Dr Morgaine Gaye is a Food Futurologist and director of bellwether: Food Trends, the first food trend research compendium. She has her own health-food product range of functional food blends called Dr Gaye, which are sold globally on-line.

Food futurology is an emerging field that combines various disciplines to predict future food trends and consumer behaviours. Dr Gaye’s expertise in this area is invaluable as she bridges the gap between food science, consumer psychology, and market dynamics. Understanding these trends can help brands stay relevant.

Dr Gaye’s work also involves analysing how cultural shifts impact our food choices. For example, the growing interest in plant-based diets is not just a health trend; it reflects broader societal values around sustainability and ethics. By understanding these connections, businesses can create products that resonate more deeply with consumers.

Dr Gaye often states, “Food is not just about nourishment; it’s about connection, experience, and culture.” This perspective is vital as it shifts the narrative from merely consuming food to understanding its role in bringing people together.

Her media contributions often highlight the intersection of food and technology, showcasing how innovations can enhance the dining experience. For instance, virtual reality dining experiences are being considered to engage customers in new and exciting ways.

Ultimately, Dr Morgaine Gaye’s insights serve as a guiding light for brands seeking to navigate the complexities of modern food culture. Her ability to foresee trends and understand consumer behaviour positions her as a pivotal figure in the food industry.

Her forward-thinking approach also extends to exploring global culinary influences. As food becomes more globalised, understanding diverse culinary traditions can open up new avenues for product development and marketing strategies.

In a world where health trends are rapidly evolving, Dr Gaye’s expertise allows brands to anticipate changes and respond proactively. For example, her predictions on the rise of functional foods underscore the need for continuous innovation in product development.

Her work with brands like Nestle and Unilever showcases the importance of aligning brand values with consumer expectations, which is increasingly vital in today’s market.

Dr Gaye’s insights into food trends can also help brands navigate challenges, such as adapting to the rise of ethical consumerism. Brands must not only market their products effectively but also demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

This educational initiative is further emphasised in her future projects, where she aims to create platforms for consumers to engage with food in a more meaningful way, such as through workshops and interactive seminars.

Exploring the Role of a Food Futurologist

In addition to her corporate work, Dr Gaye is passionate about educating consumers on food literacy. She believes that understanding where our food comes from is crucial in making informed choices that align with personal values and health goals.

Morgaine looks at food and eating from various perspectives, including social, cultural, economic, trend, branding, and geopolitical angles. Her work involves running ideation sessions, consulting to food companies, and developing new products and ideas. This includes writing articles and trend reports for PR and advertising agencies, giving public, university, and corporate lectures on specific food trends, developing new ideas for food-related TV and radio programmes, and conducting research on all elements of the eating experience, from mouthfeel to olfactory perception.

She consults for leading blue-chip food companies and manufacturers, delivering bespoke trend briefings and NPD ideation.

“We’re in a time when food is cool”  Morgaine Gaye

Morgaine is a frequent media contributor in print, radio and TV. A number of her academic research papers have been published. She is a guest university lecturer in UK and Sweden and is on the reviewing panel for the International Food Design Conference and yearly academic journal. As part of the EU Commission, Morgaine was the chair at the Brussels Parliament for 2015. As part of TED X 2016, Morgaine’s talk was ‘It Doesn’t Make Any Scents’. She is currently writing a book ‘A Taste of Things to Come’ about food trends and why they matter.

Dr Morgaine Gaye works with all well-known global food brands from Mondalez, Diagio, and Coke to Nestle, Mars, and Unilever. She manages product development and ideation sessions with their global teams and innovation chefs. The ideas Morgaine explores with the teams are up to 10 years in advance and involve mouthfeel perception, packaging, and consumer drivers.

Although Morgaine primarily works for food brands, she also consults for many technology brands involved in high-end tech, such as Panasonic, Siemens, Samsung, DeLonghi, Braun, BMW, and Airbus. Their designers and engineers use Morgaine’s trend forecasts to inspire their future products.

In Amazon’s online shop of the future, Dr Morgaine Gaye is one of the two Futurologists providing consumers with ideas about how we may celebrate and share together in 2050.

Morgaine has given a TedX talk on the Future of Scent and Smelling, as part of her work in the food space involves haptic experiences such as touch, mouthfeel texture, and scent. Morgaine’s chapter on the Architecture of Scent will be published in the Royal Academy of Art’s newest literary publication on sale in Autumn 2018.

However, Morgaine’s work also includes brands that are unknown to consumers due to their involvement in very specific elements of production or seemingly unrelated fields, such as banking (RaboBank) or starch development in texture groups (Ingredion) and working on new potential markets of young Asian whiskey consumers (Singleton).

Typically, Morgaine creates and presents a specific slide deck aimed at inspiring, surprising, and informing the audience about what the future will bring in terms of food.