The advent of technology and innovation in the food industry has led to numerous advancements at each level of food manufacturing, processing, and delivery. The new developments are assisting businesses in responding quickly and efficiently to shifting dietary trends, authenticity, and other consumer wants and expectations, as well as product sustainability.

With the rapidly changing consumer demand and environmental concerns, the food business has recognized the significance of using advanced technologies such as blockchain, genetic modification, IoT, and 3D printing.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the technological impact on the world's food manufacturing and supply chain during the past two years, causing significant disruptions and unexpected changes in demand. Now, it’s time for all businesses to recover and go forward as the pandemic has ended.

The ability to cope with uncertainty is essential for the revolution in the current scenario. This means that food manufacturers and businesses should research the market, assess the risk, and create plans to improve consumer happiness while reducing expenses. The food manufacturing and supply chain trends for 2023 are further discussed in this article, which may help businesses plan and keep up with market developments.

Food Supply Chain Trends 2023

1.    Advanced analytics in the food supply chain: For businesses to make informed decisions about supply chain management, data is essential. Most businesses use spreadsheets to manage this important data. However, this strategy is no longer appropriate for a convoluted supply chain with a tonne of data to manage. The majority of sectors are currently looking for intelligent automation with less human involvement in management and better outcomes.

2.    Digital supply chain with IoT: By using IoT tracking and traceability throughout the whole supply chain, IoT technology assists food businesses in gaining customer loyalty. Even if domestic and international regulations may increase the supply chain's complexity, IoT technology makes it easier for manufacturers and customers to track food goods.

Transparency also offers several other advantages, including efficient inventory management, reduced costs, and more. Manufacturers can locate the problem and address the supply chain's incompetence as necessary.

3.    Increase in focus on sustainability in the food supply chain: Supply chains for retail stores account for more than 50% of industrial carbon emissions. Supply chain management is under a lot of strain as a result of rising consumer expectations for environment-friendly shipping and logistics. As a result, sustainability, circular economy, environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and climate change adaptation have emerged as key areas of focus in recent years and will continue to do so in the future.

4.    Transparency in the food supply chain: The capacity to manage and access various products from initial shipment to final distribution to avoid any contamination of the product is known as supply chain transparency and traceability. Every aspect of a firm benefits from it, including meeting client demands and increasing profitability. A variety of management technologies, including the application of blockchain in food supplychain, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and warehousing, are being incorporated by the advanced visibility software to streamline the entire process and get rid of manual labor and human error.

Food Manufacturing Trends 2023

The production and processing of food are developing together with the technology boom. New technologies like 3D printing, lab-grown meat, and others may alter how we produce and prepare food. The foundation of civilization, agriculture, and animal rearing may disappear and be replaced by technology.

The following technologies are the main causes why food production will never be the same in the future:

1.    3D printing in food manufacturing: One of the intriguing technologies now being developed by numerous institutions is the 3D printing of food. The food sector may soon be transformed by this technology, which has been developing over the past few years.

It'll function as intended. The final product can be built layer by layer, allowing alteration in the product's size, shape, texture, and flavor in the later stage. The future of creating food for oneself sounds like it will allow customization of the finished product as needed, owing to 3D printing.

According to research, consumers, food manufacturers, and merchants will all adopt this technology quickly. The waste generated by conventional methods of food manufacturing will also be eliminated with the help of this technology.

2.    High-pressure food processing: Food manufacturers have been very concerned about the continuous issue of how to extend the shelf life of food without compromising the food's quality and flavor.

Food preservation innovations are currently being developed. The food sector needs innovation like high-pressure processing (HPP), which has the potential to extend food shelf life by 10 times.

In a high-pressure atmosphere, packaged food will undergo a form of cold pasteurization throughout this process. In addition to ensuring food safety, this will get rid of bacteria while preserving nutritional content, flavor, size, and texture. There won't be any use of any radiation or chemicals, which is a definite advantage of HPP.

3.    Lab-grown meat: It may soon be feasible to sell lab-grown meat, commonly referred to as clean meat or vitro animals. This kind of meat is created using stem cells from farm animals that have been harvested by biopsy and then processed in a lab for a few days. Animal farming would benefit from vitro meat, according to environmentalists. They also think that if this method was used, most greenhouse gases might be reduced by up to 90%.

It is currently being developed to make this technology available in the market. If you compare this to the conventional method of raising beef, it is pricey. The effectiveness of technology will increase as it continues to advance.

4.    Plant-based proteins: Proteins are crucial for the upkeep and development of muscles, as well as the maintenance of strong bones and proper brain function. A lower protein consumption could indicate that you are losing strength, vitality, muscular mass, and hair.

Additionally, many plants, as well as sources such as animals, eggs, and fish, provide protein. A lot of these foods are abundant in nutrients that human body needs. Compared to growing animal protein, growing plant-based protein is easier because it won't affect the environment. Chickpeas, lentils, barley, almonds, spinach, kidney beans, quinoa, and peanuts are a few examples of plant-based proteins.

Although plant-based protein has an advantage over animal protein, it also has some small disadvantages, such as the fact that not all plants have the amino acids needed for growth. Compared to animal protein, it takes longer to digest and is deficient in vitamin B12.

Conclusion

Technological innovations in the food manufacturing and supply chain are also driving digitalization in the food industry. Advanced technologies such as 3D printing, IoT, plant-based proteins, etc., are being introduced to design, optimize, and manage food manufacturing. Companies are keen to adopt the most advanced and productive technologies to safeguard and automate food manufacturing and supply chain process.

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