Titled “Exploring our Global Future”, this is the second of two volumes in the 2014 Agribusiness Agenda series.
 

• The Agenda explores 14 global key trends predicted to have the most significant influence on agri-food markets in the next 20 to 30 years. The critical challenge for New Zealand agri companies is to stay relevant to their customers in a world that is “undergoing unprecedented change”.
• The changing geopolitical landscape is seeing the “wealth pendulum swinging back East”, as many Western economies struggle to adjust to the post-GFC landscape.
• A key trend is the emergence of new consumer groups – resulting from the growing middle classes in emerging economies, the world’s ageing population, and the increasing number of adherents to major religions.
• By 2050, 40% of the world’s population (around 3.6 billion people) are expected to be eating in accordance with religious practices – and the effects of this will permeate throughout the global food supply chain.
• The world’s population will be eating new types of food in the future. New Zealand companies should be willing to explore the development of synthetic laboratory-grown foods, to complement our natural food offerings. Insect-derived proteins are also likely to break out from ethnic diets into the mainstream over the next 20 years.
• The shift in healthcare focus from curing illness to maintaining wellness is driving demand for nutraceutical foods. Developing these types of products presents a prime opportunity for New Zealand producers.
• As the world’s natural resources becoming increasingly scarce, New Zealand producers may need to re-think some traditional products. For instance, the dried milk powder segment could be ripe for innovation in a water-constrained world.
• Maintaining food integrity will be an increasing focus for the global food industry. The Agenda predicts the future establishment of a global food integrity body, responsible for cross-border criminal investigations into food fraud.