Personalised diets, artificial smell tech: Is this how we’ll eat in 2040?

What will the world of food retail be like in 2040? A recent report from global meal delivery platform Deliveroo identified several key trends that could shape the way consumers in Singapore and the wider APAC region approach food in the coming years.They include personalised diets, tailored to individuals’ biological, physical, mental, and sustainability needs using artificial intelligence (AI), meal experiences enhanced through technologies like VR dinner parties, and restorative restaurants.Personal tech devices  could provide deep insights into foods that suit an individual’s health based on an analysis of their breath, while consumers could also access their own lifelong AI buddy, helping automate and tailor their diet based on preferences and needs.Dining experiences may become fully immersive, utilising augmented imagery, audio, and packaging to elevate meal enjoyment, while advances in 3D printing technology could enable consumers to create perfectly portioned and nutritionally balanced meals at home.Artificial smell technology may also be incorporated into meal delivery platforms, allowing consumers to virtually smell and taste food before ordering.Daily staples will shift to include Asian yams, beans, and superfoods like petai, jackfruit, and cowpea, while alcohol alternatives fortified with vitamins and nutrients to promote healthy living may also be on the menu.Advancements in technologyBy 2040, augmented and virtual reality technologies will enable multi-sensory food experiences and virtual dining from anywhere in the world. The report emphasised the need to empower consumers with control over their food choices and highlighted the impact of climate change and overpopulation on future food shortages and diets.According to Yip Hon Mun, a senior adviser on sustainable food technology, the food sector could see accelerated investment leading to advances in data analytics, AI prediction, upgraded smart devices and 3D food printing.“Advances in AI accelerating the normalisation of hyper-personalised food services can include technologies that combine insights from demand forecasting with other product data such as shelf lives, shipments, and other factors to plan optimal inventory,” he told Inside Retail.Tom Cheesewright, a futurist, also believes that most people will have a personal AI assistant at some point, a virtual co-pilot for their lives, which will learn all about them by looking at signals of their physical and mental health, their tastes and preferences.“This will open the door to truly bespoke meal services, with recommended meal plans personalised to each person’s needs and tastes. The AI could even find them new flavours to experience, recognising the patterns in what they enjoy,” he told Inside Retail.He thinks VR technology will provide new ways to interact with food and enjoy mealtimes, allowing people to recreate food experiences which previously only existed in their dreams. “You could share a table with friends and family from around the world, or host your ultimate dinner party with celebrity guests from the past, present or future. Or even tuck into your pad thai takeaway in the virtual environment of Bangkok’s Khao San Road,” he added.The big pictureThe report also shed some light on efforts to create sustainably sourced food and customised meats that align with ethical and environmental standards. Singapore’s ‘30 by 30’ goal to sustainably produce 30 per cent of nutritional needs by 2030 is one example of this.“For instance, Israel-based Stakeholder Foods and Singapore-based Umami Meats collaborated on culturing grouper fish cells which are then 3D-printed in [a] fish fillet-like shape and texture,” Yip elaborated.Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) developed a new plant protein ink that can be used to create scaffolds to grow meat in laboratories in a more cost-effective way. “This edible ink is made up of agricultural grains like maize and barley which the team uses to 3D-print the scaffolds, providing the micro-sized structure for cells to be shaped in a desired way,” he explained.As a proof of concept, the team further cultivated pig muscle stem cells on the scaffold, incorporating beet extract to simulate the colour of real meat. Within just 12 days, the team successfully cultivated meat that was similar in texture and overall appearance to real meat. Unprecedented timesAccording to Luke Tay, founder of Cornucopia FutureScapes, a Singapore-based international foresight and strategy practice, we are living in a time of ‘polycrisis’ – the simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events –  which will hopefully be addressed through geopolitical dialogue and concerted climate action.If humanity continues to ignore the warnings, he believes the ‘new normal’ could involve dealing with sudden and unpredictable supply shocks, lockdowns and environmental stress events that restrict movement.“Robust logistics, including the last mile of urban delivery will be key to customers’ welfare and business success. Upstream and delivery operations themselves need to be hardened against these challenges. This would involve more automation, and robust measures for workers’ own health and safety,” he concluded.