Op-Ed | FoodTank | By: Selena Ahmed, John de la Parra, Justin Siegel, and Roy Steiner
Poor diets are responsible for an estimated 17 million deaths each year, while the hidden costs of food systems, from chronic disease to soil degradation, exceed US$20 trillion annually, more than twice what the world spends on food itself.
What Is the Food Intelligence Economy?
Just as genomics revolutionized medicine, unlocking breakthroughs that reshaped prevention and health care, a Food Intelligence Economy can redefine food systems, transforming how we measure, design, and create value from food.
A Food Intelligence Economy integrates three interconnected pillars:
First, food-quality data. Standardized multi-omics and environmental datasets that capture the molecular signatures of foods.
Second, the use of artificial intelligence. AI is used to analyze, synthesize, and generate insights, predictive models, and design solutions.
And third, human capacity. Through education, entrepreneurship, social networks, and governance to translate data insights into innovation for food system solutions.
