Ten food and agricultural technology trends in 2022 are reported by S2G Ventures in a new publication. The venture-fund company predicts that changing consumer preferences, climate change, and shifts in the capital market are driving a transition to a climate-smart, healthy food system.
"The food transition is still in its infancy, but is being propelled by seismic tailwinds – massive demographic change spurring new consumer demand,” said Sanjeev Krishnan, managing director and chief investment officer of S2G Ventures.
Advances in the biology, chemistry and physics of food production are creating new choices. They’re being bolstered by a capital market interested in funding fast-growth, disruptive companies in the area of environmental, social and corporate governance.
S2G Ventures' report, "10 Trends Shaping the Future of Food in 2022,” explores trends in three categories – the "Fourth Industrial Revolution Comes to the Farm," supply-chain disruption accelerates innovation, and food technology advances health and consumer choices.
In the “Fourth Industrial Revolution Comes to the Farm,” S2G Ventures discusses the conditions for innovation and adoption of new technologies.
- Robots will increase efficiency while reducing labor needs across the food system.
- An increase in environmental, social and corporate governance standards will help to digitize the farm.
- Financial technologies will transform opportunities in agriculture, as they did for student-loan and mortgage markets.
- Ribonucleic-acid – RNA – technology that saved lives during the COVID-19 pandemic will be applied to farms to save soils.
Supply-chain disruption quickens innovation
Disruptions experienced in the past two years have created a sense of urgency to develop solutions that will make supply chains more nimble, sustainable, localized and less wasteful.
- Fermentation will power the next generation of alternative-protein products.
- Cellular protein will provide consumers around the world with safe, sustainable food.
- Adoption of food-waste solutions will be recognized as both a good business practice and an essential tool for feeding the world.
Consumers demand better choices
To address declining national health standards and consumers' growing interest in adopting more holistic diets, startups are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop nutrient-dense, functional and personalized food products.
- Artificial intelligence and machine-learning platforms will unlock greater understanding of and use cases for plants and fungi.
- Food will become central to the effort to prevent chronic disease and improve health outcomes.
- Food brands and grocers will need to "personalize or perish."
Visit s2gventures.com/reports for more information.
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