What do you expect of a World Expo? Great architecture on a grand scale, impressive sculpture and artwork, a celebration of the latest technology? There was all this and more at this year’s supersized Expo in Milan with a focus on sustaining the world through food production, not creating waste and importantly sharing all that we have.
I started the day at the supermarket of the future, where you could tap into the credentials, nutritional value and provenance of each product simply by holding it up and viewing the display screen above. This futuristic store also housed some of the first robots I have seen in action – serving consumers with fruit in cups (watch a video here). The young customers were keen but little consideration is given to the workforce that may be put out of action if this comes fully into play in our everyday lives.
Chatting with some of the staff who were there (not all are robots!), it seems that wine growers across the globe, cheese makers and others involved in the food industry are busy blending the best of traditional individual brands to create the most pleasing variants to meet our increasingly discerning palates. From new moves in personal blending for wine (Castello Monaci) to coffee (at the enormous Illy stand) and soft drinks (at Coca-Cola’s Taste Happiness Experience) to tasting olive oils with natural citrus additions (Arte Olearia L’Albero Argento) – the day was full of firsts for me.
Outside there were various examples of vertical farming – including an urban algae folly whereby algae (the latest trend in protein) is grown in water-filled glass and metal sculptures, speeded up by the bright sunshine. This was an impressive use of artwork with a practical agricultural result. While inside I learned about PowaTag for hands free shopping – rather like a supermarket Paypal where you “pay as you shop” for food, in a cash- and card-free environment, using only your phone.
The next World Expo is to be held in China in 2017, followed by Dubai in 2020. It seems that the fruit and vegetable warriors at the entrance to the Expo are a quaint reminder of our yearning for craftsmanship but for most of us it is the excitement of seeing the latest technologies in action that leaves you wanting to go back for more.
Luckily there’s plenty of time, as the Milan World Expo goes on until this October.
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