Kale cake and insects as protein: What does the future of nutrition look like?

Experts at sustainable food expo in Dubai speculate on plant-based cuisine and what diets will be like next century

Experts predict that in the future food will be scanned by smartphones to determine its nutrition content for an individual consumer. Getty Images

Allergen-free peanuts, chocolatey-tasting cake made of kale and broccoli, and 3D-printed food are only a few of the innovations likely to be seen in nutrition within the next century.

That was the message from nutrition scientist and space nutritionist Dr Flavia Fayet-Moore in her keynote address – “what we’ll be eating in 100 years” – at Gulfood Green, Dubai’s first expo for sustainable food and beverage companies.

She believes the future of food will focus on seven key areas: agriculture; food service (our access to the foods); diet; technology; personalisation; space and community. Growing allergen-free crops, creating drinks made from recycled waste water and furnishing every home with a robotic kitchen are among the possibilities, said Fayet-Moore.

She also believes consumers will be able to scan produce in supermarkets using their smartphones to discover how nutritious it is, but also how good it is specifically for that person. “We know one-size-fits-all recommendations for nutrition won’t exist,” said Fayet-Moore, who taught a course in nutrigenomics back in 2000 before the human genome was finished being sequenced.

“I believe that in the future we’re going to have every single baby born being tested for their genetics and knowing which foods are good for them,” she added.

Bioactives and virtual reality flavours

In the year 2100, according to Fayet-Moore, dietary guidelines are going to prioritise foods that are nutritious and sustainable and consumers will need to eat from all four kingdoms of food. These are plants, protista (algae and seaweed), fungi and animals, which she said, in the future, will focus on cells and entomophagy (read: eating insects).

Bioactive compounds in plants are going to have a huge impact, she added. “They are anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic. In an apple, for example, research shows that the antioxidant capacity of the apple comes predominantly from the bioactives, not from the vitamin C. Less than 1 per cent came from the vitamin C.

“There are more than 10,000 known bioactives in plants, yet we don’t really know much about the recommendations or what they do in our bodies, but we’re going to have a lot more focus on that. Move over nutrients, the era of bioactives is coming in the next 100 years.”

Technology could also help change the flavours and characteristics of nutrient-dense produce to suit our palates, she added. “We might have a beautiful chocolate cake, not made with chocolate, but made maybe with kale and broccoli. It looks like chocolate, and when you eat it, it’s going to taste delicious.

“It might be a way of getting people to get their nutrients from foods, because right now, what we’re doing is not really working.”

There will also be new methods of preservation that will keep food fresh for longer without the need to freeze or refrigerate. And 3D printing, artificial intelligence and even the metaverse will be used to help the world achieve its nutrition goals.

Meanwhile, virtual reality could open minds to innovative flavours. Ever wondered what moon dust or clouds taste like? Well, we might soon learn, believes Fayet-Moore.

Alternative proteins are key to sustainability

As meat consumption continues to increase, there is a need for more alternative protein options – whether those are from plant sources or cultivated in labs.

That's the view of Edible Planet Ventures founder and chief executive Sharon Cittone, who was part of a panel discussion called “future of plant-based foods and alternative proteins”, which took place on the final day of Gulfood Green.

“About 80 per cent of arable land on Earth is used to feed animals and this is profoundly unsustainable. We need alternative proteins. I always say, though, it is not about replacing, it’s about diversifying.

“It is not about one-size-fits-all, it’s about a multipronged approach, depending on where you are. Each national strategy has to be more systemic, more holistic about looking into how we make things better.”

This is where the UAE could play a leading role to support the industry. That's the view of Bjoern Witte, chairman and chief executive of Swiss company NUOS, which earlier this year signed an agreement with AGWA (AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance) in Abu Dhabi to establish one of the world’s largest facilities for producing alternative meats at scale. The plan is to eventually make one million tonnes per year.

The “gigafactory”, he said, will break ground next year on a plot next to the motorway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with production scheduled to begin by 2027.

At first, the team will focus on plant-based protein and traditional fermentation, but the next likely step is precision fermentation, which uses microorganisms to produce specific functional ingredients. “We’re building opportunities for the whole ecosystem to come to the region,” Witte explained

The need for consumer education and an end to chronic disease

There is still much consumer education to be done around plant-based cuisine, however, particularly within the meat-loving Middle East. That's the view of Dina Epifanova, head of sustainability at IFFCO Group. It brought the UAE’s first home-grown 100 per cent plant-based meat factory to the market two years ago.

“We took a bold step launching a plant-based food range in the Middle East,” she said. “We are very happy with how it’s evolving, but of course it has its challenges and the main one is education and awareness. Consumers don’t yet know much about plant-based proteins in this region. We need to educate and raise awareness. This is not solved in two years. This is a process and a journey.”

Ultimately, issues of malnutrition and chronic disease must be tackled urgently, said Dr Fayet Moore. “People are not well. So, I think that in future food there will be a fine link between the needs of the individual, the needs of our community and the needs of our planet.

“By focusing less on the ‘i’ [for illness] and more of the ‘we’ [for wellness], we have the ability to improve health and well-being for all, with a sustainable, nutritious and equitable food supply, from farm to health.”