Deliveroo Reveals Future Food Trends in 2040

June 29, 2023 3:55 PM By Dave Simpson

Share this article

Deliveroo Reveals Future Food Trends in 2040

Share this article

From desktop to dining table, bench to beach, Deliveroo has launched a "Snack to the Future" report, bringing together futurists and experts from the worlds of food, science, technology and innovation to create a forward-looking view of how the nation will be eating by 2040 and how dinner tables are set to revolutionise.

Details

The report from Deliveroo and guest experts including Georgie Barrat (technology journalist and TV presenter) and Tom Cheesewright (applied futurist) reveals key predictions and technological advancements by 2040 that are set to rock consumers' worlds, including:

BREATH-PRINTS: Find out how breath-prints will make our future food decisions for us. Expect personal tech devices to be enabled with BreathTech, meaning you can breathe on your device and get a deep level of insight into what foods you should be eating to have optimal impact on your individual health and well-being.
ME-GANSIM: Move over Keto, the predicted next big thing in dieting and set to be the mainstream diet of the future, is the me-gan diet (me-ganism); a hyper-personalised diet which is fully bespoke to your individual nutritional needs, powered by AI technology.
PERSONAL AIs: Underpinning the me-gan diet and lifestyle, AI technology will offer you your own personal AI (a life long AI buddy) which will help automate and tailor what you are eating based on preferences and needs at any given time.
FOODGASMS: Food that makes you feel… food delivery services will be using additional digital audio and visual content to elevate the meal enjoyment experience, so much so that it could take food pleasure to the next level with "foodgasms" (braingasms via what you eat).
EDIBLE BEAUTY: Get ready to see the food and beauty industry become more integrated than ever with a rise in edible beauty products like anti-aging ice-cream and the chance to dine from hormone-balancing and dopamine driving menus.
3D PRINTED MEAL PLANS: From packed lunches to printed lunches, food prep is about to become a lot easier with advances in 3D printing technology helping you create perfectly portioned and nutritionally balanced meals, of your choice, at home.
VR DINNER PARTIES: Dine with celebrities, royals and late loved ones in your favourite holiday destination, or recreate food moments from famous movies thanks to VR technology, which will simulate dining experiences from the comfort of your home - think: enjoying a delightful breakfast at Tiffany's, while you're tucking into a bacon sandwich on the sofa.
FAREWELL FUSSY EATERS: Thanks to VR and AR technology, your brains could be tricked into thinking you are eating something you are not, for example, if you are a fussy eater who doesn't want to eat vegetables, you could put on smart glasses and think you are eating chocolate or sweets.
RESTORATIVE RESTAURANTS: New restaurant concepts will remove outside world distractions, with personal tech devices banned at entry and a rise in the popularity of silent cafés and restaurants, ONLY offering tables for one to encourage mindful eating.
PASS THE AMARANTH: Whole grain staples, such as corn or maize, are about to look very different with alternatives such as amaranth, fonio, sorghum, teff, khorasan, einkorn and emmer, all likely to be mainstream in 2040.
ALT-OHOL: As the nation increasingly seeks alcohol alternatives, we can expect to see a rise in popularity of "wine" cordials that mimic the taste and flavour profile of real wine, without the negatives.

Snack to the Future: 2040 is commissioned by Deliveroo and written by Avansere with contributions from Will Shu (CEO and founder at Deliveroo) and:

Carlo Mocci (chief business officer UK & Ireland at Deliveroo);
Devesh Mishra (chief product and technology officer at Deliveroo);
Georgie Barrat (technology journalist and TV presenter);
Sarah DaVanzo (quantitative data-driven futurist, experienced start-up entrepreneur, agency leader and F500 corporate executive);
Tom Cheesewright (applied futurist helping people and organisations to see, share, and respond to a clearer vision of tomorrow);
Kaave Pour (co-founder of Space10, Ikea's independent research and design lab);
and Tracey Pollard (managing director of Bruce Gillingham Pollard)

Deliveroo founder and CEO Will Shu said, "I started Deliveroo in 2013 with a mission to connect people to the best quality food from local restaurants and deliver it directly to people's doors. It has been an incredible ride over the past ten years and I am really proud of what we have built. As we look towards the next decade and beyond, Deliveroo will continue to create exciting new innovations in food delivery, build new and better consumer experiences and take Deliveroo beyond functionality and convenience to really capture the passion and emotion of food."

Additional Information

The "Snack to the Future" report from Deliveroo forecasts everything from what you'll be eating, how you'll be eating and who you'll be eating with, in three chapters:

CHAPTER 1: Your personal food experiences are set to be heightened. Get ready for "me-ganism" - diets that are bespoke to your individual biological, physical and mental needs. With the development of personal AIs (a life-long AI buddy), this technology could be adopted to predict your unique nutritional needs and deliver personalised meal bundles that benefit your body and mind. Smart cooking, cleaning and food circulation devices (to recycle and reuse food) could redefine how you eat at home. Meanwhile, advances in 3D food printing could enable you to customise the shape, density, look and feel of food to suit your desires.

Tom Cheesewright (applied futurist), said, "I can imagine that a rite of passage for someone in 2040 might not be about getting their first phone or first car. It could be getting their first, and only, personal AI, who could then become a lifelong partner. And it could be these personal AIs that could advise and manage people’s personalised diets."

CHAPTER 2: The desire for healthy, local and sustainable foods will increase existentially, but will use powerful, everyday technologies to understand where meals come from, how they are made, and what they consist of. New forms of nutrition could be available and affordable, and there could be a growing emphasis on mindful munching experiences as you and the nation seek peace of mind. Meanwhile, the food and beauty industry will become more integrated than ever, promoting beauty and wellness from the inside out through the creation of edible beauty products - say goodbye to anti-ageing cream and hello to anti-ageing ice cream

Georgie Barrat (technology journalist and TV presenter), said, "I can see people having a simulation of someone that has got the same genetic makeup as them and then they can see the impact of different eating choices over a long period of time. So someone could check to see what they look like if they stick to a vegan diet, how their body could respond, and what their health condition could be like in 10 or 20 year's time."

CHAPTER 3: The development in AI, technology, and augmented and virtual realities will begin to drastically change the way you dine, enhancing where, how and what you eat and drink - your digital and physical engagement with food will fully converge. Virtual reality could get so sophisticated that you will feel like you are sitting and eating with others from around the world or having breakfast at Tiffany's while you eat a bacon sandwich on the sofa at home! Virtual food tourism means you could be able to discover local restaurant specialties or fine-dine in whichever location you dream of. In addition, digital game-infused dining could create playful, immersive and meditative meal-time experiences and food-gasms could become a reality!

Devesh Mishra (chief product and technology officer at Deliveroo), "It may not replace the real thing, but I can imagine being able to experience a simulation of a top holiday destination like Thailand, and enjoying the world's best Pad Thai dish, with my family, from the comfort of our home. That would be amazing."

Personalised and convenient. Augmented and virtual - the future of food delivery and enjoyment is set to be an intriguing, immersive and innovative space to see emerge. With many new and exciting opportunities to eat anywhere, anytime and with anyone, the future of meal delivery is most certainly going to be a transformative space.