Eat-Commerce: How Technology and E-Commerce Are Redefining How We Eat

• BY PAT VIHTELIC, HOME CHEF  
   
• 08.29.14  |  
   
• 3:07 PM 

Is Just Mayo the future? Food tech is delivering more economical, healthier alternative to the masses. gohumble/Flickr

There’s little question that we live in an era that values time with an on-demand solution for nearly every need. While the desire for ultimate convenience isn’t entirely new in the food industry, it is just now becoming more seamless through the proliferation of digital consumer technology.

In the US, we often associate food delivery with ice cream trucks, pizza delivery, or the milkman of decades past. Food delivery is nothing new, but the way in which it’s conducted today is changing the face of how we access and consume food. Some may argue that this boom of e-commerce and personal technology that enables consumption is pulling us further apart, limiting our interactions, and often creating some not-so-healthy habits. But in the food space, that isn’t always what is happening, which is why it’s important to look at a few interesting innovators changing the industry from the ground up.

It Starts With Production

Changes in food production are beginning to dramatically alter how we eat. Innovators have set out to revolutionize supply in smart, sustainable ways in order to benefit the entire global population, currently on track to surpass 9 billion by 2050, as well as the environment. Companies such as Hampton Creek were created with this ideology in mind. In utilizing new technology and a scientific approach, they have been able to better understand the structure of certain foods and provide a better product with lower cholesterol, lessened agricultural and ecological burden, and a lower retail price. Good for vegans, better for those who need alternative options for healthy protein sources without the cholesterol. Hampton Creek is rapidly making its way into the mainstream as a more economical, healthier alternative. It’s first product, Just Mayo, released less than a year ago, is already being sold in thousands of stores across chains such as Costco, Whole Foods, Dollar Tree, Safeway, and most recently, distribution giant, Walmart.

This kind of forward thinking is fixing holes in a supply chain that has existed for centuries. As a result, food production and accessibility have become intertwined, dovetailing with sustainability to create greater social impact.

Innovation and Creation Change Our Consumption

It’s easy to forget that not so long ago the refrigerator was a groundbreaking innovation that permanently changed how the modern world eats. Since the birth of the fridge, we’ve seen other kitchen gadgets make life easier, from the microwave to the Magic Bullet. Now, cool culinary tools and apps in the kitchen are the norm — Epicurious provides recipes on your phone or smart fridge,Harvest offers instructions for picking out quality produce with storage tips and pesticide information, and Gojee will solve your “forgot to go to the grocery store” dilemma by finding a recipe for whatever ingredients you have on-hand.

Kitchen tools are making it easier to become a top chef and partake in the joy of cooking, which is being furthered by food-minded e-commerce entrepreneurs who are redefining what it means to eat at home. Whether it’s Instacart delivering your groceries or Lasso providing what you need for an impromptu cocktail party, it’s easy to have exactly what you want, when you want it. Demand in the online grocery market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2018, driven by strong interest in curated options delivered at the touch of a button. And we all know how investors love a big market, which is why nearly $500 million has been raised in the food and grocery delivery space between Q2 2013 and Q1 2014 alone.

We are all too familiar with technology removing human interaction from our everyday lives; luckily, transformations in the food industry appear to be creating a different phenomenon. Preparing and enjoying meals with others provides a unique opportunity to nurture relationships, empowering people to take back what it means to spend the ever-elusive “quality time” with friends and family. That, in combination with tech-assisted food accessibility, transparency, and knowledge, is making us healthier holistically — mind, body, and soul.

The future for science and technology as it relates to food on every level of the supply chain is exciting, inspiring, and might even wield the incredible power to positively transform how we live our everyday lives.

Pat Vihtelic is founder and CEO of Home Chef.