People & Events 04.08.2015

Futurist Mike Walsh: Food Producers Must Embrace Innovation To Succeed With Next Generation

“When you think about an eight year old, how they will be making judgments about food, about food brands, eating and…”

“When you think about an eight year old, how they will be making judgments about food, about food brands, eating and dining, it’s all going to be very connected to their experience on that smartphone,” he said. “Look at the way the next generation forms their views on food today. Look at Instagram—there is some extent to which the next generation doesn’t want to eat a meal unless they are going to take a picture of it.”

Walsh said the challenge for the entire food industry is to be prepared to meet the demands of these tech-savvy, on-demand consumers while still producing enough food for a population expected to grow to about 9 billion by 2050. He said that will elevate the discussion already taking place about whether to genetically modify plants and livestock to meet the population’s food needs.

“As a futurist, one of the things really that fascinates me is that intersection point where science and technology head-butts the realities of everyday human experience,” Walsh said. “As food scientists and technologists, this is something you encounter every day, because for all of the developments that you come up with, at the end you’re still talking about food.”