Consumers are optimistic about technology’s influence on taste and flavour. By 2030, they expect to have digital tools that let them manipulate flavours while eating, send “taste” messages and savour food memories (see Key Stats). Brands are already turning to tech to enhance the sensory experience of food via NFT-gated menus and metaverse pop-ups.

AI will unleash cutting-edge flavour combinations. AI tools comb databases to identify patterns in flavour profiles and regional taste trends. “The relationship [between humans and AI] is wonderful when it can free you into a realm of pure creativity,” says Sam Bompas, co-founder of UK food design studio Bompas & Parr.

Production technologies such as fermentation and cellular agriculture are reimagining raw materials like mycelium and yeast as multifaceted, ultra-flavourful ingredients. From toothsome plant-based proteins to ultra-rich non-dairy milks, novel processes will become increasingly key to preserving much-loved tastes in sustainable ways – see Planet-First Ingredients for more.

New production processes are supercharging the nutritional content of hyper-palatable foods while maintaining their craveable flavour. Health-conscious reformulation is table stakes as brands race to reformulate products to avoid complications, such as the advertising restrictions for foods high in fat, salt and sugar introduced in the UK from October 2022.