How can consumers shape the future of food?

Shareholders can feast their eyes on growth predictions for the global food market: revenue is expected to near $10 trillion in 2025 and rise by over 6% annually through to 2028. To take a bigger slice of the cake, investors should back brands that pay attention to rapidly changing consumer preferences, says Ivan Farneti, founding partner at Five Seasons Ventures.  

“Most consumers eat three times a day, so we have multiple opportunities to direct our choices towards the better alternative for our health and for the planet,”  says Ivan. “We focus on investing in consumer food and beverage brands that bring some of these innovations in front of customers in the form of new products that may contain less salt/sugar/fat and have a lower carbon footprint than existing alternatives,” he adds. 

One company Five Seasons Ventures has invested in is Air Up, which has developed a system that adds flavour to tap water by using an aroma-based scent pod that clips into a water bottle. Soft drinks fans can cut calories and improve hydration without the need for single-use water bottles – a “win-win” for people, the planet and indeed Air Up itself – the German brand turned over €200m (£171m) in 2023 amid soaring use of refillable water bottles. 

Meanwhile in the US, ‘living beverage’ company Sol-ti makes organic superfood drinks in glass bottles that are preserved using its patented UV light filtration process without pasteurisation. It says the result is higher quality, more nutritious and tastier drinks, that it serves in glass to address consumer concerns about the dangers of ‘forever chemicals’ in plastic. Being easier to recycle, glass is also more sustainable.

Looking to the industry’s future, success will be defined by transparency, sustainability, uncompromising quality and genuine health benefits, says Sol-ti founder Ryne O’Donnell. “Consumers demand quality and authenticity and want to support brands that contribute positively to the world  – it’s about creating a product that’s good for you and the planet, with a story that resonates on a personal level.”

Business challenges aside, Meera Vasudevan, co-founder of UMA Global Foods, agrees that changing the face of the food industry is an effort worth making. UMA's mission, through its brands Annapurna and Captain Cook, is to promote wellbeing via nutritious and delicious food. “It is not easy to change farming habits, consumer choices or food industry practices. But it is critically important that we chip away at each of these three pillars that are the very foundation of our wellbeing.” 

Meera’s advice to consumers? “Read widely, stay informed and beware of fads and learn to discern fads from trends and megatrends. Make careful and well-informed food choices for yourself and the family,” she suggests. “Your wellness and indeed your life depends on it.”

Slow Money NYC (SMNYC), a US non-profit catalysing investment in sustainable food and farms, believe both choices and action can combat the challenges ahead. Their tagline is 'Everyone is an investor in food.'  Claude Arpels, co-chair of SMNYC, alongside all those behind the not-for-profit, are driven by the belief that consumers have the ability to change the food system. From Claude's perspective "the most aligned investors for food businesses are customers and community members. I would prefer to see the regulatory system shift to favour small businesses and smallholder farms who use regenerative practices to promote healthier consumers and environment." He believes that consumers have the power to change the food system for the better and advises: "Cook more at home. Shop at farmers markets. Support local growers, producers, and local economies. Buy from companies who commit to B-Corp, Fair Trade, and regenerative principles. Consumers can also invest in businesses through crowd-funding platforms, like Honeycomb Credit or Wefunder".  It is the grass-roots effort that will change the tides. 

A challenge for investors in this industry is whether the trend for healthy, sustainable food can permeate the masses. Sorosh Tavakoli, founder of Stockeld Dreamery, whose fermented cheddar alternative has 79% lower emissions than its dairy-based rivals, sees the animal-based food industry pushing back against plant-based food, but remains optimistic. Sorosh is confident that next-generation food products such as his – which taste good, have better performance and are more nutritious – will eventually offer more value to consumers. The key will be high quality and performance, learning how to cook with new ingredients and – most importantly – price parity. “I think that’s going to drive the massive shift – feed the masses. They are very driven by what things cost,” he says.

Five Seasons’ Ivan Farneti agrees: “The food industry can help solve two of the biggest global challenges of our generation: human health and climate health. But unless they are commercially viable products that people love to buy, the impact will be limited.”