How Biotechnology is Spicing Up the Future of Food
Image credits: Molpix via Shutterstock.
I recently had some fun conversations at EY Tech University, all around the future of food! Thanks to our growing ability to use biology as technology, the future of food stands to be more sustainable, resilient, decentralized, just, and healthy than it is today.
But what about pure enjoyment? For tens of thousands of years, humans have gathered together to share meals. Our ancestors’ experiments with ingredients and techniques have yielded worldwide cuisines that play enormous roles in our identities as individuals and as communities. And they taste great!
💡 To me, perhaps the most exciting aspect of the future of food is the promise that I’ll have access to tastes and scents that I’ve never experienced before. For example, diversifying beyond the 15 plants and 4 animals (only!) that make up >90% of our energy intake will help biodiversity efforts and deliver new food experiences.
Imagine the experiences waiting for us in Latin America, Africa, and other areas of the world that industrial agriculture overlooks. During my last trip to São Paulo, I was lucky enough to score a reservation at a restaurant famous for its use of native Brazilian foods like jabuticaba (a fruit), pepino dulce (like a melon), cavaquinha (like a lobster), and … well, I took a bunch of pictures and I brought the menu home, but I still can’t identify a lot of what I ate. Bottom line: it was all delicious!
Here are some photos of the exciting food served at Mani, a Michelin-starred restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil with superb food and service. I highly recommend it as a way to experience flavors and techniques that could be new to you!
💡 DNA sequencing, gene editing, synthetic biology, cellular agriculture, indoor farming, and other biotechnologies could help make it economically feasible to produce a greater variety of plants, animals (even without killing the animal) for us to eat.
That means we can draw from Earth’s incredible heritage and at the same time strive to be responsible stewards of our planet. We can rediscover food that was important to our communities in the past, expand our concepts of what to eat, resist climate change, and even resurrect species that our ancestors ate to extinction.
💡 The best part is that we can have a whole lot of fun while we build that future of food!
In his podcast Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell said, “The world’s a bleak place when there’s no room for pleasure.” He was talking about french fries, but I think that this point is really important. Thanks to biotech, I can envision a future in which we don’t have to choose between sustainability, health, and delight.
What would you be most excited to taste? No boundaries!
About Tiffany
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and ways to collaborate, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
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After a 19-day voyage to Antarctica aboard The Island Sky in November 2023, Tiffany has many remarkable stories to share & a wealth of insights to catalyze a sustainable future.
You can support her ongoing journey by making a contribution through her donation page. Your support will spread positive impact around the world, empower Tiffany to protect time for impact-focused projects, and support logistical costs for pro bono events with students & nonprofits.