Creating Value for Sustainability by Transforming the Food Well-being Paradigm—Alternative New Food Product Development

Abstract

Due to supply chain disruptions and sourcing uncertainties, multinational and large food manufacturers, retailers and suppliers are investing in New Food Product Development (NFPD) to add value and differentiate themselves from homogeneous food markets. However, for start-up food companies, especially in the NFPD field and within marketing research, this is difficult to do. This article’s aim is to analyse a microalgae milk pioneer and proteinalternative food technology company, its emerging NFPD, and its focused values, highlighting the differences with prior evolutions. A design science methodology and case study are applied. The findings show that technologydriven NFPD, with an integrative process, is promising. Moreover, a diversified and plant-based NFPD is encouraged as it creates sustainability values for consumer well-being by enhancing food technology and business performance. This study contributes to the NFPD literature and marketing research by improving current understandings of how to implement sustainability through technological breakthroughs and innovation in the NFPD process. In addition, it makes a methodological contribution by means of demonstrating how design science can help researchers think outside the box and create practical research to provide valuable solutions. Finally, this is the first study to use design science guidelines to create the NFPD value chain framework.