When we think of food, then probably most people would prefer to think about fields of wheat swaying in the breeze. Herds of happy cows heading to the milk shed.

However, the rural idyll that we all have in our heads probably never was a reality in any case.

What most people don’t think about is technology.

But like most areas of our lives, technology has made its way into all aspects of our food and its production.

So think about this when you’ve checked reviewsbird.co.uk for the latest food reviews or restaurant reviews. Technology has shaped the food, just as it is now shaping the way you consume the food.

Technology At The Consumer Level

The food and drinks industry is reeling from recent changes in the way they work. All driven by changes in technology and uptake in new methods in the marketplace.

Delivery is one area where food producers and sellers have had to really step up their game.

Delivery service Ocado has seen growth skyrocket during 2020, and this is only set to increase as consumers purchase more of their food online.

Buyers now want to see same day deliveries, and to be able to book specific time slots to fit in with their busy schedules.

All of this comes at a cost, and cannot be done without the logistics technology that is being implemented in distribution centres.

Not only that, as more and more people want fresh food on demand, technology is driving the production of more advanced storage, cooling and selection systems.

How the food and drinks industry continues to change will be a function of consumer demand.

Online Offerings

As we continue to throw our lives online, more and more people are getting used to food delivery boxes.

These are becoming more and more popular, allowing time starved workers to cut down on shopping by purchasing boxes of ingredients that are good for a single meal for one or a family.

These do come at a cost though.

In The Supermarket

In store, technology has advanced as well.

Stock management can now be handled with computers controlling re-stocking by monitoring purchases at the till.

Jobs are already being lost with the introduction of self service checkouts, something that we’ve all had to get used to. The cynic might say why pay for staff when you can have the customer do the job instead.

Food Production

Food production has always been eyed hungrily by the tech giants.

Advances in crop research has meant that many crops are now being produced under the careful eye of scientists.

Exactly what this means for global food production is not so clear at the moment, but it is widely accepted that large corporate control over the mass production of food is set to increase.

Almost certainly this will be a bad thing for smaller farmers and food producers.

The lesson they will need to learn is to adopt and embrace technology or lose out to the giants.