What food will you eat in 20 years?

Wayne Sedawie

When you take into account futuristic plans based on new technologies and look Into the future, it is obviously going to be far different from today.

Smart Nano foods are already planned to feed our explosive population growth. This is simply my interpretations on how the next 20 years will pan out for Australia. I have many associates, from professors to scientists so I have come to my own conclusion. Obviously droughts and wars and economic woes will affect the outcome.

New technologies

Today scientists can predict with some accuracy when new technologies will be introduced to our society.
Many theorist scientists think Hydrocarbon fuels will be obsolete in 10-12 years. New technologies will change the world and there will be substantial lower demands for Australian commodities such as gas, iron ore and oil. I rate this high possibility factor as this will greatly affect our food chain in Australasia.
New Nano technology and man made created living cells will greatly change our food eating habits.

Australia Today and Yesterday 2005-2010  

Aussie farmers have historically budgeted for one good bumper record year in one out of seven years. Today this has changed to about one good year in every twelve years.
Less productive years relates directly to more expensive foods.
World population of 7 Billion is tipping our food chain over the edge.                                                                                                                                    
Australia has changed from self sufficient to a food import country.
10 years ago water was worth only $2.00 per mega litre and in 2010 it has increased 1000% to $2,000 per mega litre.
Water will be equal to oil per barrel price. As water prices increases, oil price will decrease as we change from old to new technologies and as water shortages increase worldwide.
We can expect huge increase in the cost of water, even the average home will notice this soon.
There will be a gradual change from established family farms, as many older farmers retire or start to sell of the family farm.
Fact: Aussie Food has increased its costs 43% more in 10 years than rest of world due to monopoly supermarkets.
Asia limits rice sales for few months as production lowers for first time ever.
Genetic foods and GMOs are now feasible to introduce to the population.
Supermarkets take control of the food chain and introduce low quality food to the public and public is now brainwashed as to what is good, junk or indifferent food.
Our society can be related to the same stage as Roman emperors lavishing in incessant bountiful feasts, enjoy the feast as soon it will be brought to an end.
Out of season food in the future will be unattainable due to the transport costs from both the economical and carbon foot print aspect will be too high.

Prediction for the future

2010-2015
Food prices to increase rapidly from 3% to 10-15% per annum

Australian farmers will leave the family farms as large scale farming trends will take over. Global warming in Asia will affect the rice and wheat crop production.
Organic foods will be accepted to mainstream population.

RICE
Top exporting rice countries will keep the rice for their own population, especially Thailand and Vietnam, and rationing rice will be a standard practice from now on.
Rice sales will be limited to sales not over half kilo per retail buyer or less.

WHEAT
India has vast wheat growing areas that will be affected by Global warming.
This shortage will have worldwide consequences and push wheat prices up worldwide. Wheat prices will increase in 2011 due to the shortage in Russian wheat crop, but by 2015 it could possibly double in price and therefore increase food costs.
Demand will be high for Aussie wheat but unfortunately production will be low, but large scale farming will be profitable for a few years.
Man made foods will now appear on market shelfs from 2013.
Only in May 2010 were scientists able to make a one million genetic code to make cells and only 100 more codes to make living cells, this is predicted to be accomplished by 2011.

These companies are now working on two aspects of manmade foods classed as:
Fillers and Additives

Fillers are to replace the basic fundamentals of our food chain i.e. wheat, rice, corn etc. as these new fillers are simply to fill up a person’s stomach.
We can look forward to manmade pastas! Organic substitutes will also be introduced.
Already scientists can make oil into sago like food substance for human consumption and when oil prices decease this is a definite possibility.
Additives- history shows that in ancient times, men would travel all around the word in small ships to bring back spices and additives in order to give taste to bland food.
Now we will be doing the same in laboratories to invent taste sensations equivalent to watching 3d movie for our taste buds.

BEEF
Prices will continue to increase. The industry will be harmed worldwide due to mad cow disease that could mutate and effect cattle from Japan to Australia.
If South America is infected the beef industry could be in for more difficult times.
If beef consumption decreases, demand will increase for protein from beans and bean production will increase in fertile lands.

HYBRID
Vegetables and fruits will increase rapidly and help feed the 7 billion people on this planet. Cell foods will be slowly introduced to the population.
Basically manmade cells produced in factories will help feed the worlds population as traditional farming methods can’t sustain constant population increase.
Large population will need food and political unrest will force governments to endorse these cell foods.
Genetically modified foods GMOs such as corn will result in huge increase in production but this will have a negative effect of draining nutrients from the soil.
GMOs are foods that have their DNA modified to be resistant to herbicides so they can grow well, and to have stronger characteristics such as more resistance to droughts or insects and higher nutritional content.
Food allergies will explode in our population compared to current epidemic level.
Can you imagine the repercussion of the over production of crops 3-6 times more than normal resulting to the degradation of the soil.
Soil degradation will be a major problem even in fertile soils, as farmers will be forced to spend money on fertilizers. This is why today BHP wants to buy Potash, the world’s largest fertilizer company. Fertilizers will be as important as oil is to our economy of today.
CHINA and INDIA now have millions of affluent residents who demand better foods then the rest of the population and will purchase other countries entire stocks.
South America will become the power house due to the supply and demand for their nutrient rich agricultural products, however the abuse of this overproduction will lead areas such as the Amazon to become dry and unnourished, which creates a lot more environmental problems.
Bioregionalism will be advocated in that people will buy local products and support local farmers.

2015-2020

Severe food Crisis Point.
Food prices to increase rapidly from 15% to 50% per year

Genetic enhanced foods are marketed by huge companies globally and family farms have now become mostly subsistence farms.
Middle East will now join China and India in sourcing foods for their mass populations and will impose incredible stress on the food prices.
China is now largest importer of foods to help feeds its population.
Oil price will sky rocket to over $200-$300 per barrel and this will greatly affect food prices that will undoubtedly double over the next few years.

Around 2020 to 2025- When new technologies take over the prices of oil and gas will crash overnight. Global warming has already affected many parts of the world and severe water shortages will stretch from Asia to Middle East.

Our BBQ grills will be solar powered and also produce ice and purified water at same time and guaranteed less smoke in your eyes!
Thermo-stabilized foods similar to what astronauts ingest in space will be a common snack energy foods.
Seaweed (Kelp) will be standard in many food products as it will be one of the few natural protein foods available that rich in iodine and minerals.
Regional wars will break out over water rights and building dams will be considered and act or aggression by downstream countries.
Wars will break out over fertilizer as fertilizers will be as important as oil has been to our economy for the last 50 years.
Australia exports of Oil, Iron Ore and Gas will crash as new age technology industry booms world wide and our government faces another debt crises as we have not budgeted for mining royalties to be so low.
Oil will be so cheap that costs of plastic will drop and new technologies will make Iron Ore obsolete so alternate uses for oil from filler foods for human consumption to immensely strong plastics will be invented rapidly.
American food companies supply over half the worlds population with genetic foods.
The so called Smart Nano foods are already under way by major food companies like Kraft and Nestle, so that the food can be changed to a person’s taste. For example a colourless soft drink with thousands of nano codes can be micro waved to taste that a person enjoys
Roast beef and vegies are now available in tubes off shelves, same size as tooth paste only tastier.
Loaf of bread will be purchased form vending machines in thin 2-3 mm aluminium foil and with press of one end the substance will expand into fresh warm loaf bread, just like the good old days!
Crops such as Soybeans will overtake traditional crops such as rice and wheat due to many factors.
Jelly beans will taste like roast turkey!
Forget Tuna as stocks are nonexistent, get used to algae and jelly fish and giant tasteless squids
Obesity diseases from our low grade foods will result in a longer living unhealthy aging population that will strain our health services.
But new technology will unlock why people are obese and tests similar to DNA will show which foods that are not compatible with your body and what is good for you. As every person is genetically different and cravings for foods that are not compatible with your body and brain is the main reason people become obese.
This is still theory but will be proved shortly as many scientists experiment why people eat and need 3 meals a day when they are obese.
Besides sex what gives us so much pleasure?
Eating of course, 3 meals a day.
Eating is a pleasure the body needs besides nutritional aspect the brain is stimulated to enjoy this pleasure so there is still hope that pill popping future can still have us chewing foods!

2020-2030
Permanent  Severe food Crises Point. Food prices to increase rapidly from 50% to 100% per year.
Man made foods will account for 70-80 % of total foods consumed in the western world. World’s population will be over 8 Billion, 2 Billion will be starving.
We will take filler pills that once swallowed will expand n fill up the stomach.

Many countries are now in permanent crises mode and can’t feed their populations.
Countries with old populations will suffer the most. Pensioners will greatly suffer the most in developed countries but starve in developing countries as food will be so scarce.
Oil prices will crash to less than $20 per barrel and Middle East will not have oil income due to non use of fossil fuels and whole area will have chronic food and water shortages.
Our supermarkets will be only 20% of the size of what they are today as we will not have the variety and choice that we have now.
Obesity will not be the same problem in 20 years as it is today as the scientists will discover that we are obese as today’s foods malnourish our system and the genetic code will be broken so that our food production methods  and  man made foods will balance our body’s systems.
So when food is expensive we will start to eat correctly

 International affairs will now greatly affect us

As we are now reliant on international foods the following aspects will now have huge effect on us. For example: Many countries with tribal or regional territories will have war over food, fertilizer and water from India, Pakistan, and China. Consequently this will affect our food prices, even wars or droughts in Siberia will affect us.
Damming of rivers in Asia will cause regional wars such as the Mekong River which is already dammed and will be controlled even more.
Australia will be fortunate to have fertile lands made more sustainable by global warming. Well we hope this is the case!
Once again Australia will be back to its rural past instead of a commodity based economy we will do full circle riding on the sheep’s back once again.

Aussie Politicians have a reputation that they do not have long term views as they are too busy trying to keep in the government to worry about long term issues.
Aussie businessmen have always looked to the future and we now see BHP offering billions to buy a fertilizer company, as they understand how business will change in the next 10-20 years and they are adapting now!

Now we need to support our Aussie farmers and lifestyle for the next 10-15 years which will be chaotic, but after new technologies are introduced we will one again be an agricultural based economy. But we have to make sure we have farmers ready now for the future and need to support Aussie food industry now!
The Future looks great for Australia, even bad times will be good for us as long as we own the FARM !
Wayne Sedawie
1/10/2010
Remember our grandparents had fruit n vegetables plots in their backyards?
Maybe we should re consider doing this!