1. Insects
According to a detailed report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, at least 2 billion people in the world already consume insects. Sure, some people may get disgusted if they see crickets as a hot snack, but insects are still quite nutritious and high in fat, protein, vitamins, fiber, and minerals.
In addition, eating insects is more sustainable than eating livestock, and some of them taste remarkably similar to the foods we are used to: apple, bacon, peanut butter, or fish.
2. Algae: growing your own food while breathing
Most algae are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, essential nutrients for maintaining good human health. Inventors and designers Michael Burton and Michiko Nitta have gone so far as to suggest that people grow their own algae while breathing while wearing a special mask. During a performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, they demonstrated how an opera singer can promote explosive growth of masked algae.
3. Meat grown in the laboratory
Making meat in the laboratory is a way to tackle environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and animal cruelty. Company Memphis Meats already produces meatballs grown in the laboratory using animal stem cells (obtained using a painless biopsy). The cost of 450 grams of meat reached $ 2,400.
4. 3D printed living food
3D printers can create objects from plastic and metal, as well as print, cook and serve food. Dutch designer Chloe Rutzerfeld suggests mixing food, gardening and 3D printing. First, an outer shell of dough containing edible soil and various seeds is printed. After a few days, the seeds begin to sprout and emerge from the holes in the case. However, this design is currently under development .
5. Self-degradable food bags
It takes thousands of years for packets to decompose naturally. The Swedish company Tomorrow Machine has a solution to speed up this process. They offer caramelized sugar and wax butter packaging, seaweed and water smoothie packaging, and biodegradable beeswax rice packaging. The lifespan of these bags is the same as the products they contain.
6. Drinking water bottles
A London - based seaweed startup plans to replace our plastic drinking water bottles with an analogue made from seaweed. Once placed on the market, this packaging can be used for other liquids (eg spirits and cosmetics). What's more, seaweed packaging is actually cheaper than plastic.
7. Food with improved sound
A study by the University of Oxford has shown that food can be more or less bitter depending on the background soundtrack. More common uses are suggested , such as using music to remove unhealthy ingredients without being noticed by humans.
8. Counterfeit fish and seafood
In the laboratory, you can grow not only meat, but also fish. In 2002 , a group of scientists from Turo College succeeded in creating fillets of small fish by immersing the muscles of a goldfish in fetal bovine serum. The company New Wave Foods has created a fake substitute shrimp from seaweed and is working on a lobster and crab.
9. Healthy eating
We often don't know what exactly we are eating. The TellSpec Food Scanner solves this problem by showing customers the contents of the food on their plate. You simply point your device at a product and the device alerts you to chemicals and allergens and helps you track your vitamin intake. The scanner can be pre-ordered and, if successful, we hope it will become available to more people in the future.
10. Diet based on DNA
If DNA sequencing becomes cheaper and can be done at home, we could use the app to know what food to eat so we can be more productive, sleep better, feel healthier, and know what food to avoid at all costs. All people are genetically different, so there is no one-size-fits-all diet. However, there are already companies specializing in creating such a diet .
Bonus: gummy coffee
An innovative product that is already available on the market is a chewy coffee substitute. The creators claim that it helps improve concentration and maintain optimal cognitive performance. Who wouldn't want to drink coffee that you can put in your pocket ?!
What products from this list can you imagine in the future? Share your opinion in the comments!