2021- A turning point for food tech?

 

"There is science in all of the food, but we don't talk about it. ...The way it's cooked, the way it's harvested, the way it's cleaned, washed, combined with other ingredients, is all based on science,” says Jonathan McIntyre, CEO of Motif FoodWorks.

Researchers are trying to come up with different types of food by applying new technologies and the scenario of the food business is changing. 

The first cell-based chicken was put on the menu of a Singapore restaurant in late 2020 and some companies are confident that it’ll be introduced in the United States food market this year.

Technology, like CRISPR, is used by companies to make crops more preferable for consumers through genetic modification.  After decades of research and development, the first genetically modified animal product called AquAdvantage salmon is said to hit the market this year.

India’s online food ordering market is said to grow from $4 billion to $7.5-8 billion by 2022, according to the reports by Google and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Wider internet penetration into 2nd and 3rd tier markets has worked as an impetus for online food companies like Grofers, BigBasket, Zappfresh, Licious and Milkbasket. 

The food industry is adopting technology by using mobile-based apps and tech-integration like QR-scanned menu, contactless payment, online meals customisation, knowing ingredients and online tracking.  

Today, the consumers` do not want to compromise on the quality of food they order online. They are aware of the food fraud and with rapid digitisation, they can be well-informed regarding the ingredients used in their food, variety of hygiene factors and more. 

The pandemic has made the consumers cautious and they give importance to health and hygiene factors which have led to a change in the food-tech industry and is growing rapidly by acquiring all the changes.