Gousto, one of the UK’s leading recipe box providers, has launched a limited-edition ‘Flavour Saviour’ kit.
Two years on from the start of the pandemic, and smell and taste changes are one of the most widely reported long-covid symptoms. In response to this, Gousto have created the ‘Flavour Saviour’ kit in partnership with smell experts AbScent, available free from flavour-saviour.co.uk from March 14th.
The move follows a Gousto study of over 2,000 people who have suffered from Covid-19 that has revealed a sizable shift in the nation’s relationship with cooking and food. The findings revealed that 71% lost their sense of smell and taste and 57% say that this has taken the joy out of food for them.
A number report that they are now eating (11%) and cooking (10%) less as a result, and a quarter (26%) choose food based on nutritional benefits rather than the experience.
The smell training kit has been designed to help the nation fall back in love with food by stimulating the smell receptors that can unlock flavour.
The kit includes four fragranced jars to actively sniff, alongside a flavour pack of ingredients hand-picked to stimulate the five basic tastes that are perceived by our taste buds: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, to enhance the training experience.
Participants will also receive recipe recommendations from Gousto that complement their journey to rediscovering flavour.
Chrissi Kelly, founder of AbScent, says: “The pandemic has brought a new-found awareness and sensitivity to those suffering with smell disorders. So many people tell us they feel frightened or isolated, but they’re not alone; pre-pandemic approximately 3.3m people in the UK – 5% – were affected by smell loss.
“Now, over one million additional people in the UK will have suffered with more persistent smell loss due to Covid. By teaming up with Gousto, our hope is that more people will consider smell training to support their recovery, and know that there is support for those who need it.”
Kathryn Huxtable, VP of Food Proposition at Gousto said: “Loss of smell and taste is one of the most widely-reported symptoms of long COVID, and as champions of flavour we want to do as much as we can to turn the volume back up on people’s taste buds. By leveraging AbScent’s insight and Gousto’s market-leading food offering, we’re hoping to do our bit to help people rediscover the joy of mealtimes.’
The campaign is being promoted by long-term partner to the Gousto brand, comedian Katherine Ryan. Katherine lost her sense of smell when she contracted COVID and it had a massive impact on her life.
Gousto, which is valued at $1.7bn after a recent $150 fundraise led by SoftBank, was the first recipe box provider to build an intelligent recommendation engine that suggests bespoke menus tailored to the individual customer. This partnership is the latest example of the recipe box provider using expertise and insight to help customers make the most of mealtimes.
Gousto currently delivers over 8 million meals each month and leads the category with over 60 recipes on its menu each week, inspired by over 40 countries and regions in the world.
It also boasts the most convenient delivery options (seven days a week), best value (£3.14 per serving) and shortest lead time while helping households eliminate food waste, by sending fresh and precise ingredients.
