Food isn’t just something you put in your body; it’s an entire bubble of multi-million pound industries which turn what could be a practical, dull part of everybody’s day into something special. So, with 2014 well underway, we’ve scoured the internet to try to find some of the most interesting, unique food-y trends that are sure to catch your eye and tantalise your taste buds this year. It appears as though this year will be a year for real science innovation in food, so here are our favourite three science and technology innovations in food to appear this year.
Connected Dining
In a Tokyo bar called Logbar, it’s clear that technology is of equal importance to the food. iPad Minis are provided to the diner on entry, and the menu is displayed on the screen. You can choose your items from the tablet, communicate with other customers, and you can even create your own cocktail and invite others in the bar to order it. If they do, you earn a small commission of approximately 30p.
3D Printing and Laser Cutting
In the world of art and design, laser cutting and 3D printing are becoming ubiquitous. This, naturally, is starting to trickle into other industries, with many food producers starting to think about how they could use this technology to create food. Some people are already using 3D printing to create elaborate sugar sculptures, but the techniques could soon be used in collaboration with cloning technology to create more elaborate food types such as meat. Scientists have already created the first 3D printed burger, though it did cost $15,000 to produce…
Health Chocolate
Who doesn’t enjoy chocolate? Unfortunately, regular milk chocolate is extremely bad for you, and with nutritionists now looking for a worldwide crack-down on sugar, we’ll need to come up with some healthier alternatives if we are going to beat the epidemic. One solution is “health” chocolate, which contains a range of different fruits and nutrients blended into the healthy mixture. This kind of product is slowly being rolled out, and that means we should start seeing health chocolate in stores soon.
Ultimately, these are just a small number of the technologies that you should expect to see being introduced in food stores, kitchens and eateries over the coming year. Unfortunately, they all might be over budget for the majority of us, so you might need to come up with some alternatives for now. Obviously, you can try organic dark chocolate now from a place like Goodness Direct, or you could replace the iPad Mini with your own smartphone and Instagram, but the results won’t be as awe-inspiring.
