The advancement of technology has flooded every sector. The demand for technology has also increased in the food industry. As the world’s population is growing, the demand for food is rising, and technology in the food industry is evolving expeditiously. There is also a huge demand among people for online food orders across the globe. The chief innovations incorporated the use of robots, machines, automation, and sensors to accelerate productivity, profit, the quality of the food to keep them fresh for longer.
The recent advancement of 3D printing makes a way of creating food items that were not available previously. Other advances include the use of drones, and digitization to reduce waste and find alternatives to harmful packaging like plastic.
According to the ING report, tech innovations encouraged the production of more food in a shorter time with higher quality products. In the past few years, the dynamics of the food industry have changed significantly. They have become more customer-oriented, intelligible, and expanded the use of innovations. Railway food order is another burgeoning segment in the food industry.
How is the technology used in the food industry?
Some traditional processes have collapsed, which are giving way to the acceptance of innovative technological gadgets. The use of technology in the food industry has affected food production, processing, consumption, and deployment.
Let us see the major six technologies driving the process of food development:
1) Robotics
Various technological devices are aimed at making the production of food faster and safer. The advanced machines can keep products and their ingredients in perfect conditions. Robotics machines can assist in wiping out the security issues for the more hazardous jobs in the food industry, like cutting meat.
In 2016, a tech organization revealed a program for butchery. By utilizing robots to cut the meats, they can spare many work injuries to the workers. The “Robot butchers” could cut the most troublesome sections of the meat. Cutting such sections make the Butchers prone to injuries. However, robots have made it safer and diminished the risk of injuries.
2) Drones
The benefits of technology in the food industry can be seen through the extensive use of drones. The agricultural sector is setting up loads of challenges for owners. The agriculture process is entirely dependent on climate conditions and the nature of soil and harvests. Without the utilization of innovation, laborers need to check everything by themselves physically to ensure the quality harvest.
To achieve an excellent outcome, a few organizations have begun utilizing drones.
How can drones help in the food industry?
Drones capture the general outline of the field and help to check the condition of the soil and the crops before harvesting. These little assistants convey the result to the farmworkers and assist them in distinguishing between the harmed crops as well as good quality crops. Subsequently, it saves a lot of time and helps to grow high-quality crops. This innovation is a blessing, which also improves laborers’ efficiency and productivity.
3) Eco-friendly Waste and Packaging
Today, consumers give priority to sustainable and healthy meals, so the brands have no other choice than following this trend. The consumers, before consuming anything, first check the ingredients list to identify the harmful ingredients. By using digitization, food industries made efforts to find alternatives to plastic and harmful packaging.
It initiated them to save the environment and use eco-friendly products for packaging. With the recent technological advancements, there are edible and micro packaging materials with zero waste, which include the utilization of nanoparticles that even kill bacteria. More innovations can likewise help fight against the products’ waste.
4) Sensors
The sensors have changed the physical world of the food production process. Sensors can count stock, check the quality of food ingredients, and identify the contamination of the foods, thus making the owners work more efficiently. Likewise, these sensor devices give real-time data about the process of production and identify basic things that can cause problems.
Sensors control every product, and check food and drink conditions while the items are en route to the buyers. The most concerning issue for this situation is maintaining a stable temperature. Sensors are deployed in vehicles, fridges, and more touchpoints to avoid deviations. If any uncertainty happens, workers get information in mobile or desktop applications.
5) Blockchain
The modern age runs on the rules of transparency. The food industry also has to be transparent from the stage of ingredients used by them to the processing of food. The production process should also be safe for the environment.
For example, Provenance is a company which uses innovative blockchain to give data about the origin of their products. Potential buyers can scan the ID mark on the item with their cell phones and can see the chain of authority from the starting point.
6) 3D Printing
Although printing your food seems like something out of a sci-fi film, but it is real. The innovation utilized in 3D printing has profited numerous food industries. NASA has been researching printing foods for astronauts, and one of the most astonishing advancements is a 3D printed pizza created by the Systems and Materials Research Corporation.
3D printing opens a different way of advancement of the food industry, having the option to create numerous things that we could not make previously. It helps to maintain the food sustainability as well. 3D printing is stirring up the food industry in multiple ways. There have been a few applications for 3D food printing. Researchers have also created soft foods to help individuals who cannot bite hard foods or find them difficult to digest.
The world changes, and so does the food
Climate change, environmental change, and the growth of competition have made the food and beverage industries look for better approaches to improve their products and services. Old techniques will not work since they cannot give the most significant levels of transparency, quality of products, and efficiency. Instead, using the latest technologies has become essential in the food industry.
Today, almost every food industry uses technologies like robotics, drones, sensors, 3D printing, and automation. We cannot underestimate the effect that they have on the food and beverage industry. It is not just about food ingredients, but also about environment-friendly packaging, sustainability, and improved storage conditions, which would be evident in the future of the food industry.