The modern food system as we know it today was made possible by the Green Revolution, which began when fertilisers first became available in 1913. This enabled highly productive crop production, providing an abundant and reliable supply of food across the globe.
Today, our food system is massively globalised, with diverse foods from various cultures readily available worldwide, and global brands offering a host of identical products from country to country.
Although the food system has enabled abundant reliable food supply, it has come at a great expense to our environment. Food production is responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, 80% of deforestation activities, and 78% of global ocean and freshwater eutrophication.
As discussed in my previous blog, the Planetary Boundaries Framework, developed by leading scientists, quantifies the transgressions we currently face that are leading to unprecedented pressure on the stability of our Earth System. Currently, six of the nine boundaries have been transgressed, with the global food system acting as a major driver of this.
Therefore, it is paramount for us to transform the ways we produce, distribute, and consume foods.
Novel food innovations have the potential to alleviate the pressures on all nine planetary boundaries to form a more sustainable food system capable of feeding over 9 billion people by 2050.
For instance, cultivated meat offers the opportunity for large-scale land rewilding, reductions in or no antibiotic use, elimination of methane-producing livestock, higher production efficiency, and drastic reductions in water use and contamination associated with conventional meat production.
The foods we choose to produce and consume are directly impacting all nine planetary boundaries, critically exacerbating the biodiversity and climate crises we currently face. Our food system must drastically evolve over the next two decades to restore the stability of the Earth System for future generations to ensure the continuation of reliable food production.
Along with globalised supply chains, the rise of social inequalities and promotion of the consumption of ultra-processed foods. These problems must be addressed as we transition towards a future food system that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable.
There are a multitude of interconnected socio-economic, environmental, technological, and geopolitical drivers that are shaping our food system, as summarised in the diagram below.
For example, a key technological driver will be the emergence of robotic autonomous kitchens by 2050. Imagine a future where your smart home kitchen autonomously prepares and cooks your dinner for you from scratch for when you return from work, activated by a simple click on your smartphone app.
Furthermore, there will be drastic changes to the ways we choose foods. Envision walking into a supermarket wearing a pair of smart augmented reality glasses, and as you pick up each food item key information flashes before your eyes on the sustainability, nutrition, and origins of the food, even syncing to your personalised nutrition plan. This transparency will transform access to information more so than ever before.
These technologies are being developed today. In fact, we are already seeing products such as “Ray Ban Meta Glasses” emerging on the market, as well as ultra-personalised nutrition and health services such as ZOE and Inside Tracker, and the world’s first fully autonomous kitchens.
Yes… this is already happening today!
These evolving capabilities and more will become the norm in society by 2050, with the food system shifting in ways we cannot currently conceive.
The changes to the food system we will see over the next 25 years will be more than we experienced over the entire 20th century. This shift will occur due to rapid technological advancements and rising environmental pressures, creating opportunities for disruptive stakeholders that will eventually overtake incumbent companies.
This food system disruption is both necessary and inevitable. Still, it must be navigated in the most ‘Just’ way possible to ensure farmers can adapt their practices and supply chains can be successfully reconfigured.
Farmers will need to embrace change and adapt their business models. For example, with the rise of cultivated meat, farmers can provide cell biopsies to cultivated meat companies, or produce crops for growth media feedstocks.
Many farmers will embrace new “smart farm” technologies utilising AI, humanoid robotics, and the development of digital twins for efficient and precise tracking. The possibilities are endless, and those that embrace this change can continue to be profitable in 2050.
We currently stand at a crucial crossroads where our decisions will markedly determine the future of our planet and its ability to sustain human life.
The solutions we are researching and implementing today must strive to bring the planetary boundary transgressions back within the safe operating space for humanity.
This is the most critical time for innovative disruptive technologies to emerge and reshape our food system in a positive and sustainable way, that will benefit our future generations.
Download our Thought Leadership Paper, Future Food System 2050, to find out more. This comprehensive paper discusses in detail the drivers shaping the food system, and paints a picture of what 2050 will look like across the food system from farm to fork.
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