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Future of Food

The future of food should be sustainable, regenerative, and resilient. Achieving this takes leaders across industries to show courage and collaboration. Together with clients and alliances, Deloitte is helping to transform the food ecosystem. Aiming to have a food system that satisfies shifting requirements while respecting planetary boundaries. Together, making an impact that matters.

Future of Food: The case for change

Future-proofing our food system is one of the biggest systemic challenges we face globally. The food industry is responsible for a huge portion of CO2, methane, and nitrogen emissions globally, and contributes massively to deforestation. These sustainability concerns add to challenges like price volatility, rising costs and changing consumer preferences. 

Yet, the food sector is pivotal in feeding our growing population. Not to mention an essential part of the global economy, providing a livelihood for millions, through agriculture, transport, retail, innovation and more. Therefore, it is imperative to create a reliable food value chain for the long-term. Together. Deloitte collaborates with clients and food players to help transform the industry and prepare for the future.

Deloitte connects for impact on the future of food
 

Deloitte contributes to the transformation of the food system by helping future-proof some of the largest and most innovative organizations across industries. Deloitte support businesses to satisfy shifting nutritional needs within planetary boundaries. In practice, this means helping enable profitable business, while helping ensure it is driven by purpose and a long-term strategy. It means capturing new and changing consumer segments in order to help future-proof market position and enable continued growth, while navigating the regulatory landscape.

Take a look at some of Deloitte’s projects below

Supply chain transparency: making cocoa production sustainable and fair

A digital platform with aggregated data helps Cargill make better informed business and environmental decisions in their cacao supply chain.

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Preserving the world’s rainforests by predicting deforestation

Together with the WWF and other public and private entities, we built a tool to predict deforestation, and preserve rainforests.

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Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions from livestock

Introducing DSM's cow feed supplement that decreases methane emissions, through a tool that enables farmers to prove its efficacy.

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Personalised climate data for every Aussie farmer

What does resilience mean anyway? Especially to farmers. Find out how a digital tool is providing Aussie farmers free personalized data to help them stay resilient in the face of climate change.

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The strategy and science of carbon-cutting

Find out how Deloitte is supporting Maple Leaf Foods on their pathway to net zero, enabled by a cloud AI platform.

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How Deloitte helped a large fast food company become a leader in sustainability.

How a French fast-food company transformed its image to become a well-loved, family restaurant and an innovator in sustainability.

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Our thinking

Scaling regenerative agriculture in the Netherlands

Pressure on environmental boundaries affects the productivity of agricultural systems, which has negative consequences for food security and prices. This downward spiral highlights the growing importance of reshaping our food systems. As opposed to intensive farming and its related challenges, regenerative agriculture helps meet society’s changing needs with regards to limiting impact on the planet and people.
Analysis
5 minute read

The future of restaurants

The consumer industry is undergoing dramatic change that will likely influence the markets, models, and mechanics of companies in significant ways over the next decade. As challenges emerge and opportunities present themselves, restaurants need to be prepared to innovate and drive the industry forward. So, when change comes, will you be ready?
Analysis
7 minute read

The Power of Blockchain in Revolutionising the Food Industry

The global food supply chain is missing an essential ingredient: trust. This is due to factors like increasingly demanding consumers, supply chain hiccups, the growing regulatory burden, and food fraud. 
Perspective
7 minute read

Decarbonizing the food system: Time is running out

The recent COP 26 conference put decarbonization in the food system firmly back at the top of the agenda. Governments and the general public are demanding change. 
Perspective
8 minute read

Food and Energy: Addressing sustainable goals together

Both the Food industry and the Energy industry have set objectives for a greener future with security of supply. Two different industries, one common goal. 
Perspective
5 minute read

The imminent Big Bang in the food sector

This transformative change, referred to as a ’big bang’ situation, included disruption factors like a change of revenue channels, operational digitisation or cost structures.
Perspective
5 minute read

Accelerating the food industry’s journey to Nature Positive

The world is facing a triple crisis: climate disruption, loss of nature and food security. These issues are deeply interconnected and food is at the heart of this.
Perspective
5 minute read

How AI powers business innovation and healthy eating

How do we make it easier for you to pick healthier alternatives when strolling through the supermarket?Our team of specialists connected with JUMBO and created Foodcoach. 
Perspective
2 minute read

Realizing change requires an ecosystem approach in which the whole food value chain is connected with start-ups, regulators, and the financial sector.

Randy Jagt, Global Future of Food leader, Deloitte 

"Building a food system that advances our planet, people and economy and enables its players to prosper, is what drives me and our passionate Deloitte food & agriculture teams."

Vanessa Matthijssen, Future of Food leader, Deloitte Asia Pacific

Food frugality index

ConsumerSignals is a longitudinal exploration of consumer spending behavior and the drivers behind it. Now in its third year, ConsumerSignals provides a view into consumers’ everyday finances and the spending strategies being used to navigate an unpredictable world. It consists of a collection of proprietary consumer indices, one of which is the Food frugality index (FFI).

What is the FFI?

Everyone needs to eat, but food is becoming less affordable for some. The FFI is a monthly proprietary measure of behaviors associated with financial stress at the grocery store—and how they may be shaping the way consumers shop for food. Higher index values indicate consumers cite being more frugal.

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Future of consumer

Through extensive research, Deloitte leaders have identified six key forces that will play a pivotal role in shaping the consumer industry, the business landscape, and the world over the next decade:

  • The changing consumer
  • An evolving society and culture
  • Exponential xTech
  • Radical industry upheaval
  • Extreme climate change
  • Shifting economics, power, and policy

These forces are impacting the markets, models and mechanics of all industries, including food production and distribution. 

The future will require companies operating in the food ecosystem to understand the implications of their decisions—and create a new approach to markets, models, and mechanics—as they chart the future of the food industry.

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Get in touch

Randy Jagt

Partner, Consulting
+31 6 5008 3845

James Cascone

Partner, Risk & Financial Advisory
+1 949-705-7275

Vanessa Matthijssen

Consumer Industry leader
+61 2 9322 5128