Case Studies
Feeding the Future: How population growth and climate change will reshape our diets in the next decade
Menu 2034 is Synthesis' flagship foresight experience. Built from 25 years of data, 46 change drivers, and 100,000 modelled futures, it invites over 250 F&B leaders to explore how the dual certainties of population growth and rising greenhouse gases will shape the way we eat by 2034.
Food is central to our cultures. It expresses identity, creativity, and marks milestones. Today, we enjoy a vast choice of ingredients, recipes, and cuisines. But in a world of 8.8 billion people by 2034, where climate pressures strain supply chains, what we eat—and how we produce it—must change.
Change is coming...
Connecting future scenarios to strategic planning
1. Simulate - Imagine you could simulate 100,000 versions of the future.
2. Spark - Imagine you get everyone to a shared vision that stands the test of time.
3. Strategise - Imagine you could build a 10 year direction to track and action against.
In a world of growing population and increasing climate pressures, two futures emerged from our data science modelling of human behaviours.
Scenario 1: Radical Transformation – 37.4% likelihood
A world where nature is protected and savoured. People embrace diverse, regenerative, low-emission foods—plant-based, shellfish, and insects—supported by zero-waste systems and carbon-traceable supply chains.
"Soil health is essential for food security. Through regenerative agriculture, we’re improving soil quality without chemicals, and producing more nutritious food."
– Blair Crichton, Karana
"We can switch from livestock to marine aquaculture, growing climate-appropriate crops like salicornia. These transitions are already happening."
– Christopher Leow, Freestyle Farmer
"We intercept bananas at risk of rejection, turning them into green banana powder—nutrient-dense and clean-label friendly."
– Hassan Jamil, Dole Speciality Ingredients
Scenario 2: Resilient Adaptation – 62.6% likelihood
A world slow to respond. With nature degraded, we depend on tech to fill the food gap. Mono-crops, bioengineered proteins, and lab-grown alternatives dominate in a system built for survival, not sustainability.
“If you choose to operate in the sphere of alternative foods, you have a responsibility — not just to yourself, but to the entire category — to deliver a superior product. If you do not make a product that is at least as delicious as what you are trying to usurp, you are devaluing the alternative category.”
- Matt Orlando, Endless Foods and former Head Chef at Noma.
"Solein is protein made from air. It doesn’t need land or water—just solar energy. It could feed the world with zero climate footprint."
– Laura Sinisalo, Solar Foods
Futures work pays off.
Synthesis helps organisations connect today with tomorrow:
Ready to future-proof your food strategy? Let’s talk.
Make sense of future signals and how they will shape your business
