The Future of Food

Located at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, food is more than just a requirement for survival. Cooking and sharing a meal is at the heart of our social relationships as well. Technology, accessibility, and personal preferences have left their marks on our eating habits. We see fads like fast-food, food delivery apps, pre-packaged meals, random eating patterns, obesity, food shortage, crash diets, and more. There doesn’t seem to be any clear pattern in this cacophony of trends. We make many decisions every day regarding what we want to eat in a day but we have no real knowledge about the ingredients of the food on our plate. Despite sending rockets to space and curing complicated diseases, we have no idea if the food we eat is actually beneficial to our body. So what will the future of food and eating be like? Read on to find out some of the top trends that will affect food consumption.

1. Food scanners to make nutritional charts redundant

Source: Visual.ly

Ingredients are listed on most of the products we pick up. However, there is no way to be 100% sure where our food is sourced from and what substances are a part of it.  A shocking fact is that the FDA allows a certain level of insect fragments in food. Cinnamon, for example, is allowed to contain up to an average of 400 insect fragments per 50 grams. This means that if you are allergic to nuts, you cannot be absolutely sure that the food you picked up contains no nuts even if the ingredients label says otherwise. This is very concerning as we are starting to prefer prepackaged food instead of fresh ones. The life-threatening consequences of food allergies cannot be ignored. The Nima Scanner is a device that can scan food to detect traces of allergens. The company has reported a 99.2 percent accuracy in detecting peanut and gluten traces.

2. Nutrigenomics - A unique diet for your DNA

Source: Vignette

Food scanners tell you what to eat, but what about the millions of “science-backed” diets popping up every day telling you to switch to almond milk one day and then go back to cow’s milk the next? It’s no surprise that people are confused and have no idea about what’s good for their bodies. Nutrigenomics is the answer. A combination of genetics and nutrition science that suggests what will work for your body based on a study of your genetic makeup. The availability and accessibility to DNA sequencing services provide a better idea of what we should eat. Companies like Gini, Neutrino, and DNAfit are shifting diets’ success from blind luck to science. They conduct a genetic analysis, craft a personalized diet, and even devise personalized workout plans for a healthy lifestyle. Neutrino partnered with IBM Watson and developed nutritional plans for pregnant women based on Nutrigenomics. Atlas Biomed and Thryve offer kits that analyze one’s gut health and offer customized diet plans based on personal results.

3. Smart forks to control eating pace

A fixed eating routine instead of eating whenever hungry is advisable. Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly helps in proper digestion and prevents acid reflux and other indigestion issues. A solution to overcome poor eating habits is tech-aided utensils. Hapifork is a smart-fork that helps control your eating pace. Eating too fast can lead to obesity. The fork will vibrate if you're eating too fast. It alerts you to eat slowly. Hapifork also offers a smartphone app through which users can further analyze eating habits and monitor improvements.

4. Molecular Gastronomy

The limits of food creation are currently being challenged thanks to molecular gastronomy. This innovation has put out strange yet interesting foodstuff to try like solid cocktails and transparent pasta. If you are not an expert in the kitchen, worry not as the Foodini Project and Biozoon will soon let you print gourmet-level food right at home. The Foodini Project through partnerships with healthcare providers aims to print appealing foods for cancer patients and patients on restricted diets. 

5. Meat is Cultured not Slaughtered

Source: Dreamstime

Global meat consumption has almost doubled over the past 50 years and there are no signs of it slowing down soon. There is an urgent need for alternatives as consequences are more than just food shortage, increased meat demand calls for increased grazing area for animals. This leads to forests being cleared. Fortunately, the demand for meatless alternatives has also increased. Propagation of meatless alternatives is the key to avoid shortages. Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have produced plant-based meat which is very similar to meat texture. This meat has also been adopted and promoted by popular fast food companies like Burger King.

Lab-Grown Meat

Source: Dreamstime

Other companies aren’t cutting down meat altogether but are taking a different way to approach the shortage. Lab-grown meat is meat that is cultured in a lab using a small sample of animal tissue. With these starter cells, researchers can derive tons of meat. The Cultured Meat project from Maastricht University and the company Modern Meadow are working on bringing this project to fruition.

Conclusion

The big picture is that with these technologies people can enjoy a meal while being more informed about its ingredients and customize it to their personal tastes. Such food tech can put an end to surprise stomach aches, unexpected allergic reactions, and other digestive side effects. These technologies also hold the power to solve global food problems including obesity and food scarcity.