Olaf Koch, partner, Zintinus, and Marc-André Kamel, partner, head of global retail practice, Bain & Company, explore some of the dynamics that could lead to a massive transformation in the global food industry. This article first appeared in ESM September/October 2022.
The public debate about the food system started almost 40 years ago. At that time, it was primarily NGOs that pointed out the challenges. The intensive discussion about global warming, coupled with comprehensive scientific knowledge regarding the health and sustainability of food, has caused consumers to rethink.
This phenomenon is increasingly affecting their consumption patterns, and it has evidently been further accelerated by the pandemic. All of this reinforces the notion that we may be at a tipping point that could cascade into action by a wide range of stakeholders, leading to a systemic transformation of the food system.
