ISRAEL & UNITED STATES - We seek out innovation as deeply as we seek to change ourselves. Many of today’s consumers are looking for ways to feel better, exist better, and impact the lives around them in more useful and lasting ways. Wonder Veggies is built on these principles, bringing together mindfulness and nutrition in new and exciting ways.

“The fresh produce market is constantly looking for innovation. Food as medicine is at the very top of consumers' wish lists,” Danny Weiss, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the company, shares with me. “As Wonder Veggies developed the first-ever technology and formulations to naturally enrich fresh produce with healthy probiotics, it offers truly innovative and limitless ways to consume healthier-than-ever vegetables and fruits by everyone—overcoming the consumer limitations linked to dairy products, food supplements, and fermented food.”

It may be a given, but I go ahead and ask it. How can and will this product appeal to multiple consumer demographics? Danny pulls out the research, sharing a high note from a recent study from the International Food Information Council (IFIC)—a nonprofit educational organization with a mission to effectively communicate science-based information about food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems, serving the public good.

“This recent study revealed that although probiotics are not often found in fruits and vegetables, this is where nearly half of the consumers seek them out,” Danny reveals, pointing to a tangible opportunity for fresh produce companies.

He goes on to add more to that revelation.

“Additionally, an increasing number of studies substantiate the gut-brain axis, linking emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions. Recent advances in research have described the importance of the gut microbiota in influencing these interactions,” Danny says. “Probiotics are known to have a positive impact on our gut and overall health through a positive impact on our gut microbiome, including our digestive health, immune system, cardio health, mental health, weight and belly fat, and many other benefits.”

I have to pause for a moment in order to take this in, letting the connective tissue of health and wellness intersect with good business and consumer demand, but it all fits.

With the Wonder Veggies application, this intersection will be found in categories from leafy greens, carrots, and tomatoes to cucumbers, mushrooms, and berries. Additional produce types are being explored as well.

In a world and an industry where it feels, at times, like there is little we can control, our bodies become our way of establishing presence and grasping a hold of our own futures. The Wonder Veggies kind of consumer knows this.

And, I believe, they will go with their gut.