Named Flavour of the Year 2018, the small but highly nutritious fig is in the spotlight. Rich in vitamins and irresistibly photogenic, it has long been considered a refined, complex flavour – but how does it embody a variety of changing attitudes towards food?

There’s much more to Irish food and drink than Guinness and potatoes, with concerns about health and sustainability leading many people in the country to reconsider their diets. Through its cookbooks, cafés, and range of products, The Happy Pear is pushing a local and greener way to eat.

Insta influencers and lifestyle mags may regularly laud the benefits of a ‘natural’ diet in 2018, but it’s taken time for these attitudes to gain mainstream acceptance. Canvas8 spoke to Laura Miller, the author of Building Nature’s Market, to learn how a marginal movement went from niche to norm.

RUNA is a natural energy drink that blends social responsibility with organic products. The idea of “clean and conscious energy” appeals to ‘always on’ US consumers who are looking for a boost without dirtying their ethics or spiking their daily sugar intake.