The government's Foresight taskforces have been working to stimulate debate about where we go from here. Gillian Law reports How will the food chain develop over the next 20 years? The government led Foresight Panel is pushing for more discussion and debate within the industry about where it will, and should, be going. Will consumers of the future want food that has guaranteed health benefits? Will they come to accept genetic engineering and other scientific improvements' to the food they eat? And how will the British industry compete against the rest of the world? Attempting to stir up a "national debate", the panel has published six reports from taskforces set up in October last year and is asking for comment from the industry. The recent furore over GM foods is a good example of why the industry needs to talk about and look at possible reactions to what might seem positive' developments. At a reception this week Minister of State Baroness Hayman said the food industry has to be encouraged to debate and get ready for the future. The six Foresight taskforces have looked at different areas of the industry, but have also jointly developed possible scenarios for the future. Their brave world, stone world, new world and lost worlds are guesses at the potential outcomes of food policy and range from the bleak to the utopian. If we can reach the brave world, we'll all be eating fortified and supplemented foods and taking functional foods like gut flora manipulators and nutraceuticals. How about home tissue culture that allows people to grow their own meat? The potential for new developments is endless if people come to accept scientific advances. On the other hand there's the stone world, a primitive existence where populations are controlled by famine, disease and war, where most people are overweight and unhealthy and even the rich can't find healthy food. In between, of course, are more moderate outcomes with different levels of health benefits and technological intervention in food ­ the new and lost worlds. Individually, the six teams looked at the use of technology and new scientific techniques in producing food and the growth of industrial non food' crops, how much the industry should focus on healthy' food, how best to communicate between links in the food chain, and also at how Britain can remain competitive and highly skilled. Rapid scientific developments are making new foods possible, but will the public ever accept them? The technology taskforce has looked at ways of improving the information available and therefore the debate on the use of technology in food production. It has invented possible controversial food developments to help spark debate: processed food that is stable at room temperature, slimming foods, new farming methods to minimalise environmental effects, smart' packaging, and the aforementioned tissue culture. From a more altruistic angle, the health group looked at how to improve people's diets. How can the industry foster demand for a healthy diet? How can nutritional knowledge be improved, and can manufacturers be encouraged to provide (and suitably label) healthy food? A communication taskforce looked at how effectively the different parts of the food chain communicate, and concluded the weakest link is between farmers and consumers. How can that be improved? On a non food angle, a fourth task force examined industrial crops and how they can be used. The last two groups looked at competition and how the UK can keep on top of global competition in its efficiency, its products and the skilled people in the industry. Panel chairwoman Deirdre Hutton says the panel wants to provoke discussion on any developments that affect the way food is grown, produced, marketed and consumed and the way land is used for existing or new industrial crops. She suggests possible topics for discussion: -How can the industry understand public attitudes to new technology in food? -How can communication be improved? -How can the food industry contribute to health in the future? -And how can Britain stay competitive internationally? If the launch succeeds in stirring up discussion, a full report on any suggestions and arguments will be published in November, with recommendations for future action by business, government and academia. The consultation papers are available at www.foresight.co.uk. {{MANAGEMENT FEATURE }}