How Technology is Changing the Food and Beverage Industry
The demand for technology is increasing in the food and beverages sector due to digital opportunities, climate change, and health-focused consumers. Climate change and its global impact are encouraging innovative startups to make a change in the industry. Consumers diet is also changing, and the desire for a healthy lifestyle is increasing, leading to the rise of veganism and vegetarianism, which is persuading the food and beverage industry to follow the trend.
There is no doubt that in the past few years, the dynamics of the food and beverage sector have changed. They have become more customer-oriented, transparent, and increased the usage of technology.
The top food technology trends that are transforming the food and beverage industry are given below.
1. Service Robots and Restaurant Digitalization
The e-restaurants have new standards with their online services and delivering food at the doorstep of their consumers. However, food service robots will be making their way into the restaurants, providing customers with more refined service. The food and beverage industry is booming and will continue to do the same in the upcoming years with their online orders, fast delivery of food at the counter, access to healthy food, and service robots.
2. Plastic Free
Worldwide in many countries, usage of single-use plastics such as cutlery, stirrers, straws, and plates have already been banned. Many big organizations have also signed an agreement to reduce plastic generation and disposal extensively.
Accordingly, many food and beverage manufacturers are coming up with alternative biodegradable and plastic-free solutions along with an innovative packaging system. Moreover, consumers are becoming aware of the hazards of using a plastic bag and other such items have also given the companies more reasons not to use plastic materials.
3. Transparency and the Big Food Companies
The food chain industry is still trying to understand how to regain trust from their customers so that they can support their values and be more transparent. The increasing growth of the new e-commerce channels is proving to be challenging for the big players as it is negatively impacting the market share for them.
To remain in the competition, the big food companies have to get a better knowledge about the niche markets and how quickly they can change. Food traceability provider such as blockchain technology will also continue to grow, and the new food companies will adopt this new technology as it will supply them with fast data integration and identification of quality.
How Does Standardization Legitimize The Food Enterprises?
The era of food delivery has encouraged convenience to the customers and has fuelled the germination of food delivery businesses across the world. The Asia-pacific region accounts for more than half the total value of the food delivery enterprises.
With global centralization, recipes, and food products from around the globe are in high-demand. The Europe-based firm, Statista reported a rise of 27.9 percent in the food delivery market as different cuisines takeover the menus in several restaurants.
The evolving concepts of food from traditional food recipes to ready-to-eat meals, food vending machines, and different recipes from all over the world have given the customer a choice over habits and convenience over health. The unhealthy food gap is also covered up by trending restaurants serving vegan and keto diets as well.
The rise in traditional eateries was a result of less space occupancy and necessity of zero-to-negligible workforce, offered by food vending machines. The paradigm shift in the eating habits has presented a leaping industry and to control the quality of the food consumed, standards were necessary.
The guidelines which are regulating food safety and hygiene practices in the new-emerging food industry surfaced to the line of supply as technical references formed. The technical reference covered areas like design, structure, cleanliness, maintenance, food hygiene, and transportation protocols.
Standards Taking Over Markets:
The standards have established brand presence and credibility by pushing ahead ideals for laying a strong foundation of innovation, new product development, adoption of technologies to help market access.
With internationally recognized certifications from compliance to standards, the product quality will be the key selling point of the company to aid the entry into varied geographies.
