The Role of Emotion in Driving Food Innovation
Why purpose-led start-ups must make people feel, not just think
At System1, we often say: the more people feel, the more they buy.
In food innovation, emotion isn’t just an ingredient, it’s the recipe for success.
Whether it’s the nostalgic comfort of a childhood treat or the thrill of trying something new, emotion drives attention, memory, and ultimately, choice. Brands that understand and measure this emotional response early in the development process can create innovations that don’t just launch, they last.
Emotion: The Secret Sauce
Food is uniquely emotional. It’s tied to culture, family, identity and memory. That’s why a product’s success depends on more than just flavour or function, it needs to feel right.
System1’s research shows that people don’t respond to innovations purely rationally. We use emotional shortcuts, formed by years of habits, exposure , and sensory cues. When brands tap into this emotion, whether it’s comfort, joy, nostalgia, or curiosity, they create stronger mental availability and brand fluency.
Start-ups: Where Innovation Meets Reality
But let’s get real. For start-ups, like many of the amazing companies showing up at Meals Collective x Future of Food event, this isn’t just theory. It’s survival.
You’re not launching into a vacuum. You’re battling for shelf space, pitching to sceptical retailers, trying to stand out in an over–saturated feed or a hyper-competitive aisle. You’re trying to change the world with better food, for people and the planet, while also convincing a buyer you’re worth the risk.
And often, the boldest innovations, the ones with the biggest purpose, can feel like the hardest sell.
Emotion Isn’t Just Marketing – It’s Make or Break
That’s where emotion becomes mission critical. For early-stage brands, emotion isn’t a luxury, it’s your biggest competitive advantage.
You may not have mass budgets. You may not have a famous founder or big-name distribution yet. But what you do have is your story. Your purpose. Your ability to make people feel something.
Take Future of Food 2024 Finalists, Bold Bean Co., for example. They were on a mission to make beans sexy and sustainable. But they didn’t just show up with nutritional data and carbon stats. They showed up with joy. Colourful packaging. Bold messaging. A tone of voice that makes you smile. They sell beans, but what you remember is how they made you feel about beans.
Fluent Innovation for Founders
There’s a common myth in start-up culture that you must reinvent everything. That disruption = difference.
But we’ve found the most successful food innovations follow a simpler formula. One we call Fluent Innovation:
✅ 80% Familiar – rooted in known formats, flavours or usage cues
✅ 20% New – just enough twist to spark interest
It’s a balance between comfort and surprise. Lean too far into novelty, and consumers may find it strange or confusing. Lean too far into the familiar, and it risks being forgettable.
Purpose-led brands are uniquely positioned to harness the power of Fluent Innovation. Take Fable Food, for example—reimagining mushrooms as a rich, meaty alternative. The formats and flavours feel familiar, but there’s a fresh twist: slow-cooked, chef-led recipes with a sustainable, ethical edge. That’s 80/20 in action. That’s Fluent Innovation.
Or Superfoodio, reinventing the snacks we already love. They didn’t abandon recognisable formats—instead, they kept the crunch and convenience, but stripped it back to natural ingredients. Simple, healthy, and guilt-free, without losing the joy.
Each of these brands shows how Fluent Innovation transforms the familiar into something new—fusing purpose with creativity to build instant emotional resonance.
Testing with Feeling
At System1, we don’t just test innovation ideas, we test the emotional response to them.
Our approach helps founders see how their concept makes people feel, not just what they think. That matters, because emotion drives action. And in a world where your next big break might come from one pitch, one listing, one viral moment, emotion is everything.
Whether it’s a pack design, a brand name, a positioning claim, or a concept idea, we help you test fast, with real people, and get real data on what’s resonating.
Because for start-ups trying to change the world, it’s not just about launching. It’s about lasting.
Create with Confidence
System1’s Test Your Innovation platform lets you test new products, packaging, messaging, taglines, and claims before going to market. With predictive insights, you can make confident decisions and give your next big idea the best chance of success.