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Jellyfish, algae milk and insect proteins to enter our diet in next 150 years, report predicts

Prepare for grasshopper-based pasta

Katie O'Malley
Friday 17 May 2019 12:08 BST
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LOCI Food Lab serves tiny dishes using tweezers at V&A food exhibition

Jellyfish and cricket-based flour are just some of the foods predicted to hit Britain's supermarket shelves in the next 150 years, according to food experts.

A report commissioned by Sainsbury’s examined trends on a global scale and scientific studies to explore what Britons will be eating and how food with be produced in 2025, 2050, and in 2169.

As society becomes increasingly aware of animal welfare, health concerns and eco-anxiety, the report predicts more of Britons than ever will prioritise the planet when choosing what they want to eat.

In the next five years, experts predict menus will feature less meat and dairy and a quarter of Britons will be vegetarian (up from one in eight today), and half flexitarian (up from a fifth today).

The “alternative proteins” market is also predicted to grow in popularity by 25 per cent, with algae milk expected to be the next plant milk to take over from nut-based versions.

Instead of consuming a seafood diet of cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns, the report predicts Britons will turn to jellyfish by 2050.

The increase in the jellyfish population due to climate change, the overfishing of its predators, and the growing interest in the food by researchers and seafood chefs could mean it will feature prominently on supermarket shelves.

Mushroom-based products, seaweed caviar and insects will also increase in popularity, according to the report, with customers expected to opt for cricket and grasshopper-based flour to make burgers and pasta in the next five years.

While there are 50,000 edible plants in the world, still nearly two-thirds of our food comes from just four crops – wheat, maize, rice and soybean. As a result, the report states that consumers will turn to more underutilised crops including moringa, kedondong and bambara groundnut for cooking in the future.

James Wong, a plant scientist cited in the report, says: “When rationing was introduced in 1940 diets simplified to include core ingredients that provided sustenance, and with that we witnessed a decline in the varieties of some ingredients.

“However, what we are seeing now - especially with the explosion of plantbased foods - is that diversity in food returning with the British diet now including ancient crops like quinoa and South-East Asian staples such as Jackfruit.”

As technology and artificial intelligence advances over the years, nutrition is expected to become more personalised by 2169.

Stick-on patches and intravenous drips are just some of the ways through which society is predicted to consume their daily needs of micro-nutrients in 150 years.

People may even have personal microchips implanted into their skin which would evaluate their health and send an automatic status to Sainsbury’s, the experts claim.

The supermarket would then instantaneously dispatch the correct food and drink order for the individual “based on their individual nutrition needs, behaviours and activities” by drone by 2169.

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Food historian Dr Polly Russell says: “In the future the delivery lorry which distributes online shopping might well be replaced by drones, driverless cars, or even by robot home assistants but direct delivery is still likely to be with us.”

The report comes weeks after Sainsbury’s launched the UK’s first till-free grocery store, which allows shoppers to pay for their purchases with their smartphone and walk out of the shop without going through a checkout, or even speaking to an employee.

To use the service, customers are invited to use an app on their phones to scan their groceries as they walk around the store, pay for the products via Google Pay or Apple Pay, and scan a code to confirm payment.

Find out more about our experience using the till-free service here.

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