www.foodtechnology.co.nz 17 market yards for selling their produce. It will also negate inflation of retail prices. As people flock to live in cities, the challenges of delivering safe, nutritious and sustainable food is paramount. Agricultural practices will need to be embedded into urban areas. Closed loop, vertical farms on the top of sky rise buildings, supermarkets, offices and central city gardens will be in abundance. Social farming organisations will empower communities connecting the end consumer to the producer, providing jobs, training and inclusion into a community of farmers and foodies. As society become increasingly urbanised, food will need to fit into consumers’ lifestyle requirements. Products will be offered in many varieties; single serve ‘on the go’ packaging will be in demand, as consumers have less time to think about food preparation while in transit with fast-paced lifestyles. Significant personalisation of products will require an intimate knowledge of lifestyles to create solutions. Packaging will be edible, it will have zero impact on the environment, and will utilise by-products and co-products. Larger traditional forms of farming will rely solely on natural solar energy; precision agriculture will ensure no resource goes wasted. Not only will they be able to operate off natural and sustainable resources, solar panels on farms will enable the sale of energy to utilities and big companies, providing secondary income for farmers. Consumers will challenge and scrutinise everything they put in their mouths as there is an increasing focus on health. Products will no longer just be products, they be tailored to meet every single nutritional requirement the consumer demands. Pharmaceutical companies will leverage on this, as the gap between nutrition and medicine is closed. Functional, high-health foods will permeate the market as we transition from curative healthcare to preventative, and consumers actively seek out options to optimise the function of their bodies. Food companies will be positioned as nutritional businesses, providing scientifically enhanced functional foods. Protein options will be challenged; cellular agriculture will provide cheap options for mainstream nutrition, as high-value animal products will be demanded as a premium. Consumers will accept these alternative protein options, cellular and plant, as they are better for the environment, eliminate animal safety issues, and can be tailored to meet the exact nutritional desirability of the end consumer. In a rapidly transforming world, a holistic view of the entire agriculture and food system needs to be adopted. Individuals and organisations come together with different intentions and desired outcomes but all contribute to the innovation and technology advances that are being seen across the entire value chain of agri-food as we fuse agriculture, food and technology. KPMG food futurist Emma Wheeler
FT-Nov17-eMag
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