What will dining and foodservice in Hong Kong look like in 2040?

A report reveals more bespoke meals catered to specific health needs.

Personalised meals with the assistance of technology and the rise of the use of breath-prints to give deeper insights into the consumers' dietary needs will be adopted by Hong Kong consumers by 2040, according to Deliveroo’s Snack to the Future report.

According to the report, AI and "BreathPrints" technology are set to revolutionize personalized meal services and provide deeper insights into people's dietary preferences and needs. Over half (55%) of Hong Kongers are excited to see how technology and “BreathPrints” could help to track and trace how healthy their meals are and what their bodies need.

Breath-prints are personal tech devices to be enabled with BreathTech, meaning you can breathe on your device and get a deep level of insight into what foods you should be eating to have an optimal impact on your individual health and well-being.

At the moment, 87% of consumers find it challenging to maintain a healthy diet by themselves, and over one-third of them struggle with understanding what their body needs (37%) and knowing what foods are best for their personal goals (31%). 81% of respondents believe that by 2040, it will indeed be possible to create hyper-personal diets using AI technology that takes into account biological, physical, and mental needs, such as sleep patterns, daily calorie requirements, and hormone cycles.

The report also predicted the rise of ‘Me-ganism’ in 2040, which is a diet where individuals get fully bespoke meals customised to their health needs.

56% of Hong Kong consumers have said they would consider using a delivery platform more frequently if it could tailor meals to their individual goals, highlighting the need for more customized food services. The majority of Hong Kong consumers also believe that the food they eat has a significant impact on their physical (78%) and mental wellness (69%).

Augmented and immersive dining experience

Meanwhile, Hong Kongers have also shown a preference for immersive dining experiences. According to Deliveroo’s report, 63% of Hong Kongers prefer dining without distractions such as personal devices or city noises. 

Meanwhile, 54% said that the ability to smell and taste the food before ordering would make them more likely to use a delivery service. Nearly half of the respondents believe that virtual dining parties are effective and would be open to having one in the future, whilst 42% of Hong Kongers expressed interest in seeing how technology could enable dining with a celebrity, royal, or late family members.

Deliveroo said the Snack to the Future report reflects that Hong Kongers’ wishes may actually come true in 2040. Immersive dining experiences are on the horizon using metaverse technologies like virtual and augmented reality. 

“Dining in 2040 will be very different as technologies could transform the way people discover and enjoy food. Meal delivery companies could also utilize virtual or augmented food and drink environments that are more attractive and immersive than a 2D experience,” the report said.