This is an ongoing speculative design project. I am exploring the speculation of how the future of food from the current situation of food waste of today could possibly look in the future if issues are addressed or ignored.

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      Considering the current situation of Covid-19, the world, and the production along with the distribution of food has begun to be turned upside down. Borders are closed, food production routes and transportations are disrupted, food produce destined for educational centers are being thrown out as these places are no longer in session and able to receive the food. Events on large scales are being cancelled thus the food meant for them has no destination any longer, and the consequence is that the food is being wasted before it can be directed to an alternate source to receive it. Such as food banks that need help with donations now more than ever due to more and more people losing their jobs and unable to buy food for themselves and their families. But this then becomes a transportation issue there is no way to redirect the food from its original destination to a new one such as food banks.

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      One can only guess how things could possibly turn out in the future, speculating on outcomes from each area of food from production and harvesting to consumers buying it in stores and taking it home. The food chain starting with farmers growing and harvesting the crops to having the crops transported to wholesalers, from there grocery stores and restaurant owners buy their produce to prepare and sell from their stores or restaurants. As shoppers the way we consume food will ultimately be changed because of how we handle the food we buy and the lengths in which it takes food to be available to us.

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      Food could go in the direction of astronomers, though be canned instead of sealed packages due to their limitation of being able to use cans in space. Food that can last long periods of time without the need of refrigeration or freezing. Food could be made to be entirely canned or possibly even pickled to help with preservation of the food. Nuts, crackers, foods that do not require storage besides being kept dry. Imagine a world that every vegetable, every fruit, every kind of meat is found in a can or pickled due to the shortages of fresh produce because of the state of the world’s environment that fails to produce fresh products, no matter the kind. Steaks or ribs that are canned, pomegranates, bananas, grapefruits that are canned, if they even make it that long to be canned. With nuts and crackers being the variety of foods that are not found in a can of some sort, the food that has changed the least over the years of food production. Food ground down into powered form to last longer on shelves and save space as it would be smaller and easier to package and store for movement from farm to table in a sense.

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      The potential of food may possibly be a reduction in variety but also an increase in nutrition due to the advances of technology. Gene splicing, for instance, of different grains to make new and even better super grains that surpass the super grains of today such as quinoa. Making the need for variety redundant as the nutritional value of that single grain could be enough to encompass that of assortment of today. Allowing for the reduction in over farming areas to keep up with surplus demand of the different varieties. We can already see food being altered in one way or another to keep up with demand or their change of environment in order to maintain them viable in that environment. Some of these crops include cotton, corn, potatoes, papaya, soy, sugar beet, zucchini and yellow squash, alfalfa, and canola. Foods and items consumed all over the world in large quantities are paving the way for every other produce or substance for production purposes to be altered. It has already begun and is only a matter of time until it becomes a focus, if it already has not, to solve the food crisis.

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      Our food may end up being rationed and controlled by the government or food banks to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to access food for their whole family and that the distribution is equal among all. Having controlled amounts to ensure well rounded and balanced meals. There will be no class discrimination of the food supply as everyone will be allotted the same amount dependent on how many the family consists of. This could come into effect due to the shortage of food supplies available worldwide due to things such as the food waste, over farming of land and lack of fresh water to sustain the farming methods of certain crops that require large amounts of water such as rice or cranberries.

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      Already we can see areas in some countries that charge households fees for the waste they discard. As amounts of payments increase due to the severity of food waste, one would hope to find that more and more food is not waste and instead consumed and individuals and households begin to understand the importance of not wasting food. This on the end of the consumer could mean a change for the whole system in its entirety. When consuming less, thus buying less, there could be a more focused way to predict the consumption rates which could prove to be useful to the suppliers and the producers to be able to reduce and stop over providing and farming large quantities of foods.

 

      As the problem increases and we find more and more people trying to tackle the waste problem of perfectly good produce that simply doesn’t look perfect we could find a shift in the way these foods are consumed on a large scale which would benefit food waste positively. With the impact of perfection of everything into the production of food, we find that foods that do not fit the mould of appealing to a certain ideal are discarded and deemed not good enough simply because of looks. It does not lack in nutritional value as its counterparts but simply because it does not look a certain way it is abandoned and left to rot on shelves. Though in nature these perfect shapes that consumers look for are not found. All produce is not grown uniform naturally. It differs and changes from region to region due to the elements and surroundings. So, the thought that we impose our own thoughts and ideals onto things that can only be controlled through science is lunacy.

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      It is my intention through this website I have made to invite thoughts on how the future of our food supply and waste will look like. Whether the absurdity of speculations cause people to act within their own limitations or being to questions the entirety of the supply chain of the food they buy and consume. Or even to simply start the conversation of what more can be done to reduce the waste of food. No matter which way it is looked at, food waste affects all of us and can cause problems for humanity in the future. Food waste is a global problem and will require a global solution.