Future food systems

The food system includes everything related to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food, as well as how we dispose of it. That means the environment, people, processes, infrastructure, institutions and the effects of their activities on our society, economy, landscape and climate.

Combating malnutrition is one of today’s greatest health challenges. Globally, over 800 million people are chronically undernourished, facing daily food shortages, while more than 1.9 billion adults are overweight, of whom over 650 million are defined as obese.

The world’s population is expected to rise from 7 to 8.5 billion by 2030, and to 9.7 billion by 2050. According to the FAO, food supply will have to increase 60% by 2050 to meet demand.

In 2016, over 9% of the EU population was unable to afford a quality meal every second day. That’s 43 million people.

Globally, countries whose diet is currently based on rice and vegetables are now tending to shift towards diets that are more heavily dependent on animal products. This requires more available land.

High-quality land, water and nutrients are needed to produce food. These are under threat due to over-exploitation, pollution, the impact of climate change, competition for land and shortage of available water.

Over the last fifty years, advances in food production technology have largely kept pace with demand on a global basis. Today, around 6 billion people do not go hungry, a considerable improvement upon the situation 50 years ago when a larger share of the world population was starving.

Alternative food networks are food systems that go against conventional food supply chains for ethical, environmental or economic reasons. These rapidly expanding food networks are typified by the growth in sales of fair trade, organic, local, regional and speciality foods, and projects such as farmers’ markets, permaculture, box schemes, allotments and community fridges.

Biopesticides control pests in agriculture using naturally-occurring substances. Integrated Pest Management strategies emphasise crop growth with the least possible disruption to ecosystems. Both have been suggested as solutions to sustainably replace conventional pesticides in farming.

Up to 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the food system. Excessive and sometimes improper use of fertilisers and pesticides has also led to a degradation of soil and water quality. Improper management of agricultural waste contributes to local and regional air pollution.

The combined environmental costs of food production is estimated to amount to some $12 trillion per year, increasing to $16 trillion by 2050.

In recent years, food production methods and systems have been increasing in scale and intensity in a globalised context. This transformation in the economy of food production has seen the rise of integrated ‘agri-business’ and multinational manufacturers, the process of retail concentration, and increasing distance between producers and consumers.

This trend in food systems focuses on communicating value-laden information about the place of production to consumers. Many European countries have a long tradition of communicating origin and place-based food quality to consumers and EU law protects many geographical indications.

The biodiversity of natural ecosystems provides important, although largely unvalued, services to both human populations and the environment: providing food, purifying water, controlling floods and droughts and regulating climate. At global level, biodiversity has been declining for decades. If the destruction of ecosystems is not addressed sustainably, losses will be irreversible.

Advances in genome engineering offer immense potential for modern animal and plant breeding. New possibilities include building plant resistance to pests, diseases or environmental threats, creating biopesticides and prolonging shelf life.

Systems such as hydroponics or aquaponics can grow plants in soilless nutrient solutions in buildings within cities. New technologies such as LED lights make production all year round possible and environmentally friendly, in controlled conditions with no need for access to soil.

Blockchain is a new technology that adds an extra level of security for the food industry. Companies can use blockchains to ensure their supply chains are transparent, protecting them against scandals that can hit industry.

Cultured meat uses technology to produce meat from animal stem cells without killing the animal. This helps address concerns about animal welfare and land use, but also means it might be possible to change the biochemical composition of meat to make it a healthier or specialised dietary product. Start-ups have been working to cultivate meat from cells since 2016.

Just over 40% of European consumers say they have either stopped eating red meat or have cut down due to environmental concerns.

Europe's food and drink industry employs 4.72 million people, and generates a turnover of €1.2 trillion and €236 billion in value added, making it the largest manufacturing industry in the EU.

Plastics are used to package 37% of the food we eat and the average European uses 30kg of plastic packaging per year. There is a trend towards replacing fossil-based plastics with bioplastics which are biodegradable.

New technologies go beyond active and intelligent packaging, allowing digital connectivity. Intelligent packaging solutions will communicate actively in the value chain, manufacturing, distribution and the consumer’s home environment.

The FAO estimates that each year approximately one third of food produced for human consumption in the world is lost, degraded, contaminated or wasted. Societal solutions include raising awareness to avoid food waste, or setting up food sharing and upcycling networks. Technological solutions include using food waste to produce biofuels or biopolymers.