How Technology is Transforming Our Eating Habits

While food delivery is nothing new, technology is changing to appeal to more customers seeking immediate gratification.

By Alain StephensFebruary 9, 2017 3:02 pm,

From the coffee maker to the microwave, gadgets and gizmos attempt to make getting food on your plate easier. Digital savant Omar Gallaga of Austin American-Statesman’s 512 tech has been exploring some of the more innovative ways tech and food are blending together.

Technology is increasingly intermixing with food in three main ways, Gallaga says – delivery, gadgetry and meal planning.

While food delivery is nothing new, Gallaga says that the methods are changing to appeal to more customers seeking immediate gratification. Apps like Uber Eats, Favor and Instacart are attempting to meet that demand.

Popular cooking gadgets are also combining technology with cooking. Gallaga says the Instant Pot was one of Amazon’s top selling products during their Amazon Prime Day promotion. The pot, which Gallaga says gained notoriety through word of mouth, is a high-tech pressure cooker with several functions that go beyond basic rice cooking.

Meal preparation is also modernizing with services that Gallaga says are gaining popularity, such as Blue Apron and Austin-based Dinner Elf. Blue Apron delivers ingredients and recipes while Dinner Elf provides a full service with employees who bring ingredients, prepare the recipe and clean up afterwards.

Gallaga says the trends driving these technologies go in a couple directions.

“There’s two things going on: there’s planning meals out and then there’s the ‘I want something right now, give me food right now,’ which applies to apps like Uber Eats and Instacart,” Gallaga says.

Written by Emma Whalen.