Forecasts for a tasty future - Food - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2002

New technologies and shifts in cultures and values are driving a revolution in the way we eat, food expert Art Siemering told the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md. He predicted that "massfoods" will soon arrive in force. Think of them as the logical extension of today's energy bars: tasty, uniformly sized, and nutritionally packed edibles that can be stored indefinitely at room temperature. These government-sponsored goodies could free millions from the worry of going hungry.

Meanwhile, the super-rich are likely to demand tasty new adventures in eating, and "classfood" could fill the bill. Freed from the burden of feeding the masses, food producers could provide high-quality specialty foods targeted to privileged consumers in search of the next trendy flavor sensation.

A future dinner will be ready in five seconds, Siemering indicated. Bioengineered grains and dry soups will come with encapsulated liquids that are released when microwaved. Every consumer will become a fail-safe cook. People may get impatient if meals take more than an instant to prepare.

Moreover, help is on the way for chronic overeaters, he said. New drugs will induce an acute sense of satiety if a person overindulges, but not if he or she eats moderately. Smokers and drinkers may also take drugs to help them indulge in their vices without threatening their health.