Technology is always evolving, and that includes the food industry. For those in the food business, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. This way, you can be ahead of the curve and offer your customers the best possible experience.
In 2019, the global food technology market was valued at 220.32 billion US dollars. The market is expected to approach 342 billion US dollars by 2027 as a result of advancing food industry innovations and a demand for healthier, cheaper, and safer food items.
Here are 7 of the top food technology trends that you should be aware of.
1. Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is the next evolution of traditional technology. Its initial use was in video games, and it soon made its way into other realms. Nowadays, augmented reality is being used in different areas of daily life, including healthcare, education and even food products.
With the advancement of technology, more and more people are going to use augmented reality to experience new ways of eating delicious foods. In the near future, people will be able to move holograms around with ease.
This could enhance their cooking experience by giving their kitchen a homey feel. Everything from preparing a meal to using modern tools will become easier thanks to this new technology.
2. Artificial Intelligence
The food industry is full of various products, procedures, and ingredients, so it can be difficult to manage. Of course, there are already systems in place to make things easier. However, artificial intelligence offers a new way of doing things that’s much better than current methods.
For example, artificial intelligence can improve the efficiency of transportation. As an industry leader in the transportation field, Uber relies on technology for navigation and safety.
The company is working on developing artificial intelligence for self-driving cars so it can offer people a convenient alternative for transporting goods across the country — and eventually the world.
Artificial intelligence also has a lot to offer when it comes to food production. Artificial intelligence can help develop new methods of food production that are more environmentally friendly. The ability to use artificial intelligence for food processing will be huge for the future.
And there is no doubt that machines will eventually be able to hold full-fledged menu dialogues and take even the most complex orders.
3. IoT ( Internet of Things)
The internet of things (IoT) isn’t a new concept, but it’s one that keeps evolving. In the near future, IoT will continue to grow and become more integrated into society. The food industry uses IoT quite often, so it will be interesting to see how IoT develops in the future.
For example, the food industry uses various sensors that check the quality of foods at different points along the production process. These sensors are connected to a computer system that helps make it easy to track different metrics.
As technology improves and evolves further, consumers will start seeing more and more ways in which technology is used in food production. Furthermore, advances in blockchain technology and real-time food monitoring via Internet of Things (IoT) devices enable food brands to give end-to-end traceability.
4. 3D Printing
3D printing has been around for some time, but it got a lot of attention when it emerged as a useful tool in 3D printing. It’s great not only because of its ability to create new objects out of nothing but also because it can be used to create prototypes, which is a great way to test different concepts and ideas before they become part of a new product.
If you’ve wanted to have your own custom molds made (which are then used to cast plastic products), now’s your chance. The 3D printing industry is versatile, and there are many unexpected uses for it.
5. E-commerce
E-commerce has become a regular feature in many of our lives. However, this is set to change in the near future. E-commerce offers many benefits for consumers, especially when it comes to food.
Food purchased online can be delivered fast and affordable — and it’s easy for consumers to return if they don’t like what’s been delivered. E-commerce is also making it easier for customers to find the food items they want because more products are being sold online than ever before. The benefits of e-commerce also extend to retail stores, which will see fewer customers visit their stores because of the ease of purchasing products online.
6. GMOs
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a vital part of the food industry, and they offer numerous benefits to consumers. For one, they’re much safer than conventional foods, so they’re less likely to cause harmful side effects. GMOs aren’t completely safe, though. They can become contaminated and contaminate other food products.
However, there are measures in place to ensure that the food supply is safe from contamination by GMOs. In the future, GMO foods will be the norm for all types of food products, but there may still be some organic items that consumers would prefer to buy.
7. Plant-Based Protein
The food industry is constantly changing, and that includes the way people go about their daily meals. For example, plant-based protein has become more popular among consumers because it offers a different type of meal, which is healthier and can help consumers lead a healthier lifestyle.
Plant-based foods are also good for the environment because they have less of an impact on it compared to conventional foods. This means that plant-based foods not only taste good, but they’re also better for you and the environment too.
How Technology Has Affected Food
The food industry has gone through many changes over the years, and it’s directly affected by technology. For example, the introduction of satellites made it easier to track and manage food products.
This allowed for more streamlined operations, which led to an increased focus on efficiency. Today, people also use satellite images to gain a remote look at their food products as they grow in different parts of the world.
Technology also made it easier for consumers to find tasty foods from around the world. Thanks to international travel and e-commerce, people are able to order food from all around the globe without ever having to leave their homes.
Of course, there were systems in place before technology became popular with consumers. However, international travel and e-commerce made it easier to buy and sell food stuffs. Thanks to this, the food industry is one of the most active in e-commerce.
To improve efficiency, consistency, and scale during food manufacturing, the food and beverage sector employs robotics throughout the value chain.
The food industry also uses technology to help verify the authenticity of each item. This is important because consumers are more aware of where their food comes from, so they want to ensure that they’re getting real foods made with quality ingredients.
With technology, computers can help track products at every step along the production process, which ultimately makes it easier for companies to produce quality foods that meet all labeling requirements. Computer systems are also vital for keeping track of employee hours and maintaining precise records for tax purposes.
The Relationship Between Food and Technology
The food and beverage industry is all about technology — and it features a number of different ways that the food industry can improve the production process. However, as with any other industry, there are some concerns about GMOs and how they can affect our health. For example, some people worry about whether or not GMOs are safe to eat because they contain ingredients that are unapproved for human consumption.
By 2025, the global food processing business is anticipated to be worth $535 billion USD.
There are many benefits to GM crops from an environmental and economic perspective — but these benefits should be based on science rather than on speculation or marketing. For example, many people believe that it’s unreasonable to ask companies to label if their food is GMO-free when the scientific evidence shows that these foods are safe for human consumption.
7 Pros of Food Technology
1. Produce can be More Environmentally Friendly and More Nutritious
It’s important to pay attention to the food we eat, and this is especially true for environmental concerns. Of course, GMOs are a big cause for concern when it comes to food production — because they’re often genetically modified in order to produce certain types of plants that contain high levels of nutrients or produce specific products.
However, they can be a useful and effective form of food production. For example, they’ve enabled plants to produce more of a specific food product or be used in the production of new products altogether.
2. New Products can be Developed Quickly and Efficiently
As technology improves, we have the ability to create new products much more quickly than ever before. This is one reason why GMOs are an important part of the food industry — because GMOs have made it possible for people to create all types of different foods from plants and animals as well as new products that can’t be produced using conventional methods like growing fresh vegetables or meat in bulk quantities.
3. Technicians can Learn How to Improve Processes by Studying the Food and Beverage Industry
There are many opportunities for technicians and food scientists to look at the production process of a specific food item and determine how it can be improved. For example, technicians can look at historical records and find out which product is most popular each year, which new products consumers would like to have, and how best to diversify a product’s flavor profile or increase its nutritional value. This information can then be used as a guide for creating new products that fit consumer trends best.
4. There are Many Ways to Test Foods so They’re Safe for Consumption from Start to Finish
Because the food and beverage industry goes through so many stages, there are many ways to test foods to ensure that they’re safe for consumer consumption. For example, technicians may want to test a product during the beginning of the production process in order to make sure that it’s safe during production, but they may also want to test products at random points in order to make sure they don’t go bad or are contaminated while they’re being transported or stored.
That’s why it’s important for technicians and food scientists to learn about how food can become contaminated throughout the production process and how it can be prevented.
5. Production Takes Place all Over the World — Making Food Science a Global Industry
With the help of advancements like production methods, food science has become a global industry. For example, it’s no longer uncommon for companies and brands to sell their products throughout the world — which is especially true for large corporations that have identified a market for their product. This has made it possible for food scientists to work in different countries and even continents as part of the global food industry.
6. New Technologies can be Discovered by Analyzing How we Already Eat Today
It’s important to look at how people eat today so that we can discover new ways to improve our lifestyles or come up with new products that fit consumer trends best. For example, food science can be used to analyze the state of our food supply and find out where there’s room for improvement.
As a result, technicians can discover new foods that can be produced using existing technology or improve existing processes so that they meet all labeling standards.
7. Food Hatchers are Used to Grow Plants in Controlled Environments
This is an area that many people don’t think of when they think about the food industry. The truth is, that many food companies use methods like hatcheries to replicate natural environments in order to grow their products and meet consumer demand.
This is done in a controlled environment so that products can be grown to meet all labeling requirements. For example, if a company wants to grow tomatoes in the summer but vegetables need to be grown during the wintertime, hatcheries can help them produce tomatoes all year long.
8. Foods can be Made Without Being Genetically Modified
In order to keep our food safe from contamination, we need to avoid the use of GMOs. This is especially true because some foods are produced using genetic engineering techniques that are not allowed in many countries.
For example, it’s legal for only certain types of GMOs to be sold in many places in the United States — and it’s also illegal for companies to sell these foods directly to consumers.
The Future of Technology in the Food Industry
The food industry is constantly evolving and becoming more environmentally friendly — which means that technology is an important part of the food production process. The truth is that a lot of what we eat today is produced using technologies like GM crops, personalized nutrition, and hatcheries for plant production — and the future looks just as exciting.
With the help of advancements like robotics, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, and better sensors, the future looks exciting for technicians who work in the food industry. These advancements have given food scientists an edge over their competitors in terms of creating products that are safe for human consumption — and they’re likely to be some of the most important innovations in food science over the next couple of decades.
Last Updated on October 8, 2023 by Priyanshi Sharma