In the latest issue of the Grey Swan Guild Newswrap dedicated to the Future of Food, Food for Thought, Futurist Gina Clifford asks:
When was the last time you sat down to eat a meal and really thought about the food on your plate? Have you ever thought, “I wonder what dinner might look like in 2050?” Will farm animals still be part of our food system or will we have successfully transitioned toward sustainable, ethical, and environmentally friendly food production? And if we do, will it be healthy, and will we actually enjoy eating it?
Unless you’ve been hiding under a very large rock, you may have noticed that billionaire entrepreneurs have started taking people on joy rides to the edge of space. By 2050, will people be trekking across Mars like Mark Watney in The Martian? If so, what might they eat and how will they produce it?
For sure, technology has a big part to play in a bountiful future of food. But as with anything else, it can also lead to unintended consequences. If you can’t think of any, we suggest you read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.
Why does any of this matter?
The selection of articles inspired us a Wedding Menu from 2043 (supposed weddings still exist).
This menu is an “artifact from the future”. This format of fiction is designed to help us reflect on how the future could look and make us feel — sometimes triggering feelings of unease, disbelief, or even repulsion. Such images offer insights into our future everyday lives and are intended to give an immersive look at a possible future change. As such, it provokes action: Do you want to be part of such a future? What would you do to evolve our food production and consumption practices?
Note that menus are a great tool to communicate with people, and to establish a new norm. Shifting our societal norms about food is crucial in making progress with the huge impact which food has on climate change. The deeply ingrained narratives and social conventions around meat and diary are a huge barrier.
Read the full Grey Swan Guild article on their Medium page.
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