Target looks to disrupt food category

Target Corp.’s partnership with MIT Media Lab and global design firm IDEO is bearing fruit — literally.



In January, Target announced the launch of the Food + Future coLab, a multi-year collaboration with MIT and IDEO to explore the future of food. Although it’s only been a couple of months, Target is already testing two ideas from the coli.



At its store in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood, Target tested a concept known as "Good & Gather" that flips the traditional food label on its head by clearly displaying ingredients on the front of packaging rather than in fine print on the back.



A second concept is aimed at providing real time nutritional information. It allows customers to scan fruits and vegetables, learn the exact nutritional value and then pay based on freshness.



“In a short period of time, we’ve already developed a pipeline of concepts ready for testing, we’re building disruptive technologies and — most important — we’re closer than ever to helping people know more about what’s in their food,” said Greg Shewmaker, one of Target’s entrepreneurs-in-residence, in a posting on the company’s Bullseye View blog. (Target’s entrepreneurs-in-residence are charged with launching new businesses for the retailer).



Click here to read more and see photos of the Food + Future coLab.