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Future of dining: Is UAE ready for 3D-printed snacks and VR dinner parties?

Here’s what futurists and experts from the worlds of food, science, technology and innovation say about future trends in culinary experience

Imagine the future of dining like this: You go not to a restaurant but a ‘restorant’ to restore your body and mind. You dine at 'flavour concentration booths’, fully immersed in the look, sound, aroma and taste of a meal in simulations of natural environments like forest, seaside or even a sky full of clouds. You become me-gan or you enjoy ‘me-ganism’ diets that are bespoke to your biological, physical and mental needs.

This is the world by 2040 as imagined in the ‘Snack To The Future’ report by London-based food delivery company Deliveroo. The report unveils predictions and technological advancements anticipated by 2040. Deliveroo noted: “The UAE’s vibrant F&B (food and beverage) scene stands at the forefront of embracing technological innovations, spearheading remarkable transformation within the industry. Embracing the potential of technology, the UAE has been quick to adopt cutting-edge solutions to enhance customer experiences and streamline operations.”

From VR dinner parties to hyper-personalised diet powered by AI and 3D-printed snacks, here’s what futurists and experts from the worlds of food, science, technology and innovation say about future trends in culinary experience.

The rise of ‘me-ganism’

Eating will become more personal and the next big thing in dieting is the Me-gan diet or Me-ganism, which is a hyper-personalised diet powered by AI technology. By 2040, people will live with certain technologies designed to combine information and personalised diet. This can become possible as advances in 3D food printing (preparing meals layer by layer) could enable people to customise the shape, density, look and feel of food to suit their needs and goals.

The futuristic food report cited the work of scientists at Columbia University who created a seven-ingredient vegan cheesecake that was assembled entirely by a 3D-printing machine using edible food ink from graham crackers, peanut butter, Nutella, banana puree, strawberry jam, cherry drizzle and strawberry frosting.

Applied futurist Tom Cheesewright noted: “This type of 3D printing technology could allow people to control the nutrients in their food. 3D printing portion size is going to be really interesting, particularly when our personal AI has all that data about lifestyle goals and needs. If you can portion food, for example with a high density of plant- based proteins and vitamins, precisely in an automated way, it could stop someone overfilling their plate.”

VR dinner parties

In the future, one can dine with celebrities, rock stars or royals or recreate food moments from famous movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's – although virtually – from the comfort of their homes or offices. Thanks to augmented and virtual technologies, one can “enhance where, how and what to eat and drink, and with who.”

According to the report, virtual food tourism can also lead people to discover local restaurant specialities or fine-dine in whichever location they dream of. In addition, digital game-infused dining could create playful, immersive and meditative meal-time experiences.

Optimising breath-prints

Expect personal tech devices to be enabled with BreathTech, meaning you can breathe on your device and get a deep level of insight into what food you should be eating to have optimal impact on your individual health and wellbeing.

The report noted: “People’s breath is as unique as their fingerprint. Compounds in exhaled air produce a unique and stable molecular autograph or ‘breathprint’ that could be used to inform the early diagnosis of disease. For example, these highly sensitive sensors could detect acetone, H2S (hydrogen sulfide), ammonia and toluene to evaluate diabetes, halitosis, kidney malfunction and lung cancer.”

Breath-prints therefore could be used to ensure that what people order and eat has the optimal impact on their individual mood, energy, strength, weight and longevity.

Creating mindful meals

The report also highlighted climate change, population spurt, and excess demand for meat in 2040. Devesh Mishra, chief product and technology officer at Deliveroo, noted: “If we can transform the way people eat and consume food, that would be huge.

The crux of predicting the future of food is about creating mindful meals. “Especially when it comes to food waste, for example. Through technological and supply chain innovation, meal delivery companies could help to eliminate food waste in the world. That is something that excites me,” Mishra noted.

Will Shu, founder and CEO of Deliveroo, added: “I started Deliveroo in 2013 with a mission to connect people to the best quality food from local restaurants and deliver it directly to people’s doors. As we look towards the next decade and beyond, Deliveroo will continue to create exciting new innovations in food delivery, build new and better consumer experiences and take Deliveroo beyond functionality and convenience to really capture the passion and emotion of food.”

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