Tags: Food supply, Food demand, Food composition, Sustainability, Globalization, Consumer choices, New technologies

In terms of demographics, we all now recognize that with the world’s population growing to around 7bn by 2020 and 9bn by 2050, meeting our collective nutritional needs is going to be a stretch. Adding on to this is the growing middle class in Asia and Africa, who are demanding more of the less calorically efficient western diet, and, as a consequence, there will be a significant strain on world food resources. Moreover, with an ageing world demanding new healthful foods and a more fragmented market demanding more customization and personalization, food companies are asking how they can deliver the right food to the developed world while delivering enough food to meet the needs and desires in Asia and Africa. We are in a world of paradox where a growing portion of the developed world is obese at the same time as 15% of the global population is facing hunger and malnutrition as they can’t afford to buy the basics. As a result food suppliers are looking for ways to both design foods to help some people eat less while also delivering food that is a affordable, safe and nutritious for those who need more. How can we best balance this equation?

Future Agenda - Initial perspective on Future of Food.pdf