MIT Technology Review Weekend Reads: The Future of Food April 13, 2019

Weekend Reads The Future of Food 04.13.19

Good morning, Weekend Readers! This week, we're taking a look at food technology.

Nothing is as natural as eating. Or so you’d think. In fact, almost every step in the food chain can now be tweaked. Seeds can be genetically modified. Cows can be hooked up to Bluetooth. Virtual reality can curb your appetite. But while these advancements aren’t slowing down anytime soon, the world is facing new challenges. The global population is growing fast, the environmental impact of the way we farm is causing irreparable damage, and there is a looming obesity crisis in the West. All of these issues mean that food startups are having to rethink everything from how food is grown, to how it is prepared, and how it’s eaten. This week we’ll dive into: how technology is making food bigger and more delicious; how new tools can help us eat better; how robots could be the next neighborhood farmer; and much more. Bon appetit.

Bigger and better foods Machine learning is making pesto even more delicious AI has been used to improve the flavor of basil. It’s part of a trend that is seeing artificial intelligence revolutionize farming. Read more. Gene engineers develop super-size plants that are 40% larger Researchers hope to create a new “green revolution” by improving photosynthesis. Read more. The race to grow a more planet friendly burger Meat production spews tons of greenhouse gas and uses up too much land and water. Is there an alternative that won’t make us do without? Read more. These are not your father’s GMOs A new wave of gene-edited crops are dodging regulators, and they’re about to reach stores. Read more. Can tech help produce healthier food? Can food be customized to meet our health needs? The connections between diet, genes, environment, and health are difficult to unravel. Tailored nutrition and 3-D-printed food are just two of the ways researchers are looking to give nutrition a technological makeover. Read more. Edible electronics tattooed on your food could help track your health The development of organic circuits that can be transferred onto food and pills paves the way for a new era of biomonitoring. Read more. This device measures the calories on your plate Low-energy microwaves can tell you the caloric content of food, providing a more accurate estimate of what is on your plate. Read more. AR eyewear fools your belly (and brain) into feeling full Of all the diet tricks out there, Tokyo researchers may have hit upon the most devious: just lie to your brain. Read more. Robot farmers Robots start to grasp food processing Advances in robotics make it possible to automate tasks such as processing poultry and vegetables. Read more. An autonomous farm wants to produce food without human workers Down on a new robot farm, machines tend rows of leafy greens under the watch of software called “The Brain.” Read more. Grocery and food delivery Technology is eating up restaurants Apps and tech giants are closing down dining rooms, one way or another. Read more. Kroger is turning to autonomous cars to solve the last-mile problem for groceries The largest supermarket chain in the US is partnering with robotic-vehicle startup Nuro to put food on your table.  Read more. Long live food A “second skin” for fruit and veg could make them last twice as long We throw away a third of all our fruit and vegetables. California-based firm Apeel wants to change that with a natural coating that keeps produce fresher for longer. Read more. The fridge laser that detects bacteria crawling all over food Spotting the bacteria that causes food poisoning has always been a time-consuming and expensive business. Until now. Read more.

We’ve been covering tech since 1899. If there’s something you’re interested in hearing more about, we’ve probably written about it. Let us know what you’d like to hear about next at weekendreads@technologyreview.com. Until next week!

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