Three Major Challenges Facing Wastewater Treatment

Juliette Franklin;Director of Sustainability,Cal-Maine Foods

Startups are developing cost-effective and scalable monitoring technologies to further food product traceability and transparency. This enhances consumer trust in food producers, resulting in increased brand reputation and sales.

 Food technology trends are indicating a shift toward more sustainable and tailored food options. Alternative protein sources, regional foods, nutraceuticals, and tailored nutrition are among them.

Food companies and brands are incorporating waste reduction methods and zero-waste processes as a result of environmental concerns. In addition, the COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on the deployment of industry 4.0 technology across the food value chain. Robotics, ecommerce, and digital food-management systems are helping food companies digitize their production floors. Robots are also being used in restaurants for hospitality and cooking, as well as to promote ecommerce.

All of the following measures are being used by the food industry to combat the ongoing impact of COVID-19, resulting in more efficient, transparent, and long-term operations.

Transparency and Food Safety

Food safety is a major concern as customers become more conscious of the quality of the foods they purchase. Customers can make informed selections about food items thanks to smart labeling and standalone food grading systems. Food brands may also provide end-to-end traceability due to the improvements in blockchain and real-time food monitoring utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. Startups are developing cost-effective and scalable monitoring technologies to further food product traceability and transparency. This enhances consumer trust in food producers, resulting in increased brand reputation and sales.

eCommerce

For a long time, ecommerce has been a hot topic in the food and beverage business. However, the COVID-19 crisis drove food supply chain improvements even further. Food brands use digital platforms to provide on-demand online delivery services and Direct-to-Customer (D2C) distribution models to reach customers. Furthermore, during the epidemic, safety concerns encourage the rise of ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens that solely provide food takeout and deliveries. Brands are focusing on omnichannel distribution in addition to D2C to increase customer experience and sales.

Furthermore, food and beverage ecommerce enable food manufacturers to connect with their clients better and ensure availability.

Personalized Nutrition

A surge in consumer nutrition awareness is driving the desire for individualized nutrition choices. Consumers want to know how their eating habits affect their health; hence personalized nutrition is a crucial component of food technology trends. These include nutrigenomics-based diets and personal preferences such as sugar- and gluten-free diets, vegan diets, and food with clean labels. Food makers may now provide nutrition personalization at scale thanks to advances in 3D printing and the use of robotics in food assembly lines.

Consumers can also use at-home blood and urine testing kits to identify which food habits the best suit their genetic profiles. In addition, a variety of tracking gadgets allow users to keep track of their food and health issues to improve their diet. Food companies can better influence their consumers' nutritional choices with the help of startups, which enhances customer convenience and revenues.