Bethan Grylls explores how food and beverage manufacturers will need to adapt to increased consumption, alongside pressures around sustainability with insight from a range of experts.

The global population is expected to increase by almost 2bn persons in the next 30 years, shifting from the current 8bn to 9.7bn by 2025.

Whilst the rate of the population growth is on an upward trajectory, it is projected to come to an almost halt at the end of the century, due largely to falling fertility rates.

Still, looking likely to hit 10.9bn by 2100 and with an ever-ageing population that is consuming more and more, the strain on the food and drink system is undeniable as we move forwards.

Food production will need to see a 50% increase at least to accommodate – and ideally without dominating much more agricultural land.

“Presently, there is an imbalance between overconsumption and underconsumption,”​ Julian Ware, UK & Ireland sales manager for ABB Robotics reflected. “In 2010 alone, research found that as many as 1bn people did not have the minimum recommended daily allowance of calories, while others far exceeded those limits.”​

As such industry will need to consider not only how we can generate enough calories to feed everyone, but also how it can do it sustainably whilst pivoting to changing consumer demands. Already climbing fast up the agenda, food security, health and climate change will become yet more critical in the years to come.

This will translate into new investment and practices from the food and drink supply chain, with technology playing a crucial role.

Scientific advancement has already given way to a substantial increase (1.84bn tonnes in 1961 to 4.28bn tonnes in 2007) with the introduction of new crop varieties and new practices, such as pesticides and wastewater management. The good news is that we’re already seeing new techniques coming to the fore, including gene editing, new proteins and vertical farming, to name but a few, alongside industrial solutions that prioritise efficiency and energy use.Read More