10 trends shaping the way Singaporeans consume food

Interest in healthy diets and alternative proteins has increased amongst Singaporeans.

As Singapore works to achieve food security by 2030 and with more Singaporeans looking into healthy diets, experts believe that meal tables in the country will be revolutionised by 2040.

According to Deliveroo's Snack to The Future Report, 10 trends will be key to how Singaporeans will consume food less than 20 years from now.

The first trend that will shape the future of food consumption in Singapore is "breath prints."

"Expect personal tech devices to be enabled with BreathTech, enabling consumers to breathe on a device and get a deep level of insight into what foods they should be eating to have optimal impact on their health and wellbeing," Deliveroo said.

"Me-ganism" will also be a big thing in Singapore, said Deliveroo, adding that the Me-gan diet or a hyper-personalised diet fully bespoke to each individual's nutritional needs powered by AI technology will be the mainstream diet of the future.

Underpinning the Me-gan diet and lifestyle, Deliveroo said AI technology will offer consumers their own personal AI or a lifelong AI buddy, which will help automate and tailor what they eat based on their preferences and needs at any given time.

By 2040, experts also expect dining to be fully immersive with platforms like delivery services using augmented imagery, audio and packaging to elevate consumers' meal enjoyment. Delvieroo called this trend "foodgasms."

In the future, the food and beauty industry will also become more integrated than ever and give birth to "edible beauty" or products like anti-ageing ice cream, Singaporeans may even have a chance to dine from hormone-balancing and dopamine-driving menus.

Soon, 3D-printed meal plans will also make its way into every Singaporean's diet. 

"From packed lunches to printed lunches, food prep is about to become a lot easier with advances in 3D printing technology helping consumers create perfectly portioned and nutritionally balanced meals of their choice at home," Deliveroo said.

Like other indsutries, Delvieroo belvies the food indsutry will also dive into metaverse. 

"The metaverse will expand into an interconnected world where people’s digital and physical engagement with food fully converge," Deliveroo said.

"With the rise in augmented artificial smell technology, the metaverse can be incorporated into meal delivery platforms, where consumers will virtually smell and taste the food before ordering, helping to discover new food options while reducing time deciding between a wide selection of cuisines," it added/

Another trend that Deliveroo expects to define 2040 is restorative restaurants

"New restaurant concepts will immerse diners and remove outside world distractions, with personal tech devices banned from entry, to a rise in popularity of silent cafés and restaurants which ONLY offer tables for one to encourage mindful eating," the platform said in its report/

In the future, daily staples of Singaporeans will look a bit different, shifting from the usual rise and noodles to newfound staples such as petai, jackfruit, cowpea, arrowroot, azuki bean, buckwheat, amaranth and other variants of Asian yams, beans and forms of superfoods 

Lastly, Deliveroo believes there will be a rise in "alt-ohol."

"Gone are the days of awful hangovers as by 2040, we expect alt-ohol beverages like wine-inspired cordials formulated to mirror the dryness and depth of wine but fortified with vitamins and nutrients to keep consumers healthy - literally raising a glass to a longer life," Deliveroo said.