FRESH MANIFESTO

NotMilk is on a mission to change the food business. Our mission is radical but it shouldn’t be. NotMilk is founded on the idea of fresh. We won’t stray from it. We care about fresh because fresh tastes better and is better for you. We aren’t going to spend time talking about the science of fresh because we know that humans understand this intuitively. Try it. Think about fresh squeezed orange juice compared to the boxed stuff? Or freshly picked basil to top ripe tomatoes compared to a canned tomato salad topped with dried basil? Or a slice of bread from a loaf still warm from the bakery compared to a slice of Wonder bread? Which do you prefer? How does your body feel after you eat something fresh? You can be the point of reference- no need to go into the science. (But really, if you are interested, look at the Appendix).

That brings us to our next point. Fresh is Local. Much of the technology that has gone into producing and delivering food has gone to the preservation of that food. Food needs preservatives when it is being shipped long distances and when it is designed for a long shelf life.

Science is telling us processed foods are bad for us. Health experts are urging us to eat whole foods, natural foods, minimally processed foods. Developing countries see an increase in diabetes, obesity, and other health related problems when packaged foods become affordable and widely available. In the developed world, big food companies are selling us on new and reformulated products that are “healthier” with “less sugar” and “fewer ingredients” but these products are still made in factories far from the population and even when they are “healthier,” they are designed to sit in un-refrigerated warehouses and move in un-refrigerated trucks across the country, to sit on a shelf (yours or the stores) for up to 2 years. When was the last time you looked at an expiration date while opening an energy bar or adding protein powder to your smoothie?