Chapter 12 - Future outlooks

Abstract

For over a century the food and beverage industry has relied on attributes like taste, cost, and convenience to sell products, but today, shoppers are motivated by a different set of purchasing criteria. With information more available than ever before, issues lower down the supply chain that have been overlooked—environmental conservation, sustainability, labor rights, genetic engineering—are now at the forefront of consumer consciousness. Eating has evolved, and for the modern Western European, food choices are now markers of personal expression, spilling over into the social and political realms. The food industry has recognized this shift, and as a result, has altered their approach to manufacturing, formulating, ingredient sourcing, and marketing. In this new era of consumer awareness, it will be a shift from the complex and private to the simple and transparent that will ultimately define the future of food.