Trend Taster: flat pack oat milk edition
In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Flat pack oat milk
Horror aficionados
The Princess and the Poo
Explainer: Taste Profiles
Artificial gut intelligence
Flat pack oat milk
Flat-packed milk could be the next big shift in sustainable food packaging. Following Germany's Mililk, Illinois-based Milkadamia is launching Flat Pack Organic Oat Milk—the first of its kind in the U.S. By transforming oat milk into compact sheets, it cuts packaging waste by 94% and weight by 85%, offering a more eco-friendly and customizable option for consumers. This trend of "water-free" products may signal a broader move toward reducing shipping and packaging impacts across the food industry.
Horror aficionados
As streaming platforms gear up for the Halloween season, new insights reveal a fascinating global genre preference: horror movies are gaining ground, with Mexico leading the charge at 49% viewership. A recent Statista Consumer Insights survey highlights how supernatural storytelling is deeply embedded in cultural narratives, particularly in Latin American communities. In the U.S., horror has secured its spot as the fifth most-watched genre, with 40% of viewers tuning in occasionally, trailing behind comedies, dramas, and thrillers. This trend suggests a growing appetite for immersive, spine-tingling content that transcends traditional entertainment boundaries.
The Princess and the Poo
Dulcolax's campaign in Portugal is challenging long-standing taboos around women's digestive health, revealing that 77% of women experience constipation, often rooted in childhood stigma about bodily functions. By leveraging an Instagram AR filter and an irreverent children's book titled 'The Princess and the Poo', the brand is destigmatizing bathroom conversations and highlighting how early conditioning about bodily shame can lead to serious health risks, signalling a broader cultural shift towards open, unapologetic dialogue about women's wellness.
Explainer: Taste Profiles
A new breed of digital platforms allows users to refine and share their cultural identities online by combining their streaming and media consumption data across services. Services like MyLikes and Palette create "taste profiles" that showcase what consumers watch, read, and listen to.
This trend mirrors a digital version of how previous generations displayed their vinyl collections or bookshelves. It's part of a broader movement toward more authentic online expression, where algorithms take a backseat to personal curation and users find their cultural tribes through shared consumption patterns rather than likes and follows.
Artificial gut intelligence
Austin startup Throne is pioneering a groundbreaking health tech solution: an AI-powered toilet camera that transforms waste analysis into personalized health insights. By leveraging "artificial gut intelligence" trained by physicians, the $499 device captures anonymized images to track gut health, hydration, and potential medical indicators for aging populations and those with chronic digestive conditions. This innovative approach represents a bold intersection of privacy-conscious technology and preventative healthcare, turning an awkward topic into a data-driven wellness tool.
