From generalised to personalised - the future of food is all about 'me'
When it comes to encouraging people to follow population based dietary guidelines two things are clear. First is the general vagueness about what they are, and second is that even if they were clear, there is a common feeling that general dietary guidelines don't apply to them – 'they’re for the average person and I’m not average’ is many people’s reaction.
This means that if broad based dietary guidelines are for the average healthy person, and no-one really thinks they’re 'average', the perception is they lack relevance. This presents a major problem with getting cut through to encourage people to actually follow them and is a key reason behind the fact that few people do (97% of the population for example, don’t eat the recommended number of serves of fruit and veg).
However following broad based dietary guidelines may not be a problem we need to worry about in the future.
A trilogy of influences are facilitating a power shift from institutions to individuals that will see rising numbers of people seeking out personalised eating advice. This in turn will create major change in the way messages about healthy eating will be tailored in the future and provides both opportunities and implications for food marketers and innovators.
Here are three of the key emerging technologies already available and which will continue to grow in uptake and influence:
1. Genetic testing.
The cost of whole genome testing plummeted from $100 million in the year 2000 to $1,000 in 2018. Today, it is available for $150 and in the future, you'll probably take your genetic map home with you after birth. The results of your genetic test can help you identify whether you carry certain genes known to influence how the body responds to various nutrients in food, and to find out if you have a higher risk of certain diseases or risk factors. Dietary recommendations can be tailored to these profiles to maximise health and wellbeing while reducing risk of future disease. These results provide significantly greater influence on the motivation to buy particular foods than general population based healthy eating messages and will therefore continue to impact the nature of people’s shopping list.
2. Microbiome mapping.
Research on the influence of gut bacteria on health has exploded in recent years. As a result, for about $350 and a stool sample, a testing company can now map your microbiome giving you a picture of the types and amounts of bacteria that live in your gut and the influence they may be having on your health. With this profile in hand, tailored dietary recommendations aimed at bringing your gut bacteria back into balance can be provided. Advancements in this area will drive opportunities for companies with probiotic and prebiotic products and those marketing foods that provide particular types of fibres and starches.
3. Food on demand. The ability to make and access food on demand is growing and it's not just about UberEATS. The near future may see 3D food printers sitting on kitchen benches, enabling meals to be made to a specific recipe that incorporates the good stuff you need while leaving out the bad stuff you don’t. 3D printing lends itself to aged care settings but is also currently a source of 'food-utainment'. The world's first fully 3D printed restaurant, Food Ink, opened in London in August 2016, complete with 3D printed chairs, plates and utensils and claiming to 'provide the world's most futuristic gourmet experience in the known universe'. More recently, a restaurant in the UK was offering 3D printed ‘steaks’ on a weekly basis. Complimentary to this evolution is growth in urban gardens and vertical farms that enable ready access to a variety of produce available with harvesting tailored to suit a persons needs.
Many food businesses are already well invested in the personalised eating space. Barilla has long invested in the development of a 3D pasta printer while Campbell Soup in the US invested $32 million in Habit, a nutrition-tech start up when it first launched (it has since been sold to Viome). Habit develops personalised eating plans based on a series of tests which analyse a persons genetic, metabolic and blood markers. Customized meals can then be developed and delivered as an easy solution for the individual.
With the emergence of new technologies coinciding with parallel growth in the desire to take control of our own health, the days of applying broad based messages about healthy eating may well be numbered. The role that science plays in people's food choices will increase as an influencer of purchasing decisions and food marketers will benefit from working together with the appropriate scientists adn technology companies to remain relevant in this area.