Traditional methods of food production are not sustainable and will not be enough to meet the UK’s future needs, a new WRAP report has claimed.
WRAP’s Food Futures report assessed the UK food system from farm to fork, identifying threats to the nation’s food security and identifying areas for improvement.
Risks facing the production industry include climate change, food waste and diet-related ill health.
The industry needs to build skills to meet future food challenges, develop more supply chain collaborations and take advantage of new technology, the report insisted. This could include intelligent temperature control and highly accurate traceability data to give consumers the full picture on where their food comes from.
The report predicted the next 10 years will see changes in farming such as a growing appreciation of the benefits of adopting precision agriculture and other data-enabled technologies. Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) will use water, energy and fertilisers only where it is needed, optimising yield, production efficiencies and nutritional outcomes, reducing machinery and input costs by up to 75 per cent.
For their part, consumers will help set the pace of change as they seek to have a healthier and more sustainable diet, the report said. The future will see individuals directing the way in which their food is delivered, not just to their door, but designed to meet their precise nutritional and taste requirements.
There might even be the introduction of ‘food for the ages’ – designed specifically to meet the needs of different age groups, from growing teenagers to older people.
WRAP chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin said: “In the next 10 years we will be faced with challenges around feeding a growing population and nutritional security. Our ‘Food Futures’ report highlights how governments, businesses and we, as consumers, can turn these challenges into opportunities.
'We need to be 21st Century ‘FIT’ to meet this challenge. By embracing the growth in data-enabled technology and aligning healthy and environmentally sustainable diets, we can nourish both the individual and the planet.”
