The future of food security: Innovating to feed a growing world

Resource depletion and exponential technologies

The United Nations estimates that 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, with a significant portion attributed to livestock farming. The current food system also uses 70% of the world’s freshwater resources, a luxury we cannot afford as water scarcity becomes more prevalent.

Beyond environmental concerns, the ethical treatment of animals is an ongoing issue, with over 70 billion animals farmed globally each year, often under inhumane conditions.

The good news is that exponential technological advancements offer promising solutions to these challenges. Innovations such as synthetic eggs and cultured meat are paving the way for a more sustainable and humane food system.

Cultured meat

Laboratory-grown, cultured meat is identical to conventional meat at the cellular level but without the need for raising and slaughtering animals. It requires significantly less land and water, and emits fewer greenhouse gasses. In several parts of the world, enormous investments are being made into producing plant based, “cultured” meat at scale, with California-based Good Meat, Israeli company Believer Meats and American Upside Foods, leading the way.

Their production harnesses an ingenious approach. Cells are extracted from an animal’s tissue (in a process that doesn’t harm the animal at all) and mixed with a cocktail of nutrients, oxygen, and moisture. Inside large bioreactors, the mixture is kept at the same temperature cells would be at in an animal’s body. The cells divide, multiply, and mature, with any waste products being removed to keep the environment pure. These cells can be taken from cattle, seafood or poultry, with the same process.

Growing the cells is the relatively easy part of course, as the bioreactors don’t manufacture ready-to-eat lamb shank or chicken drumsticks. Replicating meat’s structure such as the tendons, muscle, fat, bone, and connective tissue that characterises it, is a complex process, and crucial to giving whole cuts of meat their distinctive texture and flavor. After the cells are “harvested” from the bioreactors they grew in, they need to be refined and shaped into a final product, which could involve extrusion cooking, molding, and even 3D printing.

The plates of tomorrow look bright

Meat-free meat in South Africa has been met with mixed responses, both from regulatory bodies and consumers, while early entry products incorporated newer technologies that were still in infancy. There is no doubt that the international research and development that is currently under way will reach critical mass, and we will reap the benefits of the spillover effects.

These technologies have the potential to produce food more efficiently and sustainably, ensuring that we can feed the growing global population without exhausting our planet’s resources. They can also help drastically reduce the environmental footprint of food production, contributing to decreasing pollution and conserving natural resources.

By reducing reliance on animal farming, we can significantly decrease the suffering of animals and move towards a more ethical food system.

The future of food security is bright, with the potential to create an abundance of food that can feed the world’s population while protecting the environment and improving animal welfare. By embracing these innovations, we can work towards ending world hunger and building a more sustainable and humane food system for generations to come.

The journey ahead may be challenging, but the rewards – a world where food is plentiful, ethical, and sustainable – are within our reach.

Learn more

Global Changemaker and SingularityU SA faculty member Arturo Elizondo will traveling to South Africa to speak at the much-anticipated Singularity South Africa summit 2024 that will take place on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, in collaboration with Old Mutual. 1500 people are expected to attend. There’s going to be EggXiting surprises from The Every Company that you don’t want to miss!

The plans regarding ancillary events, networking opportunities, and the final programme for the SingularityU South Africa Summit will be announced in the coming months. To join the SingularityU community, or to book a ticket, visit https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/.

Ticket prices:

R 18,500 in-person, R4,500 metaverse per person, for tickets booked before midnight on 1 October. (Next tier Just in time R20,000 in-person, R5,200 metaverse per person applies thereafter).

All prices include VAT.