A new protein that is created from air and water. Autonomous food delivery robots that can support the campus of a large state university. The rise of electric vehicles. A grocer that offers a vibrant, fresh, locally grown produce shopping experience, as well as a dark store that ships non-perishable items direct to the consumer.
Over the past year, seismic shifts in consumer food preferences and eating behaviors have created waves of upheaval across the value chain. These changes have resulted in the largest investment in innovation that the industry has ever seen. The food system is fundamentally changing from a commodity-driven supply chain focused on scale to a personalized and value-added food and agriculture ecosystem. Disruption is coming in multiple forms, shaped by world events, consumer dynamics, technology and investments from traditional and nontraditional sources. This reality is playing out in crop inputs to grocery stores, in restaurants, in homes and everywhere in between. Industry players are simultaneously reacting to a relentless stream of new consumer demands while plotting their future in a post-pandemic world.
The transformation of the global food industry is happening now. It is a reality that is both exhilarating and daunting for the diverse range of companies which work to feed the world’s nearly 8 billion people. Some of these changes were simply accelerated by the pandemic. Others will take a little more time to move beyond the concept stage. But make no mistake, the industry as we know it is undergoing systematic transformation, revolutionizing not only the way food is produced, but also the way consumers engage with it. The food system is being reimagined, shaped by a focus on the consumer, the planet, and connections.