Target opening 'future of food' innovation lab with MIT 

Dec 7, 2015, 12:11pm CST

INDUSTRIES & TAGS

Jim Hammerand and Sara CastellanosMinneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Target Corp. plans to collaborate with the the MIT Media Lab and global design and consulting firm Ideo in the retailer's new Food and Future CoLab.

Minneapolis-based Target (NYSE: TGT) says the Food and Future CoLab will focus on issues such as urban farming, food transparency and authenticity, supply chain, and health and safety.

"This multi-year collaboration will push the edges of science, technology and design to give people better control over their food choices and help them to eat healthier," the retailer said in a news release.

Target signed a two-year lease earlier this month for the 7,200-square-foot Food and Future CoLab office in Cambridge, Mass., that could have about 15 employees beginning early next year. The Boston Business Journal has more details on the space here.

The idea started with a simple vision, said Food and Future CoLab leader and Target entrepreneur-in-residence Greg Shewmaker: "Can you give people more control over their food options, and increase transparency and help them understand what's in their food?"

Target CEO Brian Cornell has made food one focus of his plan to reinvigorate the discount retailer. The company is revamping grocery sections with updated layouts and healthier food, replacing its in-store cafes with fresh-casual concepts, testing same-day grocery delivery in the Twin Cities.