I am now what has become an increasingly rare breed in this industry - someone over the age of 45. Twenty years ago, I’d just started in fmcg, and rather optimistically I’m hoping to still be soldiering on in 20 years’ time. I want to make some predictions. As an entrepreneurial type, my view of the future is, as you would expect, rather idealistic…

Fruit is for eating, vegetables are for squeezing: I think vegetable juices will replace people’s obsession with fruit juices of all types. Hopefully we will all be eating a lot more fresh fruit, and we’ll be really into blending exotic vegetable combinations.

Sugar - the new tobacco: It is extraordinary how even in the past couple of months the demonisation of sugar has gathered pace. As a chocolate junkie, this troubles me personally, but the exponential growth of diabetes and obesity is incontrovertible. I think sugary products will be taxed in the future like tobacco is now and the next generation of children will be brought up with much healthier diets.

Ready meals will decline: I think of ready meals as one of the social ills of modern life. Life in this country will improve significantly if our love of food TV turns into a large-scale love of cooking. I think frozen food will become big again. We’ll come to understand it can be much higher-quality than so-called ‘fresh’.

We’ll cut down on dairy: I’ve now got a vested interest in this, having placed a rather large bet on coconut milk yogurt and ice cream. It’s no coincidence that sports stars often go dairy-free to improve performance. Too much dairy can be negative for your skin, your digestion and even apparently your sex drive! So… sorry to all you dairy people, but I think coconut milk is going to be huge.

We’ll eat less meat and more fish: A lot of the food debate, I believe, will continue to focus on sustainability and the effect on the environment. Contrary to popular myth there is no overall shortage of fish in the oceans - there is a shortage of land for livestock and I’m predicting a paradigm shift.

Some things won’t change. We’ll still watch loads of celebrity TV. Ant and Dec will be pushing 60 and Brucey will still be going strong!

James Averdieck founded Gü puds and now caoches on innovation and entrepreneurialism

Topics