This is how we will eat in 30 years: seaweed, vegetable meat and insects

The planet is facing a huge challenge over the next three decades, as population growth combines with climate change mitigation. These two opposing forces have a major impact on the way we eat, or rather the food we eat. That is why in coming years, we will witness a food revolution that will change the diet of millions of people.

On the one hand, the UN expects the planet to exceed the 10-billion-inhabitant threshold, 2 billion more than the current figure. At the same time, the fight against global warming is forcing many governments to implement sustainability measures. In fact, around 200 governments have agreed to back the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This historic framework proposes to preserve 30% of Earth's land and aquatic habitats, while aiming to meet 23 specific biodiversity-related goals by 2030.

That figure of 10 billion inhabitants may sound somewhat hollow; however, this figure translates into a need to increase global food production by 56%, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Unfortunately, the Earth’s resources are finite and there simply isn’t enough surface area to produce that much food. To tackle this problem, the concept of smart farming has emerged.

This initial step in the process of change involves making agriculture more efficient by using technology (AI, satellites and big data) to ramp up global food production by 8.5%, according to the study From Traditional to Smart: Exploring the Effects of Smart Agriculture on Green Production Technology Diversity in Family Farms, published by the College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University (China). However, this appears to fall well short of the food revolution that is needed.

The real change will take place in diet and will come with the new foods that will be marketed, such as lab-grown meat, seaweed and edible insects.

In the case of lab-grown meat, the consulting firm AT Kearney predicts that by 2040, 60% of meat will be produced from cells or made from vegetable products. The same study states that this would translate into a market share of 35% within two decades. 

Seaweed is not new; after all, a number of the species of creatures inhabiting the Earth have been eating some of its more than 140 edible varieties for the last 8,000 years. The most positive aspect of this product is that it is not just a plant-based resource, but it can mitigate the effect of climate change by capturing atmospheric CO2.

According to estimates by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the market for dietary supplements made with algae could reach an annual value of 1.5 billion by 2040. This industry could generate up to 9,000 jobs and contribute to a 10% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions.

Eating insects may be the least appetizing option of all. But these small bugs can provide an effective solution to mitigate climate change, since they reduce emissions by 95% and energy consumption by 62%. However, these foods are likely to be introduced in the form of processed products such as flour or protein bars. 

Other foods are poised to disappear. In fact, two of them are among the most beloved and consumed products of all, namely chocolate and coffee. According to Oxfam Intermón, cocoa cultivation could be eradicated within the next 20 years. By 2050, the area suitable for coffee cultivation will have halved due to a combination of drought and rising global temperatures. This decline is one of the consequences of climate change.

In addition to the above, the food industry is facing the challenge of better water and waste management in coming years. The proportion of the total available food that is lost or wasted throughout the production and supply chain is relatively constant worldwide and is estimated to be between 30% and 35%.

According to the World Economic Forum, seven foods that now sound exotic and unfamiliar will be staples in our diet in a matter of a few years. Foods like pandanus (or pandan fruit), Morama beans, fonio grain and 'fake' bananas are highly residual seeds, fruits and vegetables whose characteristics mean they may become a popular mainstay in pantries and refrigerators.