Family recipe book on Amazon UK16 Years in Food & Beverage Trends ebookFind out more about this month’s sponsor, Ulrick & Short, here: Ulrick & ShortUlrick & Short on InstagramUlrick & Short on LinkedInUlrick & Short on TwitterRegister for the Ulrick & Short plant-based NPD webinarYou can follow us here on instagramIf you would like further support with myself, Amy for food industry coaching and facilit