How People Will Eat In 30 Years

In the next 20-30 years, scientists predict big changes in our diet . And this is not surprising: the world is evolving at a frantic pace, and it would be surprising if the changes were only related to technology.

According to research by scientists, very large adjustments will be made to people's eating habits in 20-30 years.

Beef is like real gold

As scientists predict, in 2050 the consumption of meat will increase by 2 times, as the population of the Earth is increasing rapidly. Animals are unlikely to be able to satisfy such a demand, and this, in turn, will lead to an increase in meat prices : beef will literally become worth its weight in gold.

Since animal breeding harms the environment, scientists will in any case look for alternative ways of obtaining animal protein. And here experts offer two radical solutions: either to grow meat artificially, or to eat insects. And the greatest potential is seen precisely in entomophagy - that's what the scientific world calls eating insects.

By the way, raising all kinds of insects is much more efficient than doing traditional animal husbandry: they are cold-blooded, they do not need to spend energy to maintain body temperature, insects consume several times less feed than animals, while giving much less greenhouse gases and more edible product .

Specialists of the Wageningen University are already studying public opinion, to what extent humanity is ready to consume locusts, worms and caterpillars. The results are impressive: 9 out of 10 respondents liked meatballs made of insects more than meatballs.

Test-tube meat can also become a reality: in 2016, Professor Mark Post from Maastricht University presented the world with the first artificial burger grown from bull stem cells. The only disappointing thing about this innovative experiment is that the production of such meat costs 250,000 euros per portion so far. So, it seems, the commercial implementation of this idea is still far away.

Pork consumption will decrease

But pork consumption, according to forecasts, will decrease in the next couple of decades. The reason lies in religion: the number of Muslims on the planet is growing faster than representatives of other religions. If in 1990 Muslims made up 20% of the world's population, today this figure is steadily approaching 25%.

As statistics show, among Muslims the birth rate is the highest, besides, they actively emigrate to non-Muslim countries. And since Muslims do not eat pork, it is quite logical that pork consumption will decrease on a global scale.

Food from the desert

In the next few decades, the level of plant-based food consumption will also increase : vegetarianism is confidently conquering the planet. And since there is no longer enough agricultural land for growing vegetables and fruits, experts are intensively working on the development of new technologies. For example, they learn to grow fruits and vegetables in the desert, in special greenhouses, using solar heat and sea water.

In addition to the territorial problem, there is another one - plant diseases. For example, phytophthora, which destroys potato crops, is a serious danger. Scientists see a way out in genetics: potatoes genetically modified for resistance to late blight have already been grown in Norfolk. Gene changes can endow fruits not only with immunity, but also with medicinal properties: Professor Katie Martin from the Center named after John Innes in Norwich developed a purple tomato variety with high levels of the anthocyanin pigment commonly found in blackberries and blueberries, which protects against some cancers, heart disease and dementia.

Food from solar energy

Another group of scientists is working on a project that will allow people to create food from solar energy. This will be possible if photoconverters with 30 percent efficiency and electrosynthesis systems are installed on the area where agricultural crops are grown. In this way , solar energy will be transformed into food energy - protein-vitamin concentrate, carbohydrates and lipids.

Scientists working on the project say that in the future it is even possible to create a system of electric nutrition for a person: a miniature bioelectrolyzer, incorporated into the bloodstream, will produce energy products of metabolism (read - products of the metabolic process in the body), and those - metabolites in biochemical cycles and oxygen. If we speak an accessible language, a person will become completely independent of traditional food production and will be able to feed himself with electrical energy.