Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2
- Who: My interviews made me realize there is another group of people who I had not previously considered: teachers. I interviewed 3 teachers, and 2 of the three said they regularly eat the school lunch, while the third said she does on occasion. They all agreed that having improved, healthier school lunch would be a great benefit to everyone. Although, one expressed doubt of the feasibility of it. He wasn't convinced that this could find the balance between high enough quality food and low enough prices where this could be effective. I also interviewed one parent who said no matter how improved the food is she would still send her kids to school with lunch. She doesn't trust what the school provides or would provide with this idea, and she claims that she personally knows a large contingency of mothers who would agree. The last parent I interviewed made me realize there was another large group of people who this idea couldn't help: kids with severe allergies. This parent closely monitors everything their child eats and has been trying to teach her kid to be extra cautious about what he eats. This made me realize that my potential market may be a lot smaller than I originally had thought.
- What: This idea would help in making kids a little healthier, but it wouldn't be able to completely resolve the crisis this country is currently facing. Having healthier, better food would maybe reduce childhood obesity, but it wouldn't eradicate it.
- Why: Everyone agrees that kids should be heating healthier foods. The issue is whether is parents will be willing to trust the schools in providing the right food.
Inside the Boundary Outside the Boundary
Hey Grant,
ReplyDeleteI would tend to agree with the teacher who doesn't think there is a feasible, high quality school lunch out there. As a kid who grew up never buying school lunches, parents who don't trust the school lunch are a big problem to your idea. However, I believe this could be overcome if you advertise your product properly and begin to gain the trust of you consumers on a personal level.
Hey Grant,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you found some other situations where the opportunity won't work out. It's important to maybe start narrow then more broad. Another thing that I'm thinking of in terms of school lunches would be subsidies by the federal, state, or local government to farmers, schools, or whoever to purchase better-quality food. I definitely see the perspective of parents who don't trust school lunches and would rather give them their own lunch, however some families don't have the finances/time to do so (the student ends up qualifying for free lunch as well). Allergies are another issue, perhaps certifications from credible organizations for different food options would help reassure some parents.
Hey Grant,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that childhood obesity is a horrible pressing issue. I totally agree that it is a bit naive to try to eradicate childhood obesity, but it is perfectly reasonable to try to chip away a portion of it. It would be great thing to reduce! I do greatly agree little kids do consume way too much junk food! Great post!
Hey Grant! I like how you expanded your target audience to see if you could capture any new customers. I found it interesting about interviewing the parent with the kid who has allergies. I have a little cousin who is severely allergic to peanuts and actually has to sit at an allergenic table during lunch to ensure that no kids around her are eating peanuts. From that, I could see parents being worried about a food service coming in since ingredients might not be posted. You found out a lot of insightful information!
ReplyDelete