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FoodTech: Discover the future in Food and Beverages

General interest in food – its origins, diversification, nutritional quality, and environmental impact – increasingly grows. It is estimated that, by 2022, the food sector will be worth a total of 250 billion dollars, thanks to the popularisation of e-commerce, expansion of the internet, and penetration of smartphones.

Technology and, in general, innovations in the food and beverages industry offer significant improvements at an accelerating pace. Today, the way food is processed, consumed, transported, and manufactured is radically different from a few years ago and even in the not-so-distant last century. New technologies and processes in the food sector promise to optimize resources favoring better products and greater profitability for companies.

Nowadays, the countries with the most remarkable progress in this area are the Netherlands, the United States, Israel, Singapore, Spain, among others. All innovation applied to creating and processing food that once seemed improbable and futuristic is now commonplace and usual.  The clearest example is the printing of meat of non-animal origin, not an animal? Yes, that’s right. In Spain, a startup has managed to print “meat,” with all its nutritional components, on a 3D printer. And it is precisely in Spain that a wide range of startups interested in manufacturing and investing resources in the production of synthetic meat has been detected. 3D printing technology is no longer seen as the future but as a current reality for companies or producers in the food sector.

It is a fact that consumers today are looking to improve their diets and are very strict about what they eat. They are increasingly looking for more plant-based foods with proteins and vitamins and avoid foods with artificial additives. The Food Tech tells us that dairy alternatives are Mexico’s most significant investment opportunity as young consumers most demand all dairy-based products.

It is known that in Latin America, there is a big trend to reduce animal protein consumption (flexitarians 22 %), veganism (2 %), and vegetarianism (4 %).

Some predominant trends in this market are:

1. Organic food, free of flour, lactose, or gluten.
2. Vegan food, time to time flexitarian diets.
3. Nutrition for a life
4. Artisan food, with new flavors and experiences.

Further, the two main categories within Food Tech are:

1. Vegan and healthy food: This is still a small sector, but it is significantly growing in some countries. For example, it is estimated that in Mexico, around 1,500 people have adopted veganism in their diet, of which more than 40% are women. Those most interested in veganism are young people aged 18-35, followed by the 35-55 age group. In the case of Spain, the market for plant-based products has seen record growth – 48% in sales volume – in the last two years.
2. Niche technology startups: the trend is supported by technological research and innovation implemented by innovative companies launching new and disruptive food and beverage products on the market.
3. Startups now account for 35% of R&D investment by large corporations. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Brazil is the Latin American country with the largest number of startups, with more than two thousand, followed by Mexico with more than a thousand and then countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, with around five hundred startups.

In Mexico, one of the areas where there is most development by startup activity is agriculture. (food/beverages) with 17 %[5].

Companies dedicated to developing Food Tech solutions contribute mainly to the environment. It is estimated that their operations have managed to reduce methane emissions by 60 % and water consumption by 15 % in all their production processes. They have also eliminated pesticides, reduced the number of animals slaughtered, increased local production by 22%, and produced vegetables, cereals, and grains in a sustainable way.

Are you ready to add your innovation to the food revolution? In ClarkeModet, we are prepared to advise you. Please, contact our experts at infomarketing@clarkemodet.com