Food and the future

This is what and how we will eat in 2050: goodbye meat, cheese, chocolate and coffee?

According to experts consulted by CirFood District, there will be an increasing customisation of food products and an increased focus on preserving the environment

by Maria Teresa Manuelli

13 December 2024

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3' min read

Key points

Say goodbye to animal protein and junk food
The most painful greetings? Coffee and cocoa
Food connexion, technology and customisation
Health and social value will not change

3' min read

Imagine sitting down at the table in just over 25 years. The dish you will find in front of you will be so different from the current one that it will almost seem like an alien experience. This is predicted by Cibo2050, an eBook produced by the CirFood District Observatory and "born from the collaboration of 15 experts from different fields of research: science, innovation, medicine, academia and the world of food," explains Daniela Fabbi, communications and marketing director of CirFood, one of Italy's largest companies active in the catering, commercial and welfare services sectors.

Say goodbye to animal protein and junk food

The first major change will affect our protein sources. Meat and dairy products, as we know them today, are destined for gradual downsizing. This is not a sudden disappearance, but a gradual move away dictated by growing environmental awareness and the limits of intensive livestock farming. In their place, more sustainable alternative proteins will make their way. Protagonists of this revolution will be legumes, algae and so-called 'novel foods' that promise to be not only greener, but also healthier. A diet that is increasingly looking to a plant-based perspective, while maintaining the roots of the Mediterranean diet.

Another big absentee from our tables will be junk food. Consumers of 2050 will be increasingly conscious and attentive, categorically excluding ultra-processed, nutrient-poor and sugar-rich foods. Quality will become a categorical imperative, with maniacal attention to food composition.

The most painful greetings? Coffee and cocoa

Perhaps the hardest blow will come for two major players on our current menus: coffee and cocoa. Climate change seriously threatens these chains, making their production increasingly complex and expensive. But experts are optimistic: they will not disappear, thanks to more sustainable cultivation practices or the use of other plants. In the case of cocoa, for example, there is already talk of the use of carob trees to produce a chocolate substitute. A solution that shows how innovation can also come to the rescue of our beloved foodstuffs.

Food connexion, technology and customisation

Places of food consumption will undergo a total metamorphosis. Restaurants, canteens and clubs will become highly technological and experiential spaces. Big data to reduce waste, robotics and AI to analyse consumption will contribute to the evolution of catering

The concept of 'connected food' will also enable real-time information on the freshness, provenance, traceability and nutritional value of each individual food item. Even the metaverse will enter our eating habits, offering new, more conscious and interactive ways of eating out.

The real revolution, however, will come from technology. Thanks to innovations such as precision fermentation, nutraceutics and nutrigenomics, food will become more and more personalised. Imagine food literally 'sewn' to your individual needs, perfectly tailored to your body's requirements. There will be more and more room in our diets for simple products, with a preponderant focus on a more sustainable diet, even plant-based, but still Mediterranean: there will be a move towards plant-based dishes and alternative proteins, such as legumes or novel foods like seaweed, plants that, in a balanced way, will contribute to implementing healthy consumption habits with a positive impact on the environment and people's health.

The health and social value will not change

Perhaps the most profound change will be in the philosophy of nutrition itself. The 'Food as Medicine' approach will see food no longer just as a source of sustenance, but as a primary tool for preventing and maintaining wellbeing. A holistic vision that intimately connects nutrition, health and environmental sustainability.

In spite of all these transformations, one element will remain unchanged: the social and aggregative value of food. The kitchen will continue to be the place where to experiment, share and strengthen human bonds, enriching itself through the contamination of ideas and tastes generated by migratory flows. A gastronomic journey that will take us towards a future where eating has never been so conscious, technological and, at the same time, profoundly human.

Ready for this revolution at the table?