Future Food: 3 Expert Predictions

For me, the important thing to focus on is not what’s becoming big, it’s why. Many people will say when sales of porridge oats see a boost that consumers are on a health kick, but I see beyond that. For me the ‘why’ is much more interesting than the ‘what’, as it reveals the finances, geopolitics and the economics of our culture.

“There’s a great number of food evolutions which we’ll see emerging over the next few years”
For me, one of the most exciting is water – across the world people are experiencing water shortages and droughts, and questioning the quality of their water supply. Water sommeliers are beginning to offer a myriad of different types of water, from tree sap and maple water to water which has been pumped with a flavoured gas so is calorie-free. ‘Melts’ are becoming popular as people care more about the provenance of their water, for example Icelandic water which is melted from glaciers. There’s actually a company creating icebergs and melting them! Water is going to become a luxury, both in the realms of food and entertainment – much more than simply filling a glass from the tap.

“The world of alcohol will change”
The younger generation are already changing their approach to alcoholic drinks, and new taxation will means that it becomes subsumed into foods, like boozy jams, instead. People will also play more with alcohol; there won’t be as much straight-up drinking to get drunk as we can see at the moment.

“Understanding the way our bodies work is becoming very important, as is recognising the individual needs each of us have”
Once we have a more personalised approach to keeping healthy, diets will become a thing of the past. DNA testing for the quantified-self is already on the rise. Survival will become more prominent, as will cutting out the middle man – I expect to see groups of people clubbing together to buy fruit fresh from the grower, for example, rather than individually from the supermarket.

Ultimately, these things aren’t a question of access, but awareness. Small independent retailers may not have the time to search out new trends and have their fingers on the pulse, while bigger businesses will have the manpower to do so. Big organisations often employ someone specifically to attend international food shows and seek the next big thing. This doesn’t mean that the future of food is beyond the realms of independent retail, though – Speciality Food readers just need to keep their eyes open all the time.

Find out more about Morgaine’s predictions in our June issue.