IFE, the International Food & Drink Event is a must-visit every year. And this year didn’t disappoint. The three-day show was packed with a diverse range of brands and products, providing insight into new trends and offerings in the food and drink industry.

One of our top talks was hosted by The Food People who took a closer look at emerging trends & disruptive technologies in the food system.

Head of retail Becks shares some of the talk’s key take outs.

Emerging & disruptive technologies

Why do we need disruptive technologies in food and drink? Our modern intensive agriculture and food system produces more than enough calories to feed 7.8 billion of us: the biggest global population in human history. But the food we eat – and the way we produce it – is damaging to our planet and to our human health.

Shockingly WWF and Tesco, revealed an estimated 2.5 billion tonnes of food goes uneaten around the world every year. These estimates reveal that of all food grown, approximately 40% goes uneaten.

Professor Cathie Martin, John Innes Centre, said: “Now is the time to turn it around: invest in more resilient food systems that protect the hungry, address malnutrition, reduce GHG emissions, promote biodiversity, and generate decent work and livelihoods for all.”

Our food system has to perform a herculean task of reducing its impact on the planet and human health and hence the demand for disruptive technologies to accelerate progress against targets and satisfy consumers demand for healthier, ethical, environmentally positive food.

Three of the top emerging trends:

• Cellular agriculture, the production of animal-based products from cell cultures, rather than directly from animals, is moving closer to commercialisation with many countries making commitments to invest. Upside Foods is an innovator in the space, producing delicious meat grown directly from animal cells. Perfect Day is another example of a brand rethinking everything. They are pioneering animal-free milk protein, made by fermentation, a process they say is ‘safe, proven, natural and delicious’.
• Next-gen fungi-based food is another trend to lead in the future of food. Take Mushlabs, a biotech company using fermentation to create the next generation of sustainable foods from the roots of mushrooms. They are growing mushroom mycelium to create delicious and healthy raw ingredients for meat alternative products and believe in a food system that provides accessible nutrition whilst also preserving our planet.
• 3D printed meat is the next top trend and is projected to grow at a CAGR value of 55.5% by 2026. Made using plant-based ingredients such as soy, pea protein, beetroot & chickpeas, could significantly reduce the environmental impact of meat consumption and save water, land & energy. Juicy Marbles, a collective of creators has got us covered, with their prime plant deli, offering a whole world of options from thick-cut fillet to whole-cut loin, and it looks as good as it sounds!