Trends in the future of food

Cape Town 130821- Moses Tintelo checks out the fish tank at Moyo restaurant. Moyo restaurant is using fish faeces as the fertiliser for their out door vegetable garden in Waterfront. Picture Cindy waxa.Reporter Argus

Cape Town 130821- Moses Tintelo checks out the fish tank at Moyo restaurant. Moyo restaurant is using fish faeces as the fertiliser for their out door vegetable garden in Waterfront. Picture Cindy waxa.Reporter Argus

Published Jan 22, 2014

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Berlin - If the experts are right, the foods of the future will be functional and smooth - at least for the affluent part of the world's population. Here are a few of the trends in food we will likely be hearing more about in future.

 

FUNCTIONAL FOOD

German trend scout Sven Gabor Janszky says there is a clear trend towards more food supplements.

Janszky says in a few years there will be yogurts that will promise to make you more efficient for a few hours and drinks that claim to make you more creative. Healthier, more beautiful, more efficient - these are the three attributes that functional food promises. Energy drinks and anti-aging drinks are two examples of functional foods that already exist.

 

ELECTRONIC ASSISTANT SYSTEMS

Smartphones, tablet computers and other electronic devices will soon actively advise you on what to eat.

Janszky says they will be able to measure what vitamins and minerals the owner's body lacks.

Janszky says he can see a time when the stove can give you tips on what an expected guest likes to eat - if that person has entered his culinary wishes and desires in the corresponding software package.

 

SMOOTH FOOD

Demographic developments in some western countries are the driving force behind smooth food, defined by book author Herbert Thill as food that has been cut, blended or mashed to make it easier to eat.

Senior citizens have different needs, says Christian Schindler, who has researched this area. Taste buds become less efficient as we get older, the body craves salty food more and meals must be easy to chew.

 

AQUAPONICS FARMING

This type of farming produces fish and vegetables in enclosed growing systems. The word is a compound of “aquaculture” (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants using mineral nutrients without soil). Aquaponics capitalises on the fact that fish and plants require similar environments for growth.

 

URBAN GARDENING

Increasing numbers of city dwellers will be growing their own food, according to futurist Christian Schindler. Urban gardening is a communal effort where people come together to rent an empty piece of land to grow vegetables.

 

REUSE FOOD

Author of the Food Report 2014 Hanni Ruetzler says reusing food has become a hot topic. The aim is to throw as little uneaten food away as possible. The internet is full of suggestions of where you can donate food you cannot eat. One platform called reusemarketplace.org in the US provides regional information on where to donate, trade or sell surplus food.

 

FLEXITARIAN

“This word describes a new type of diet that occasionally includes meat,” explains Hanni Ruetzler. Flexitarians are picky about what type of meat to eat - it must be top quality.

 

PACKAGE DESIGN

Food packaging design will play a huge role in future, says futurist Christian Schindler. Packaging helps give a product an image and a good design can make it easier to sell a certain type of food at a premium price. There are even blogs such as The Dieline that dedicate their output to product packaging. - Sapa-dpa

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