On this episode, Ragnar speaks with Morgaine Gaye, a food futurologist, trend forecaster, researcher, and author. Morgaine has built an impressive career on identifying the subtle cultural signals that shape how and why we eat. She advises major food companies, technology brands, and organizations, helping them understand long-term shifts in society and anticipate what consumers will desire years into the future. Featured across international media from BBC News to Al Jazeera and Netflix, Morgaine is known for her ability to connect dots across disciplines, map disruption before it happens, and translate complex social change into meaningful insights. Tune in to explore how Morgaine sees the next decade of food unfolding, and discover how chefs can use future thinking to stay ahead on Episode 138: Mapping the Future of Food with Trend Forecaster Morgaine Gaye.
Tune in and LEARN:
- The Realm of Food Futurology: Discover how Morgaine maps cultural shifts, geopolitics, consumer behavior, and micro-signals to forecast trends years before they reach the mainstream.
- The Trends Shaping Our Food Future: Explore the long-term unfolding trends, including the rise of texture-driven indulgence, nostalgia, informality in dining, and more.
- How to Stay Ahead: Hear Morgaine’s advice for balancing creativity with trend awareness, and why anchoring your craft in authenticity and heritage will create lasting impact.
Resources
What is a Food Futurologist?
For Morgaine, food is absolutely everything. It is tied to society, infrastructure, beliefs, religion, community, family, livelihood, and wellbeing.
As a food futurologist, she looks for patterns across categories and cultures. She forms hypotheses, and tries to prove or disprove them. This means talking to people outside her usual circles and paying attention to subtle social shifts. It also means reading the world beyond social media, which has become mirror-like and does not serve as a useful forecasting tool.
Morgaine focuses on the long-term trends that major brands rely on when developing products that take 2–3 years to reach the market.
“Chefs are the innovators. My job is to talk about what people will want in the future…and why.”
Trends to Watch
1. The Rise of Informality & Snack Culture
Since 2020, the way we eat has changed dramatically. Many people no longer mark their days with structured meals. We shop differently, cook differently, and dine with less formality.
2. Nostalgia, Heritage Cuisine & Meaning
Morgaine warns of a coming destabilization in banking systems, governments, and the geopolitical landscape that will increase our longing for meaning and human-made experiences.
This is why heritage cuisine resonates so deeply:
“We are desperate for meaning. We want meaningful moments. We want experiences… the things money can’t buy… positive experiences that bring people together.”
3. Simple & Authentic Dining Experiences
In a world of infinite choices and sensory overload, diners increasingly seek simplicity.
4. Air Protein
Morgaine sees air protein as the dominant future protein. It requires few resources and minimal ingredients. In Silicon Valley, massive investments are transforming air + microbes + CO₂ into a powder that can become “prawns, chicken… anything,” grown in tall towers and delivered within hours.
Tune in to hear more.
“If you have a passion and love and you’re doing it on feeling, there’s a lot of power in that. It’s your story, your thing. When you’re chasing and replicating another thing, that’s shaky ground. Bring your unique self to the thing…and support it 100%. There will always be an audience for your thing.”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Morgaine for joining us. Keep up with Morgaine on Instagram and LinkedIn. To learn more about her work, click here.
World on a Plate is supported by Nestlé Professional and Electrolux Food Foundation.
