b GOURMET future
back to CONTENTS
T
he food industry is facing what is arguably one of its biggest challenges in recent history: that of mitigating its climate impact – and this impact is certainly sizable, with the meat and dairy industries accounting for around 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse emissions, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation. As reported by Carbon Brief, “If the world is to meet its target of limiting global warming to ‘well below’ 2ºC, some degree of diet shift will be
210 / SEPTEMBER 2021 ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE
necessary. If it is to strive for the most optimistic target of keeping warming to 1.5ºC, changes to diet may be even more crucial.” The industrial revolution may have been one of the defining forces that brought Earth to the state it is currently in, but new advances in agriculture, science, and engineering are the only way out of this conundrum. What technologies will be shaping the food industry and which novel ingredients are likely to play a key role in our dietary regimens?
THE RISE AND RISE OF PLANTBASED SUBSTITUTES Veganism is one of the decisive forces shaping the current food industry and there are three main interests behind its boom: health, animal rights, and sustainability. It is predicted that one in 10 people will embrace this lifestyle within the next 10 years. The current pandemic has certainly highlighted the importance of fighting for our planet, and food is a key weapon if human beings are to succeed in reversing the havoc they have wreaked for
