food and beverage – Appinventiv https://appinventiv.com Thu, 23 Sep 2021 07:24:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.6 Implementation of AI in Agriculture https://appinventiv.com/blog/benefit-of-ai-in-agriculture/ https://appinventiv.com/blog/benefit-of-ai-in-agriculture/#respond Tue, 20 Apr 2021 13:07:57 +0000 https://appinventiv.com/?p=29396 AI in agriculture helps farmers deliver efficiency using the data and devices like smart drones, autonomous tractors, soil sensors, and so on. Agriculture is one of the oldest and the most important practice of growing […]

The post Implementation of AI in Agriculture appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
AI in agriculture helps farmers deliver efficiency using the data and devices like smart drones, autonomous tractors, soil sensors, and so on.

Agriculture is one of the oldest and the most important practice of growing crops and raising livestock in the world. We humans have come a long way on how we farm and grow new crops with the help of new technologies. The population of the world continues to grow as we speak and in 30 years the global population will reach 9.7 billion according to the UN estimates. So, in order to feed everyone and solve the climate change issues at the same time, we need to produce 50% more food by 2050 on the same land and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions that are caused due to agriculture.

With such goals in mind we need to seek ways to revolutionize our farming techniques and a better way to figure this out is to introduce artificial intelligence in agriculture. AI -based technology in agriculture helps in growing healthier crops, controlling pests, observing the growing conditions, monitoring the soil, organizing data for farmers and helping them with multiple tasks. 

AI is used by many companies in the agriculture sector through precision farming and predictive analytics. Let’s look into the Market growth of AI in agriculture through the below statistics:

Market Overview

  • According to Markets and Markets, spending on AI technologies and solutions in Agriculture is estimated to grow from $1 billion in 2020 to $4 billion in 2026, attaining a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.5% between 2020 and 2026.

AI in agriculture market size

  • AI in agriculture market size stood at $852.2 million in 2019, and it is expected to reach $8,379.5 million by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 24.8% during the forecast period (2020–2030).
  • By region, North America generated the highest revenue in AI in the agriculture market but it is predicted that the fastest growing market will be the Asia Pacific.

Global AI in agriculture market

  • Artificial intelligence is deployed in agriculture mainly in field, livestock, and indoor farming in 2019. Field farming is the main farming type where AI is used in agriculture, with a market share of more than 60%.

share of AI in farming

AI Applications In Agriculture

The adoption rate of artificial intelligence in the agriculture industry has changed the overall outcome of farming efforts, with a majority of startups in agriculture adapting AI-enabled approaches to increase the efficiency of agricultural production. Let’s dive in deep into the future of AI in agriculture. 

1. Predicting the weather

Over the years we have experienced a drastic increase in the pollution level and unpredictable climatic conditions. The change in climate has made it difficult for farmers to determine the right time for sowing seeds and that’s where AI comes into the picture. With the help of artificial intelligence it is easy to gain insight into how weather, seasonal sunlight, wind speed, and rain will affect the crop planting cycles. Weather forecasting will help farmers analyze and plan when the seeds should be sown.

Use case: IBM weather forecast sends out alerts in case of weather disruptions and provides integrated solutions to help maximize crop yields, minimize environmental impact and reduce costs.

2.  Monitoring soil and crop in real-time

Soil is one of the most important factors that determines the growth and health of any plant. The nutrition of the soil determines the quality of the crop. Due to deforestation, the soil quality deteriorates over time and it becomes very difficult for the farmer to understand what soil will be best for what crop. 

Use Case: An AI-based application called Plantix uses image recognition-based technology that helps farmers identify nutrient deficiencies in soil, plant pests and other diseases. With the help of Plantix, farmers can easily figure out which fertilizer to use in order to improve the quality of the harvest. The app also provides tips and solutions for the detected problems.

3.  Using drones for data collection

Thanks to AI and machine learning in agriculture that crop yield can be improved through real-time sensor data and visual analytics data from drones. Drones can provide real-time video surveillance that can analyze growth patterns of the crops. 

On the other hand, smart sensors can provide data of moisture, fertilizer and natural nutrient levels. That being said, we cannot deny the fact that drones are a reliable tool for capturing data on how specific fertilizers, watering patterns and pesticide treatment methods are improving crop yields. 

Use case: PrecisionHawk allows farmers to virtually walk around their fields with the help of drones. Farming operations of all sizes either big or small, are using drones to reduce the time and costs associated with crop data collection.

4.  Precision farming

Use of AI in agriculture has resulted in applications that provide farmers with proper guidance regarding water management, crop rotation, timely harvesting, optimum planting, pest attacks, etc. With the help of machine learning algorithms and the images captured by satellites and drones, we can predict weather conditions, nutrition management and analyze crop sustainability. 

Precision farming is an approach where data inputs are utilised in precise amounts to achieve maximum crop yields. Farmers with smartphones and AI applications can get a customized plan for their lands. With such IoT and AI driven solutions, farmers can meet the requirements of our current and future world that include – increased food sustainably, growing production and revenues without depleting any of our natural resources.

The market value of precision farming is expected to grow from approximately 5.09 million U.S. dollars in 2018 to 9.53 billion U.S. dollars by 2023.

5.  AI powered robots

AI powered companies are developing robots to perform multiple farming tasks. These robots will be trained to control the excessive growth of weeds and to harvest crops. They will also be trained to pick and pack crops. The goal is to automate such manual tasks and accomplish them at a much faster pace with higher volumes when compared to humans. 

Use case: Agrobot robots have the ability to operate 24/7 which increases the efficiency, optimizes the cost of  precision to weed, hoe, and harvest. The Argobot E-series with advanced AI system not only picks up the crops but it can also identify the ripeness of the crop in the field.

6.  AI enabled surveillance systems

AI technology in agriculture enables the usage of satellite images in order to compare them with past data to detect animal or human breaches. This reduces the risk of any domestic or wild animal that can destroy crops. AI algorithms can also detect something as small as an insect, for example- locust, grasshopper, etc. Once an intrusion is detected, alerts are immediately sent to the farmers on their smartphones so that they can take the required precautions.

Use case: Plantix app turns your smartphone into a mobile crop doctor with which you can accurately detect pests and diseases on crops within seconds. Plantix serves as a complete solution for crop production and management.

Benefits of AI in Agriculture

  • AI in agriculture is a more efficient way to produce, harvest and sell essential crops.
  • Implementing AI-empowered approaches in farming can help farmers respond smartly to climate changes
  • AI emphasis on checking defective crops, pest identification further improving crop health and yields.
  • With the help of AI, it is impossible for intruders – wild or domestic animals and thieves to ruin your harvest.
  • Crop management practices are improved with the help of technology.  Farmers can produce higher crop yield with better quality by using fewer resources.
  • AI technology reduces the labour challenge and automates manual work, accelerating the food transformation.   

Final Say

Technological advancements in agriculture will help the world deal with food production issues for the growing population. The growth in artificial intelligence technology has strengthened agro-based businesses to run more efficiently than ever. If you are looking for an AI app development company for your brilliant idea, this is the time to bring that idea to life. 

We also serve across the globe with our AI development services in USA , Europe, and Asia to help our customers and clients achieve their goals.

The post Implementation of AI in Agriculture appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
https://appinventiv.com/blog/benefit-of-ai-in-agriculture/feed/ 0
Breaking the Digital Frontier in Agriculture with Mobile Apps https://appinventiv.com/blog/mobile-app-role-in-agriculture/ https://appinventiv.com/blog/mobile-app-role-in-agriculture/#respond Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:00:55 +0000 https://appinventiv.com/?p=27380 There was a time when technology and agriculture were at the opposite ends of the value chain spectrum. Not anymore. Today, not only do we have ample evidence to substantiate the role of technology in […]

The post Breaking the Digital Frontier in Agriculture with Mobile Apps appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
There was a time when technology and agriculture were at the opposite ends of the value chain spectrum. Not anymore. Today, not only do we have ample evidence to substantiate the role of technology in agriculture but also point to its irrevocable dependency in farming operations. 

As we’ll see in this article, 21st-century farmers cannot be considered progressive if they don’t use modern technology in agriculture, vis-a-vis mobile apps. Nowadays, many farmers are developing organic food e-commerce platform for themselves to interact directly with customers or B2B industry.

How Mobile Seeped into Agriculture?

Thanks to the scale of unprecedented, accelerated industrial development, agricultural apps have found cross-fit applications for every step of the food production supply chain. Human-rendered climate issues, naturally occurring soil erosion, fertilizer induced mineral depletion, and the downgrading of the water table are some of the visible forces impacting agriculture. 

Since the problems are interconnected, so should be the guided means to resolve them. Once you factor this into consideration, it isn’t inconceivable to see technology and agriculture growing closer to each other. 

Modern farming technology varies in terms of the application by nature of the development level of a country. You are more probable to see agricultural apps being used by food traders/suppliers in developing countries as farm management is driven by manual labor. Whereas in developed countries where on-farm activities are machine-driven, farmers have acclimatized themselves to using apps for agriculture. 

They realize the value addition with ground results that immediately materialize with apps for farming that offer resource optimization, time-saving, soil nurturing, and more. 

information requirement and business process

Benefits of Mobile Apps for Farmers 

The expanding reach of technology in agriculture can be observed all around us and its positive impact is quite palpable. 

  • Apps for farming act as an information enabler in geographies with poor ICT infrastructure. With smartphones getting affordable by the minute, marginal farmers can download and learn from ready-to-use practical guides along with accessing active channels to purchase relevant tools.  
  • For those with considerable farm holdings, large scale sensors can be installed on the field whose collective data can be accessed through app dashboards. The analysis could include information as per the nature of sensors such as vulnerable patches for pest infestation, a failing batch of crops, and nutrient deficiency among others. 
  • Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used through a mobile compatible app that can educate farmers on soil management practices to optimize crop production.  

complex maggriculture initiatives

Trends for Farming Apps Proliferation

Smart agriculture is a widening movement that throws light on how farmers aim to reform crop yields and returns. It brings to fore the much glocal (global + local) role that ICT will play as part of upscaling the business positives of farming. Product sales powered by consumer demand point to the billion-dollar market size that will continue to head up. 

market value stat

Any attempt to transfer the regenerative power, not only of crops but also profits, back into the hands of farmers must begin at the most widely reachable point for all, mobile phones. With the computing power of desktops stuffed into handsets, enterprise businesses can easily launch apps for agriculture that target niche areas. 

One such area of smart farming that piques both the farmer and investor interest in this field in precision farming. It employs the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Analytics to overcome traditional shortcomings such as labor shortage, unpredictable weather, and harvesting times. Exploring the variety of solutions of such modern technology used in agriculture, we can see the opportunity scope for apps.  

Types of Apps in Farming 

Based on applications, mobile application development for farming can engineer the following types of solutions:  

Peer-to-Peer Information Sharing 

Mobile app development can be steered to create information-sharing groups for a closed knit community of farmers. Since the soil conditions range from one place to another, democratizing information flows can benefit everyone. 

Online Lending for Farmers  

An app could be farming cum financial in nature where not just information, but the financial assistance in the form of loans could be disbursed. It could even create an e-commerce marketplace where access to inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and on-demand labor is provided. 

B2B Farming Store 

Providing an auctioning platform where food producers could get justified prices is highly opportunistic. Provided you have a strong network of farmers subscribed to the platform, food procuring businesses could save crucial time and energy by submitting bids and winning the auction at the same time offering farmers handsome prices. 

Weather Forecasting Apps 

Many open sources for weather information utilize government satellite data as well as the publicly available history of geographic records to predict changes. You can take this a step up. The in-built gyroscope and barometer in mobile devices can be used to gather the information that helps in weather forecasting. 

GPS Tracking 

The human eye can barely make out the difference in ground levels and assume the landscape to be naturally flat. It gets impossible to study top-soil conditions once the crop foliage grows beyond a certain extent. GPS trackers can guide farmers to target specific parts for leveling. Geo-fencing can study a selected region of crops and share key performance indicators to optimize yields. Tech can also be used to precisely plow furrows.  

Livestock Management Apps 

Custom application development is tailor-made for livestock farms. The software can be used to register, process, and suggest the scope of improvement at every step of the operation. Farms can be classified as per their business model that ranges from breeding, feedlots, and dairies, to industrial meat processors. Such apps can digitize farm management chores and save big monies.

precision agriculture tech usage

Plausible Features of Farming Apps 

Based on the above classification we can surmise a list of features that are conventionally suited to farming apps. Please note this is just an implied checklist and not a set-in-stone word. 

Drone Synchronization 

The commercial drone segment is one that packs a punch with promises of heavy returns. In the US alone, agriculture stakes claim to a considerable allotment of drone installations. Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles open up a multitude of scope for automation and time consumption. They can be used for field vigilance, precision spraying, and pest detection. Mounting them with thermal cameras can even help farmers assess water spillage, and or excessive damping from drip irrigation. Drone sync and remote control through apps would surely be a feature much wanted/appreciated by farmers. 

projected us commercial market size stat

In-App Chat

Chatbots – where human answered or machine answered contribute greatly to a business growth story. It is a fundamental feature of any app that aims to establish a two way line with the customers. Be it local farming networks or advisory services, a chat window would encourage farmers to openly discuss pressing issues or report new findings about anything farming. If not human-aided, answers could be pre-fed to the app with the free-mium app model offering expert interaction on a pay as you go basis. 

Machine Vision & Cloud Storage Support 

That plain old video conferencing isn’t fascinating at all. Anybody with a Google Duo, WhatsApp or a Skype Mobile could video call for free. What’ll take this feature to the platinum standard would be real-time image processing coupled with machine learning. Software developers refer to it as machine vision. Farmers should be able to upload images, processing which the AI-powered backend could point to an impending pest invasion still not ripe enough to surface. The uninitiated farmer could put the crops under a scanner (literally) and take requisite measures to salvage what is left of it. 

Informational Guides 

Since the profit margins are scanty for most farmers, it is not a surprise that they are averse to casual experimentation with their choice of crops. But when they do give in to temptation, wouldn’t it be convenient to have a ready-to-apply encyclopedic guide for different crops. Dedicating a section of your farming app to good-to-know information will immensely benefit first-time growers of a crop. More importantly, if they reap handsome profits you would attract organic attention from others vis-a-vis word of mouth referrals. If you can list high-rated agricultural products along with trusted distributors and their contact information then all the more better. 

Payment Gateway 

The last feature could work best for a directory, but what if you plan to create a full-fledged ecommerce application. In that case, you would have to enable the app to process payments through a gateway.  

Weather Forecasts 

Earlier, we mentioned an app to help farmers judge the weather and it’s working mechanism. If not a standalone application, you can still integrate it as a side-feature of a larger app. Although you would have to hire an app development agency to accomplish an all-inclusive mobile app with peripheral features that impact farming big time, yet the effort would be worth it. 

Rounding Off 

As a multi-award winning mobile app development company, we at Appinventiv understand our social responsibility and agree that somethings are better viewed from a moral compass. Yes, our responsibility to our stakeholders comes first, wherein we continue doing ground-breaking work in emerging technologies to this day. In fact, you can explore it right here

Nevertheless, every once in a while we take up projects to do our bit towards the community, and nothing like working for the very people who make it possible for us to enjoy a loaf of bread. If you’ve read through the lines, we’d be waiting to hear from you.

 

The post Breaking the Digital Frontier in Agriculture with Mobile Apps appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
https://appinventiv.com/blog/mobile-app-role-in-agriculture/feed/ 0
14 Ways IoT is Impacting the Food & Agriculture Industry https://appinventiv.com/blog/ways-iot-is-changing-food-agriculture-industry/ https://appinventiv.com/blog/ways-iot-is-changing-food-agriculture-industry/#respond Thu, 08 Oct 2020 10:03:53 +0000 https://appinventiv.com/?p=27285 The Internet of Things refers to smart devices that are capable of transferring information on a network. Although Kevin Ashton, the acclaimed co-founder, and director of the MIT Auto ID Centre, is credited with inventing […]

The post 14 Ways IoT is Impacting the Food & Agriculture Industry appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
The Internet of Things refers to smart devices that are capable of transferring information on a network. Although Kevin Ashton, the acclaimed co-founder, and director of the MIT Auto ID Centre, is credited with inventing the term, it wasn’t until 2008 – 2009 that the concept became widely known. 

As internet-enabled devices multiplied in production and installations, there were 12.5 billion internet-connected devices in 2010, so did the general awareness associated with IoT. Fast forward to 2020, there are about 31 billion IoT devices amongst us and a considerably few questions around what is IoT. Today there are numerous IoT technologies that are still emerging and making its way to the industries.

As the IoT technology proliferates the marketplace, so does its form and utilities being realized by people in general. And why not? Combined with robotics and AI, the IoT technology hammers out human-dependencies from supply chains and reduces the cost to businesses. Nowhere is this more applicable than perhaps the food industry. 

Beginning from the very farm that your food grows in, to the warehouses that store it and the retailers that distribute it, the food service industry has stepped in a new age of remote monitoring, sensing, and action that will have profound, and mostly positive, implications for its supply chain players. Let us find out how.   

Applications of IoT in Agriculture

From disease control measures to cattle and field monitoring systems, IoT is making the project successful by transforming the industry of agriculture by putting the power back where it belongs. Into the farmers’ hands. Major sectors where this tech has found a solid footing are indoor farming, livestock management, and aquaculture among others. But how is IoT overcoming challenges and breaking new ground in farming? 

1.  Robotics

Robots have come a long way since the third industrial revolution, abetted by the development of the internet. Although far from changing the face of the F&B industry, agricultural robots aka agribots could offer a circumventing solution to the problem of labor shortages. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be deployed to detect and exterminate weeds from the field. They could save farmers time, human resources, and spray volumes by acting precisely as per the demand. This saving translates into a healthy soil that has a lesser amount of pesticides/weedicides to absorb and more positive bacteria to preserve. 

Global market for agriculture robots stats

2.  On-field Navigation 

Machine learning, GPS, and the internet of things are making manned machine navigation a thing of the past. Farmers can remotely control their tractors, rotavators, and a host of agricultural machinery with a smartphone. As the code memorizes rough patches, it learns to alter gears and smoothen navigation to both protect the crops and the equipment. 

Attractive opportunities in agricultural robots market stats

3.  Automated Crop Harvesting 

Crop harvesting often turns out to be the plight of farmers often due to untimely harvests. Factors influencing such events could be the weather, untrained personnel, or other poor farm management. Harvesting robots could be trained with the wealth of information that we now possess to pick the right fruit at the right time. With the Internet of Things technology, farmers could grow high-value crops at scale than hedge their bets with varieties supported by minimum support prices. 

4.  Remote Sensing 

Another way by which the food industry is scaling its appetite for the Internet of Things is by installing on-field sensors. By design, sensors are engineered to detect discrepancies in weather conditions, crop nutrition, soil pH, and more. Such a smartly coded crop monitoring system offers advance intel to farmers and warns them to prepare for exigencies.

agricultural iot device shipment stat

5.  Drones 

Drones are yet another example of IoT in the food industry. The self-guiding technology makes use of GPS, image processing, infrared cameras, and ground control systems. New generation farmers are leveraging Drones-as-a-Service (DaaS) to predict crop yields, diagnose pest infestation, precision fertigation, and field supervision. Aerobotics is one of the few food tech startups that have made their mark in the field, literally. It combines drone scouting and multi-sensor analysis to predict crop health for longevity.  

IoT in Food Packaging

The food manufacturing industry is high on the deployment of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The two most suited application areas of IoT that have emerged so far are manufacturing and packaging. Both the SMBs and enterprise vendors have realized the value-added, multifold benefits of IoT in the F&B industry and the following sections illustrate further on it. 

6.  Warehouse Management 

The use of IoT in warehouse management is known to be a recurrent top IoT trend. Inventory tracking consumes a lot of overheads and unaccounted muscle-power in the food service industry. Massive swathes of data need constant reconciliation and therefore must be accurate. Sensors act as immaculate tracking devices for warehouse inventory, the data pertaining to which is updated in the software real-time. Consequently, the stock loading times are optimized, managers maintain a magnified vigil on supply chains, due to which the storage space is fully taken advantage of.

Warehouse Management

7.  Vision Picking

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and collaborative robots can go so far in fetching deeply buried stocks in densely packed shelf lines. So if human intervention can’t be uprooted it can surely be made smart and that is what vision picking glasses do. Think Google glass with a lot more information packed in it. Vision picking marries the internet of things with the food industry helping humans identify the right storage zones. 

8.  Product Authenticity Labels

Internet-enabled microchips can be embedded in state-of-the-art food packaging that will expose the originality of the product, once scanned. QR codes are spin-offs of the same concept that evaporate doubts over the authenticity of the product. Especially in times like COVID, customers ordering food online are terrified than ever about the origins of its supply chain. As a result of which an IoT app development company like us is working seriously to offer this feature to our clients.

Product Authenticity Labels

9.  Smart Sensors

You never know what customers demand, at least that is what our experience as a food delivery app developer tells us. Integrating QR codes isn’t enough. They come in telling us that their stock keeping units are packages with such advanced sensors that indicate not just the veracity of quality but whether the sealing has been broken or not, the source of its ingredients, yadda yadda yadda. For the uninitiated, that is yet another way the internet of things technology is transforming the industry of food. 

Smart Sensors

10.  Digital Triggers

Modern-day customers love exploring the possibilities associated with food. While sharing the supply chain credentials established trust, offering insights on how to unleash and savor lesser-known recipes takes engagement to impressive levels. As a food app development company, we recommend IoT triggers that inform viewers of add-on combinations to enjoy edible items with. It’s a strategic way to augment food packaging with dynamic, ever-changing information that cannot be printed in the first place.

digital triggers

11.  Flash Sale Coupons

One of the IoT challenges a food delivery app development company like us comes across on our daily roaster is how to make products fly off the shelf without any marketing gimmicks. Turns out we can use IoT (duh!) to run flash-sales for items with low shelf life or those closing in on expiry. Buy one get two offers makes most of us drool. 

IoT in Food Retail

While open food markets and retailers are the two major platforms for distributing farm produce to consumers, restaurants, road-side eateries, and hotels act as other outlets. Due to this reason, restaurant mobile app developers have been reshifting focus on how to drive IoT in operations. Let’s see how businesses can go about their business the smart way with IoT. 

12.  Reverse Vending Machines

For locations that regulate strict recycling legislations, reverse vending machines are a common sight. They incentivize people to deposit disposable/recyclable materials such as cans and plastic bottles by paying them a certain sum. Integrating IoT-enabled programs notifies the retail staff to empty the machine before a queue begins to form. Lesser queues translate into happy customers the lifetime effect of which can be felt in return-customers and their purchase orders. 

13.  Remotely Controlled Storage Units 

Refrigeration or storage is a huge concern for the food manufacturing industry. At most locations, operations still depend on the same old, fractured system of human aided supervision. This discounts the fact that the human eye is prone to judgemental errors not to mention the public holidays when the storage units could be under-staffed. IoT-enabled remote monitoring systems can play a cameo in filling such ubiquitous gaps. They can prompt supervisors to action if the temperatures are fluctuating beyond the requisite limits and save precious food. Restaurant app development services like us, can create handheld smart controllers with which the user could moderate temperatures without physical presence. 

14.  In-store Energy Management 

Temperatures inside large supermarkets, malls, and retail chains are usually regulated by HVAC systems. But they are not intelligent and lack the ability to alter air-conditioning/central heating. An all-encompassing IoT suite could stabilize room temperature in accordance with the outside world. This would help in preserving perishable consumables that cannot bear the brunt of frequent temperature change. In addition, this energy optimization would even save millions of dollars in utility bills contributing further to cost efficiency.  

Key Takeaway

The Internet of Things will continue to expand its applications territory into the foreseeable future to varied industries the foremost of which shall remain F&B. Given the well-established line of achievements Appinventiv has won in the years since inception, IoT solutions are definitely up our alley. Let’s put it this way, if we don’t excite you with our elevator pitch when we meet, the drinks on us. We’ll be waiting for your call.

 

The post 14 Ways IoT is Impacting the Food & Agriculture Industry appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
https://appinventiv.com/blog/ways-iot-is-changing-food-agriculture-industry/feed/ 0
What’s To Come For Food Tech and F&B Sector After COVID-19 https://appinventiv.com/blog/post-covid-foodtech-sector-future/ https://appinventiv.com/blog/post-covid-foodtech-sector-future/#respond Tue, 11 Aug 2020 11:15:42 +0000 https://appinventiv.com/?p=25585 The outbreak of COVID-19 has placed the whole world at a standstill. Epidemiologists, biologists, doctors and other healthcare workers are working tirelessly towards a cure for the coronavirus. However, we cannot predict the exact date […]

The post What’s To Come For Food Tech and F&B Sector After COVID-19 appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
The outbreak of COVID-19 has placed the whole world at a standstill. Epidemiologists, biologists, doctors and other healthcare workers are working tirelessly towards a cure for the coronavirus. However, we cannot predict the exact date and time as to when we will be free from this global pandemic, but what we can do is make some predictions about what the world of food technology will look like when it is all over.

 “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

~ Aristotle, philosopher, Logician and Scientist

The current pandemic is all about change, in fact a very rapid one! There has been a massive shift in food consumption and eating habits, especially with the new concerns like hygiene, social distancing and healthcare safety that have now come to light and will affect the current and future food tech companies.

Let’s look at the aftermath and innovations that are going to occur in food technology and F&B. 

Predictions for food tech and F&B after COVID-19

1.  The era of food delivery

This is the era of online food and grocery delivery and the demand of supply is increasing as we speak! The online food supply chain is multifaceted. It generally involves producers, consumers, processing and storage units, marketing and transportation, etc. Numerous new merchants have now enrolled with established grocery delivery platforms.

This is good for the consumers because it provides a greater variety, more competition within vendors, faster and cost efficient deliveries. As a result, people who did not understand food and technology together and were cynical about this entire process in the past, have now downloaded grocery delivery apps during this crisis. Downloads of grocery delivery apps increased exponentially in the United States in the first half of March.

growth in on-demand food delivery apps download

Due to the pandemic, various establishments have been forced out of business. So, I do expect a rise in the cloud kitchen model since various food entrepreneurs are now focusing entirely on the delivery model. But at the crux of it, the impact of COVID-19 on the grocery business will be minimal.

2.  Inclination towards a vegan culture

The vegan culture is on-vogue these days! According to a report by the UN, more than 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. Due to the corona virus crisis people have shifted towards vegetarian food or as they like to call it- ‘a plant-based diet’.

People are now more mindful than ever about what they are eating and how it is going to impact their health. As a matter of fact, countries around the world will ban the trade and consumption of wild animals which will also drive the future of the food tech industry. 

3.  Mass adoption of contactless payments

On 3rd March, the World Health Organization asked people all over the world to go for cashless payments amidst the crisis. Moving forward the world experienced the new wave of innovation in the food industry that is, contactless payments in order to shun the transmission of the virus. Even at its current state, integration of contactless payment has become a definite way to increase user retention in payment apps.

Various ecommerce platforms and delivery apps have disabled the option of cash on delivery (COD). You can currently pay using credit or debit cards, UPI, net banking, e-wallets or even cryptocurrencies.

Not only this, the same day when WHO issued their advisory, 38% of credit card consumers were evaluating the contactless feature. Such times demand an increased awareness about the functionality and benefits of contactless payments that will finally result in food tech innovation.

how is contactless payment getting affected by covid 19

4.  Shift towards home dining

Social distancing has now forced us to spend more time at our homes. For a while at least, people will prefer a homemade sandwich over a subway. There is no denying that home cooked food is safer and healthier. However, people who have been eating out since the day they graduated will have a hard time adapting to this change.

Technology has penetrated into every possible life aspect. Hardly a day goes by without a new app or technology coming to light with the promise of greater service, comfort, connection and convenience. Food tech companies like Equal Parts have drastically helped consumers during these tough times. Technology and food have come up with initiatives like text-a-chef that is a cooking coach, helping consumers revamp their kitchen, robot food startups so that no humans touch your food, also providing consumers with easy lunch ideas and tips through artificial intelligence.

5.  Going local

Since the international borders are shut, food supply chains have been impacted which has a huge effect on the future of food tech. As a result, F&B businesses are compelled to evaluate their dependency on far-away producers and replace them with the local ones.

People want to consume food closer to its source says Yelp’s coronavirus impact report. The recognition of community supported agriculture increased dramatically by 430%, farms by 149%, butchers by 139%, and fruit and vegetable stores by 123%. After reading the numbers above it is safe to say that going local is the future food tech!

6.  Food safety rules to get more severe

There will be an inevitable strictness when it comes to food safety standards and regulations because of the zoonotic origin of the current pandemic. This severity will be seen in every aspect of F&B and will have an impact on the future of food technology.

People are more concerned than ever about how the food is produced, how hygienic are the conditions and who is touching the food. Maximum companies in the food technology sector have started working on these minute details and concerns of their consumers to make the entire process efficient and convenient as per the WHO guidelines.

7.  Cashierless Stores

Technology in the food industry is planning to minimize human interactions and using a combination of sensors, cameras and technology. This idea was introduced two years ago but then the hype died down after initial tests were executed by several companies which included big names like Amazon.

The same idea has again come to life to make the future food tech industry safer than ever. People need supermarkets and stores to function during such times without putting their staff and consumers at risk. Amazon recently announced the ‘just walk out’ stores, redefining the role of AI in the retail domain. I am expecting other major F&B and food technology companies to join the league.

8.  The F&B world to be digitalized

We have all seen numerous F&B businesses and promising food technology ideas fail because of technical sluggishness. Now that countless number of small businesses are joining hands with delivery platforms, digitalization will be unstoppable! Their inventory systems will be digitized, implementation of cashless payments and automating manual tasks will be an inevitable process during this crisis.

The ending stroke

This constant innovation and growth is opening gates to various new food tech companies and I am particularly very excited for the opportunities enabled by this new digitalized world. It is undeniable that COVID-19 would give birth to transformations in the food app development companies.

If you are a consumer reading this, get ready for some finger licking, healthy, reliable, safe and hygienic food coming your way. If you are a food professional, or an entrepreneur in the F&B industry, I hope this prophecy gave you new ideas that you could explore. 

If you are in search of a food delivery app development company say no more! I have the best food delivery app developers who can help you build the right foundation. If you want to know how to be on your toes while this revolution happens and make the most of it, get in touch with the best restaurant app development company. So, what are you waiting for?

The post What’s To Come For Food Tech and F&B Sector After COVID-19 appeared first on Appinventiv.

]]>
https://appinventiv.com/blog/post-covid-foodtech-sector-future/feed/ 0