World Majlis | Food for Thought

World Majlis

Food for Thought: How Will We Eat in the Future?

We are what we eat. Food is living knowledge and tradition, passed down through generations. As we tackle the challenge of exploring new food to feed a growing global population within the limits of our planet, the question of what are we going to eat in the future is also a matter of balancing culture and innovation. Eating pizza in Naples, couscous in North Africa, or street food in Singapore, means enjoying something far more than just another meal. UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list includes all these examples and more as food practices worth celebrating and protecting. Yet, global concerns about starvation, nutrition, obesity, food security and self-sufficiency, play out as daily decisions on our plates. How do we find our way around sometimes conflicting priorities without losing the taste for some of the most joyful moments in our days? What will the world’s diet look like in a future that needs to balance the constraints of our planet with a growing population? Will we be able to preserve the local, the creative, the seasonal, and the exceptional, in such a future?

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