Introduction to food disruptions

Disruption technologies have been referred to as revolutionary that cause game-changing shifts in established market structures, companies, and institutions. Forecasting what constitutes a disruptive technology for the agri-food industry is complicated as the impact is more likely to be measured from a retrospective downstream reflective process. DTs can substantially cause localized change within a market or industry (i.e., first-order disruption) and cause ground-breaking changes across many cross-cutting domains (i.e., second-order disruption) over short or more extended time periods that substantially influence societal norms. Modern-day and future food disruption will be influenced by growing demand to produce more safe nutritious food to meet increasing populations that will respond to dynamic changes in eating habits, personalized nutrition, and consumer attitudes toward alternative protein sources and climate change. Exploiting advances in information communications technology and advanced manufacturing (such as the Internet of Things, big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, augment and virtual reality, 3D printing) will inform creative disruption such as security, packaging, and enhanced online delivery in the food supply chain that is comprehensively addressed throughout this book. A review of the recent 43 projects funded by the Irish government under Science Foundation Ireland’s Disruptive Technology initiative highlighted trends in the innovation ecosystem and the potential for both cross-cutting and future food disruption with global outreach and orientation. This chapter introduces the best knowledge as to how to potentially meet these needs that will also influence education and workforce training.