How Technology Is Changing Food As We Know It
May 20, 2019 | catering Yorkshire
Eating and drinking is a natural, primeval need, and our love for food has meant that ingredients have been experimented with since the dawn of day to create the delicious dishes that we now know and love. However, while sweet and sour chicken and spaghetti bolognese might be familiar to most of us now, they are relatively recent inventions in the history of food.
With so many changes having already occurred over the centuries, it is exciting to imagine how our relationship with food, tastes, and cooking methods will alter in the future.
That is why London Food Tech Week has become so interesting to a lot of people and attracts visitors from all over the country trying to find out the impact technology will have on the dishes we love the most.
Taking place this week (May 20th to May 24th), the festival has been established to celebrate food technology, connect those working in the sector and encourage the spread of innovative ideas.
A spokesperson for the event stated: “There is a surge in innovation happening in food and drink. We’re pushing scientific boundaries, exploring the earth for new ingredients, recognising the planetary implications of our past techniques, and understanding our bodies like never before.”
As a result, new trends are emerging in the market, including nano-technology, lab-grown meat, harnessing multiple senses to change the perception of ingredients, and fermentation.
In addition to looking at how food production could develop over the next few years, the festival will also examine how technology could change consumers’ food shopping habits, dining out, customer experiences, meal planning, and cooking.
On the last day of the event, businesses in food technology will have the opportunity to share ideas, network, and chat with investors who might be interested in start-up companies.
It is not just small businesses that are set to benefit from the week-long event, as head of innovation at Nestle Gerardo Mazzeo stated: “It’s a great way to reach our open innovation objectives, scout for partnerships and spot those industry trends so we can continue to delight consumers around the world.”
This comes after Sainsbury’s made its predictions about what will happen to the food industry over the next 150 years. It estimated bio-fortification to become more widespread by 2025, with more medical professionals prescribing bio-fortified foods for health reasons.
The supermarket chain also anticipated cultured meat will become an everyday item by 2050, saying: “Sainsbury’s could be selling home lab-grown meat kits which can be picked up from the ‘lab-grown’ aisle.”
Customised crops, allowing consumers to know where their fruit or vegetables were planted and when they were picked, could also become normal in 30 years’ time.
Beyond this, the retail giant estimated technology could advance to allow barren landscapes to become fertile, and personal microchips could store and analyse genetic, health and situational data from each individual. These would then inform the person what they should be eating and drinking for optimum nutrition.
While the potential developments in food technology are exciting, many people like the simplicity and familiarity of traditional, well-known and loved meals, from sandwiches to party food. If you want to order delicious and reliable catering in Yorkshire for a special event, get in touch with us today.
