Nicky Wightman
Director, Emerging Trends, Savills
Steve Lang
Director, Research Analyst – Life Sciences, Savills
Dr Steve Chatfield
Life Sciences Special Advisor to Savills
Biotechnology and food science innovations enhance crop production, nutrition and disease prevention, with global collaboration fostering sustainable solutions.
At a time when addressing the climate and biodiversity crises has become critical, consideration of the food system and its impact is essential. From the soil beneath our feet to the waters on our shores, the time has come, for an increasingly urbanised global population, to understand the future of food production, consumption and waste.
With scientific understanding expanding around the interconnectivity of food and human health, there is a fast-evolving focus on nutrition and its impact. This will have considerable implications for the world of life science as we know it.
Convergence of biotechnology and food science
Biotechnology and food science have merged to create unprecedented opportunities for innovation in our food system by improving crop production, food safety, nutritional enhancement and sustainability. Moreover, innovative research is providing new insights into the relationship between poor diet and disease, which is providing new opportunities to treat and prevent many illnesses.
Genomics and genetically modified crops
Genomics has enabled scientists to develop genetically modified crops that possess desirable traits such as resistance to pests, diseases and harsh environmental conditions. These genetically engineered crops have the potential to increase agricultural productivity, reduce the use of pesticides and minimise post-harvest losses. This innovation is pivotal for enhancing food security in a rapidly changing world.
The convergence of biotechnology
and food science has the potential
to revolutionise food.
Impact of diet on disease and rise of functional foods
It is now understood that poor diet and nutrition can make us vulnerable to a wide range of diseases. Understanding the science behind nutrition is helping to improve diets that could have a major reduction in the impact of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer by reducing the levels of obesity, which has become a huge burden on healthcare systems in the Western world.
Furthermore, food scientists are now developing functional foods — products that offer additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as probiotics. The use of probiotics stems from the discovery that the makeup of the microorganisms that naturally live in our gut plays a critical role in human health. Good diet and nutrition are essential for maintaining a healthy microbiome. Research on the microbiome is now progressing at pace, exploring the possibilities for targeted treatment of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disorders and cancer.
Addressing food allergies and nutrition through biotechnology
Food allergies can also potentially be addressed through biotech. This has become a huge issue over recent decades and new knowledge of plant genes and protein structures is now providing an understanding of biochemical processes that produce food allergy. Biotechnology offers the prospect of producing low-allergen or allergen null plants that could mitigate the allergic response.
The convergence of biotechnology and food science has the potential to revolutionise food production, consumption and our understanding of nutrition’s role in improving human and animal health. This collaboration offers new strategies for preventing and managing diseases for a healthier and more globally sustainable future.
Global innovation ecosystems for food
To deliver solutions for this complex system of food production, in addition to existing city food strategies, we anticipate a new generation of innovation ecosystems across the globe that recognise the significance of the food sector and its impact on human wellbeing and planetary health.
These physical real estate communities will serve as hubs for ideation, discovery and the development of solutions. It will be facilitated by the close collaboration of academia, government and corporations — referred to as the ‘Triple Helix’ model.
It will be imperative for these clusters to exist in synergy with local communities, enabling a positive and measurable social and environmental impact.
