Cricket salads and lab-grown burgers could be staples in our diets by the 2050s, a new study has predicted.
Over the next three decades, consumers are expected to rely much more on 'artificial' meat developed through animal tissue as society looks to reduce emissions, land use and water consumption, the FixOurFood programme believes.
Insect protein and preserves found in creatures such as termites, crickets, locusts and grasshoppers will also become increasingly common in daily diets, the University of York report found.
Pickling and fermenting vegetables will also become a commonplace practice as fresh products are expected to be sourced locally and affected by seasonality, the research for the Co-op supermarket added.
Bob Doherty, dean of the School of Business and Society at the University of York, said: “The last 30 years we have seen scientific leaps into more sustainable produce which were unimaginable to most back in 1994. From lab-grown meat to vertical farming, the future of food is set to revolutionise how we eat.
“By 2054, British people will have edible insects on their dinner plates, and we may see the crushing up of crickets quicker than whole grains.
“As climate change continues to impact our planet, we’ll also see a shift towards locally grown produce, with avocados grown in Surrey becoming a reality. We may even see the introduction of 3D-printed food.”