An absolute division of labour has long reigned in the food sector: one person produces, another processes, another delivers. And every child learns in school that milk comes from cows. This is what the supply chain looks like – or rather, the supply cycle, as recycling is also an important part of the process.
But a change is starting to occur. The supply cycle is being replaced by a supply network: rather than purchasing their ingredients from a wholesaler, chefs source them from farmers. And consumers are also increasingly emancipating themselves. They no longer buy their vegetables from the supermarket, but from the weekly market – or they grow their own, whether in an allotment, on the balcony or right in the kitchen. Production is followed by consumption, without any intermediate steps.
But the reorganisation of the food sector isn’t just affecting intermediary trade. It’s affecting every step. What concepts are already out there?
You can read about the other trends changing the food world and the likelihood that they will become established in the new European Food Trends Report GDI study.