Food Of The Future: Folly Or Fact?

Nic Jooste
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When I arrived in The Netherlands in 1993‭, ‬my culinary memories were filled with the color and flavor of Cape Town‭, ‬my birthplace‭. ‬This beautiful city can only be described as a‭ ‬‘melting pot of nationalities‭.‬’‭ ‬Over centuries‭, ‬our indigenous population was complemented by Portuguese seafarers‭, ‬Italian prisoners of war‭, ‬people from the Far East who were brought to South Africa as slaves‭, ‬European winemakers‭, ‬German farmers who settled in the 1680s‭, ‬and the English‭, ‬who briefly ruled over South Africa during the late 1800s‭. ‬

From my early childhood it was completely normal for my family to start the day with an English breakfast‭, ‬complemented with German-style‭ ‬‘bratkartoffeln’‭ (‬potatoes and fried onions‭), ‬and a French croissant‭. ‬Lunch might be fish and chips from the Portuguese café‭. ‬Dinner often was‭ ‬‘bobotie‭,‬’‭ ‬a fragrant and spicy meat dish with strong Asian origins‭. ‬

My surprise was huge when I arrived in The Netherlands and was introduced to the Dutch culinary landscape‭. ‬Breakfast was bread with cheese‭, ‬lunch was bread with cheese‭, ‬and dinner was as predictable as the weather was unpredictable‭, ‬built around potatoes and one type of vegetable‭. ‬A nondescript piece of meat sometimes appeared‭. ‬The routine of eating was just as predictable‭: ‬the potatoes and vegetable were squashed with a fork‭ (‬‘prakken’‭ ‬in Dutch‭), ‬the meat was cut into small pieces‭, ‬gravy was poured all over it‭, ‬and within 30‭ ‬minutes dinner‭ (‬including dishwashing‭) ‬was finished‭. ‬How I missed the languid‭, ‬drawn-out South African meals filled with lots of talking and socializing‭. ‬

At that time‭, (‬1993-1996‭), ‬the bulk of the fresh produce at Dutch retail stores was taken up by potatoes and traditional vegetables‭, ‬such as carrots‭, ‬cauliflower and broccoli‭. ‬One had to search far and wide for a pineapple‭, ‬mango or avocado‭. ‬‘Convenience’‭ ‬in fresh produce did not exist‭. ‬

So what has happened since 1993‭? ‬Today‭, ‬Dutch supermarkets are brimming with Mexican‭, ‬Italian‭, ‬Spanish‭, ‬Middle Eastern‭, ‬Asian‭, ‬African and Turkish items‭. ‬The fresh produce section is filled with convenience items‭, ‬such as ready-made salads and meals‭, ‬fresh‭ ‬juices‭, ‬artisanal smoothies‭, ‬tapenades and hummus‭. … ‬The list is endless‭.‬

Obviously we can ascribe this partly to the fading away of borders within the European Union‭. ‬A steady stream of expats moving into our small country brings an influx of new consumer demands‭. ‬The ease of travel has resulted in the eating habits of Dutch citizens becoming a lot more adventurous‭. ‬Holidays in Vietnam‭, ‬Namibia‭, ‬Peru and Iceland have‭ ‬‘normalized’‭ ‬the consumption of exotic dishes‭. ‬The effect of the migration of people from other continents must not be underestimated‭. ‬My new hometown has Abyssinian‭, ‬Kazakhstani and Syrian restaurants‭.  ‬

The Dutch culinary landscape has changed completely in 25‭ ‬years‭. ‬But what about the future‭? ‬What other changes and surprises can‭ ‬we expect in the world of food‭,
‬specifically fresh produce‭? ‬

Cool Fresh International’s recent research project‭ (‬a thesis executed by Mathieu Hirdes‭, ‬a student who was in the process of graduating in commercial economics‭) ‬shows that if we thought that the past 20‭ ‬years have brought a lot of changes‭, ‬we will be blown away by those coming at‭ ‬us with the power of a runaway freight train‭.  ‬

This charge is being led by Generation Z‭ ‬‮—‬‭ ‬consumers born between the mid-1990s and 2000‭. ‬They are somewhere between 17‭ ‬and 21‭ ‬and are unknowingly shaping‭ ‬“the future of food‭.‬”‭ ‬They have an expendable income of USD 44‭ ‬billion‭, ‬and they influence family spending to the tune of USD 600‭ ‬billion‭. ‬Makes you‭ ‬think‭, ‬doesn’t it‭? ‬Sustainability and healthy living are keys for them‭, ‬yet their buying behavior is based on‭ ‬‘I want it all and I want it now‭.‬’‭ ‬Online ordering and instant delivery are making it possible for them to get instant gratification‭. ‬

I see a picture of a fish taco‭, ‬a pepperoni pizza‭, ‬or a quinoa salad‭. ‬I decide that I want it‭. ‬I order it‭, ‬and I am able to enjoy the meal within 30‭ ‬minutes‭. ‬All while swiping through thousands of pages of information on my smartphone at breakneck speed every day‭. ‬

Until recently‭, ‬people needed to move physically between countries in order for culinary habits to be transferred‭. ‬Generation Z‭ ‬on the other hand effortlessly moves around in their digital world‭, ‬visiting various countries daily‭, ‬and forming new eating habits without EVER having been to a country‭. ‬The world is indeed their oyster‭ ‬‮…‬

Whilst the sales of fresh produce at retail level is stagnant or declining‭, ‬our research shows that Generation Z is probably consuming more fresh produce than any other generation‭. ‬They just consume it as part of a new culinary landscape‭, ‬supplied by an ever-changing logistics apparatus that caters to every whim‭. ‬The supply chain is going after this hungrily‭: ‬already we have gone from old-style pizza delivery scooters to personalized‭, ‬hip delivery on environment-friendly bicycles‭. ‬Next up‭: ‬food delivery by‭ ‬drone‭. ‬Laugh if you like‭, ‬but it is on its way‭.‬

So where does this leave the‭ ‬‘traditional’‭ ‬importers and suppliers of fresh produce who are used to moving volumes‭, ‬not thinking where our produce ends up‭? ‬If we place all our eggs in the retail basket‭, ‬we will wake up one day and realize with a shock that we have become irrelevant to the food chain at best‭, ‬and maybe even obsolete at worst‭. ‬Our position could be taken over by small-scale service providers who understand the need to move really fast‭, ‬and that quality‭, ‬innovation and creativity‭ (‬and not quantity‭) ‬will decide who gets the deal‭. ‬

For this reason‭, ‬Cool Fresh International is involved in the‭ ‬‘Food For The Future’‭ ‬project of the Rotterdam City Council‭. ‬The Rotterdam Food Cluster is supported by more than 8,000‭ ‬local businesses that are united to strengthen the position of the Dutch trendsetting food sector into being the most innovative and sustainable food region‭ ‬in the world‭. ‬In May‭, ‬we will host a 24-hour marathon brainstorming session for 150‭ ‬‘bright young minds’‭ ‬that will identify challenges fresh produce companies face and create fitting solutions‭. ‬Not by consultants in plush offices‭, ‬but the target group‭ (‬Generation Z‭) ‬themselves‭.

Nic Jooste is the director of Marketing and CSI at Cool Fresh International, a Rotterdam-based global marketing organisation for fresh produce. He was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, and relocated to The Netherlands with his Dutch wife in 1993.

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