Emerging Trends In The New Food Economy: Consumers, Firms And Science

Seven trends that emerge in the new global economy will be identified followed by a discussion of how they evolved and what they imply for public policy and for various types of firms and consumers. Some have called it the "brave new world" of food production and consumption. Some dislike what they see, others fear it, and many embrace it. The new food economy involves many non-food firms that provide ancillary services and products. They go way beyond the familiar farm input suppliers to consulting firms for software and data analysis, to electronic system designers, to engineers of food and packaging, to biological and physical scientists who redesign the food itself. Together, they make the food system work for consumers and for those firms that are receptive to new technology and new ways of doing business.