What’s Going On Here?
The Future of Food Report, produced by Sainsbury’s, has predicted what we’re going to be growing, buying and eating in the future. Futurologists and plant scientists used consumer trends, scientific studies and took into account our growing environmental consciousness in consumer behaviour.
What Does This Mean?
There are some pretty ‘Black Mirror’ sounding ideas, like using A.I. to prescribe implants for our nutrients and smart labelling telling us what time a vegetable was harvested. But, what sort of food we might be putting in our trolleys and where it might be coming from.
In five years, the report predicts 25% of Britain to be vegetarian and 50% to be ‘flexitarian’. Thanks to more innovation, plant-based proteins are expected to rise by 25% and apparently the next dairy-free milk we’ll be glugging down is algae milk.
Protein from sustainable and less resource intensive sources like cricket and grasshopper flour will become the norm. By 2050 we may find seaweed in supermarkets next to local invasive species, such as jellyfish which have recently been found to hold tonnes of vitamins.
Fast forward 150 years and we’re told that we’ll be using ‘space farms’ on Marsto test out ways to grow year-round seasonal produce in unusable land like deserts. Just like Maaatt Daaamon in ‘The Martian.’
Why Should We Care?
Our current diets aren’t sustainable. The impact of predicted population growth on large scale livestock production and importations from across the world needs innovation to reduce the impact on our planet.
The Future of Food predictions are exciting as well as promising if they truly reflect the future and even though they may sound a bit far fetched, we know experiments with lab grown meat and farming unused spaces are already underway.
Be Curious!
What do you think?Have you tried any weird and wonderful planet-friendly food alternatives?
You don’t need to jump on a plane to Thailand to try them. Eat Grub insect snacks can be found in supermarkets near you. Great as a snack and a bev!
You can read the full report here
