In the predictions of how rapidly our world will change in the next 10, 20 or 50 years, many topics are discussed, especially technological ones. We are surrounded by smart homes, smartphones, cars, artificial intelligence at every turn. All this leads to thinking, since everything is moving forward – what will happen to the food?

Global strategists are guided by the fact of increasing population on the planet, and reducing sustainable resources to feed them. Statistics predict lack of animals on farms, as a global trend, and deficiency of people ready for a hard physical work in agriculture. And, let’s not lie, the vegan lobby is growing rapidly, narrowing down the possible choices for many.

One of the development strategies is to make insects edible, as a good source of protein, and a large number of species are edible for humans. But, somehow, as long as we call them insects, for “sophisticated” Europeans, Americans it is a problem. For some parts of the world, such as Thailand and many Asian countries, this is not a problem. The first steps have been taken to make powder from insects to make burgers and steaks, and pasta flour is already in use on the New Zealand market. Please, the next time you find moths or other insects in a package of flour, don’t complain to the manufacturer, be trendy, move towards the future with small steps 🙂

In addition to insects, another view of the food of the future is algae and the richness of omega 3 fatty acids and the vegan view of the whole world. The big advantage of algae is that they can be grown in the oceans, which are currently an unused resource for food production. Compared to insects, I could personally prepare, serve and eat algae for lunch.

From predictions about nanotechnology, 3D food printing, GMO food, powdered food in tablets, even the idea that at some stage of development man will be able to photosynthesize like a plant and thus provide energy, my head is spinning a little. To me, an old traditionalist, who grew up on homemade, household food, grown around us, and processed at home.

That is why it is so difficult to accept these predictions and believe in them, but other views on the development of food habits and food itself are more acceptable.

For example, futuristic predictions that talk about reliable diagnostics of the food we eat. Today, we often have no idea what we buy in the supermarket or what was served to us in a restaurant, where did the eggs come from? Where is the chicken raised? How are tomatoes grown?

Although all food must and has a declaration, we believe less and less what is written on that declaration. And to be honest, as more and more people live in urban areas, the chances of any of us having our own garden are very slim. On the other hand, excessively processed food takes its toll, which is most visible in the rise of various food allergies – it is believed that there are 220 to 250 million people in the world suffering from nutritional allergies.

In recent years, several “tech” companies have invested a lot of money in the development of food scanners that will be able to detect how many grams, calories, sugar, salt, what proportion of fruit, the exact percentage of alcohol and fat composition, whether they are of vegetable or animal origin, the presence pesticides, antibiotics. The basis of this technology is that each molecule under certain light reflects a unique color. The scanner illuminates, reads and collects information, which it compares with the database for each molecule, and based on this, reliable information is obtained about type of food.

Another problem of modern man is the constant change in nutritional trends. In one moment, milk is declared as harmful, and in the next that it is an irreplaceable source of calcium, one type of diet says “no bread at all”, another says “only in the morning”, the third says “just not from white flour”. I believe that a person today can trust only his body, the reaction of the organism, regardless of recommended food.

This is exactly the inspiration for “Silicon Valley” startups that have started seriously dealing with food personalization applications. Based on each person’s DNA, it will be possible to clearly determine which foods, which combination, which quantity, and at what time of day it is good for each of us to eat. Based on this information, we will be able to develop recipes, shopping lists, order food…

Hmm, I wonder if these apps will be useful in parts of the world where people are more hungry than full, (statistics estimate that more than 800 million people worldwide are hungry). Rather, I think they are intended for developed countries, where we have replaced the basic need to eat in order to live with an epidemic of obesity and diseases that are the result of an immoderate and unhealthy diet. In short – we live to eat.

Although global awareness is changing, although compared to the statistics of 20 years ago, the number of hungry people has decreased, still 800 million is 800 million. Maybe the world project for this global problem is just food from a test tube. Although scientists have succeeded in creating a meat burger in the laboratory, they still have not been able to achieve the taste of meat that is widely known and accepted. In the years to come, science will advance in that direction as well.

Maybe all this will be like this, maybe it won’t, but I wonder how those habits of feeling the food of our grandmother’s kitchen by the smell, by the taste, by the feeling of warmth, tenderness, love, childhood, how it will be compensated. Or will there be generations that will no longer have this feeling?

In the end, I can still imagine my kitchen of the future, where I will keep my roots firmly in place and, like my grandmother and grandmother before her, I will fry the dumplings and serve them with young cream. At the same time, my husband will use a 3D printer to print a “low carb” personalized favorite dish, my son will use a scanner to tell him if there are eggs in the cake, daughter will use another scanner to count the calories of the served dish or make an insect shake in algae milk.

But the bottom line, what is important to me is that we will all sit together, at the same table, and regardless of the progress of technology, changes in the way of eating, we will be together in that beautiful, age-old ritual of a family meal. How do you imagine the nutrition of the future and are you looking forward to it?

 

The author of this article is Food Quality and Safety Director.