The world’s population continues to grow. We have an estimated 7.4 billion people now, and could reach as high as 11.2 billion by the year 2100 ( https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth ). Which leads to a number of questions, especially “What will we eat?”
Don’t worry, someone is working on that. An article entitled “5 High-Tech Foods You’ll Be Eating by 2043 — and How Much They’ll Cost” by Kristen Bahler gives us a glimpse into our gastronomical future. Bahler describes the progress(?) being made at Alpha Food Labs, a company that makes prototypes of what we may soon find in the supermarkets. Here are some of the “concept foods” Alpha is developing.
Polyculture Polenta (likely price $6.99) — Farmers usually plant the same crops every year — a process that wears out the soil. One solution is biodiverse agricultural techniques like “companion planting,” which would include certain vegetables for efficiency and pest control. Alpha envisions a polenta product that uses beans, squash, and corn, all grown in the same patch.
Faux Fin Soup (likely price: $88.88) — Shark fin soup is a controversial delicacy, but it’s a cruel and wasteful fishing practice. With “cellular agriculture,” a technique used to grow meat from animal cells, you can have your soup without endangering any sharks.
Potato CRISPRs (likely price:$2.75) — You may already know that CRISPR is a promising new gene-editing technology. It can also be used to create mushrooms that don’t brown and drought-tolerant soybeans. In this case, CRISPR could help produce potatoes with specific textures or tastes.
AnalyzeMe (likely price $36.79) — While not a food, this is a pill that will record your digestive-system bacteria and offer personalized nutritional recommendations. (And you thought a Fitbit was useful.)
Block Bird’s (likely price: $10.99) — “The world’s most transparent chicken” owes its existence to blockchain technology — the same technique that tracks bitcoins. This means a chicken’s complete life cycle could be tracked via electronic sensors. The result would be higher standards, and food emergencies like salmonella outbreaks could be isolated “in seconds.”
Is this a glimpse into our food future? The article is available at http://time.com/money/5347676/food-technology-future-blockchain-chicken/? . The photo came from that site.