Food Tech and Sustainability Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

The leading predictions for food tech and sustainability for the year 2023 are food systems being re-regionalized, zero food waste becoming profitable, the use of plastic-free packaging and alternative solutions being promoted by worker mobilization and shortages.

FREMONT, CA: There is a crisis in our food system due to rising food prices, supply chain problems, decades-high inflation, worker shortages due to covid and working conditions, and the climate. According to McKinsey, automation will eliminate 73 million jobs by 2030, including those in food production and manufacturing.

In order to endure these converging crises, human rights and planetary health are moving to the center of the agenda. The leading food tech and sustainability predictions for the year 2023 are as follows:

Food systems are being re-regionalized: Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from and ensuring its provenance. As food and freight prices rise and food shortages occur, buying local becomes more attractive and economical. In 2020 and 2021, farm subscription programs for produce and meat experienced record growth.

It's also good for farmers. Ranchers are taking home less than ever because meat prices are up 20 percent. Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Meatpacking control 85 percent of the meatpacking industry. Infrastructure, however, is sorely needed to re-regionalize the food system. Getting access to processing capacity and controlling more of their supply chain is notoriously difficult for small-scale farmers. Earlier this year, President Biden announced a $1 billion investment in regional meat processors; this infrastructure bill could give a boost to start-ups that are trying to address the market gap.

Alternative solutions are promoted by worker mobilization and shortages: In addition to a slowdown in immigration, unions are challenging workplace conditions and wages, and workers are simply quitting. On the farm, in the factory, and in food service settings, business leaders and policymakers will have to address an environment that does not provide workers with the safety and protections they need to produce food.

Zero food waste becomes profitable: Zero waste solutions have been around for years, but the scale has been difficult to achieve. In many cases, the economics haven't worked out. It may change with new legislation in California, where "composting is the next climate crusade." Methane emissions from landfills contribute significantly to climate change.

Plastic-free packaging pays off: There are 42 million tons of plastic waste produced annually by Americans - twice as much as China - and much of it is littering the oceans. Only 2 percent of plastics are recycled into products of the same quality. There is an urgent need to solve the packaging crisis. It can also be profitable.