Food tech revolution
This article discusses the Food tech revolution in regard to the production, distribution, and consumption of food.
It encompasses a wide range of innovations, including but not limited to plant-based meat substitutes, cultivated meat, fermentation-based substitutes vertical farming, 3D-printed food, and blockchain technology for food safety and traceability.
Food tech is focused on creating more sustainable, efficient, and personalized solutions for the food industry, while also addressing challenges such as food waste, environmental impact, and food security.
Advancements in Food Tech
Innovations in the food tech space are rapidly advancing toward making the food industry more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive. Some of the recent advancements include cultivated meat, fermentation-based substitutes vertical farming, 3D-printed food, and blockchain technology for food safety and traceability. These innovations are changing the way we produce and consume food, and are paving the way for a more sustainable and ethical food industry.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a key issue in the food industry and food tech is offering solutions to some of the biggest environmental and ethical challenges. Alternative products hold the promise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, less use of land and water, and more circular production models.
Plant-based products can reduce animal suffering but still depends on plants that need water, land, fertilizers, etc. As long as we use plants to create alternative products we will be at the mercy of climate change. Assuming massive adoption of plant-based products would need a repurposing of current practices (e.g. reducing the use of soy as feed) and instead focus on consumer adoption.
Vertical farming provides a year-round supply of fresh produce with minimal environmental impact; however, this practice is suffering from internal disease control and high energy usage. A likely solution to the latter is through the innovation of energy-efficient illumination systems. These sustainable food tech solutions are making it easier for consumers to make environmentally and socially responsible choices. Another benefit is that products could be fresher and closer to consumers.
Cultivated meat, also known as cultured meat or cell-based meat, is meat that is grown from animal cells in controlled conditions without the need for animal slaughter. It could become a more ethical and sustainable alternative to traditional meat in the future to cover the needs of flexitarians. A recent LCA study found that this could be an environmentally friendly solution assuming the process is run with renewable energy (e.g. wind and photovoltaics).
Algae-based foods are attractive because algae can grow with sugars or carbon dioxide and light. They are highly nutritious and sustainable, making them an attractive food source for the future. They can be used to make a variety of foods, such as plant-based burgers, sushi, and snacks.
Insects are a highly sustainable and protein-rich food source solution that could become more popular in the future, especially in regions where they are already consumed, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They can be grown in controlled environments and potentially contribute to a circular production model by recycling food remains or undesired fruits and vegetables.
3D-printed technology could be used to create customized and visually appealing foods in the future. Companies are using it to create whole-cut meat or fish alternatives. Although promising, this solution may be very far to be deployed globally. This seems to be a restricted niche for rich countries.
Fermentation-enabled alternatives are grown in controlled environments called bioreactors or fermenters similar to the ones used to produce beer. They can operate all year round with minimal effort with automation. Biomass fermentation refers to the upcycling of food-grade sidestreams to create biomass rich in protein. Biomass fermentation can be in the liquid or solid state depending on the approach and substrates available.
Precision fermentation is used to create ingredients such as proteins like casein using yeast or fungi as production hosts. Essentially, we use molecular biology tools to teach this organism to produce this new protein. These production hosts are grown in bioreactors as well and most likely with a defined sugar and media composition. The end result is animal-free dairy products.
Hybrid fermentation has a more historic background. Tempeh for instance has been consumed for millennia. Now companies are looking into using microbes to ferment grains used in plant-based products to reduce off-flavors and enhance organoleptic properties.
Recent studies found that replacing animal meat with microbial protein could halve deforestation and associated CO2 emissions.
Blockchain technology is a promising solution for improving food safety, reducing food fraud, and increasing transparency in the food industry. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative uses of blockchain in food tech.
Blockchain & traceability
Blockchain could help to increase transparency and trust in the food industry. Consumers can use blockchain apps to trace back the products they consume, thus helping them to make more informed choices about what they eat. Applying this technology to the food industry would add transparency to the journey of food products from the farm to the consumer.
Efficiency
Food tech innovations are increasing the efficiency of the food industry. Technologies are improving the speed and accuracy of food distribution and reducing food waste. Innovations may come in different colors and shapes depending on the solution.
In the plant-based sector, for example, it is important to select better cultivars, repurpose the current production, and improve crop yield while reducing fertilizer inputs.
In solutions that depend on energy to run operations i.e. vertical farming or fermentation, it is key to integrate renewable energy into the process. The main reason for this is that the cost of wind and photovoltaics have dramatically gone down.
Overall, all food tech solutions should invest in improving process efficiency in terms of water and energy, develop a closed-loop operation, and valorize sidestreams when possible.
Challenges
Key challenges to drive global change in consumers basically relate to how food tech solutions will deliver equal if not better than animal products in the following categories: health benefits, price parity (costs), taste, and sustainability.
Health benefits are concerned about what they put in their body. Hence products should be clean-label when possible.
Cost is another driver that scares consumers to switch to alternative products. This is because of the premium on the products. Production cost need to go significantly down to be able to reach price parity.
Taste is a key driver for adoption. If alternative products are to become the new normal, they should deliver in taste with a score of 10/10. Otherwise, it is unlikely that consumers will switch. This is particularly important if the target group is flexitarians. If the target group is vegetarians or vegans, then it is likely that these groups are already familiar with a certain degree of dissimilarity. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of the global population falls under this category.
Sustainability is a driver encouraging consumers to take more responsible choices in the products they consume. The traceability of the entire supply chain is an underexplored area. The current movement indicates that consumers want products that are better for the planet and food tech solutions should deliver in this area as well.
Final remarks
Food tech is transforming the food industry and providing solutions to some of the grand challenges of our time. Food tech solutions are enabling a more ethical, efficient, environmentally responsible alternative to the current products in the market.
As technology continues to develop, exciting solutions in the food tech ecosystem will further revolutionize the way we produce, distribute, and consume food.
