0:00:03 > 0:00:07Hello and welcome to Thanet Earth in Kent,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Britain's largest hi-tech farm.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Under these glass roofs,
0:00:15 > 0:00:21an area the size of 49 football pitches on a farm without soil.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24They grow hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fruit
0:00:24 > 0:00:29and veg that we can eat all year round.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Britain is a nation that loves its food.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35We grow it, buy it and eat it on an epic scale.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37The way in which we create
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and consume food is changing now faster than ever.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I'm ready to shop if you are.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47So what is just around the corner?
0:00:47 > 0:00:52This series will change the way we think about the food we eat for ever.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57I'll be joined by a team of experts and we'll scour the globe
0:00:57 > 0:01:01to find you the amazing future of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Tonight, Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett is leaving
0:01:07 > 0:01:10- the safety of her kitchen... - Oh, crikey!
0:01:10 > 0:01:15..and joining the US Army to bring us food that never goes off.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Could this be the end of the sell-by date?
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Hello, Mark.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Fruit and veg expert Chris Bavin heads to Australia to visit
0:01:22 > 0:01:25the world's most robotic farm.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Can bots help us grow cheaper and healthier food?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31It's like a deadly weed sniper, isn't it?
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Our technology expert Dr Shini Somara is in China to ask
0:01:36 > 0:01:40is this really what our future waiters will look like?
0:01:40 > 0:01:45A seemingly sci-fi future is actually a reality.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47ROBOT SPEAKS CHINESE
0:01:47 > 0:01:51And I'll be finding out how to protect our crops
0:01:51 > 0:01:52from extreme weather.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And this is how you make it rain, Texas style.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59This is Tomorrow's Food.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12To kick the series off, I'm off to see something
0:02:12 > 0:02:16that could revolutionise the future of our fast food.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21It could give us hot meals 24/7 and is right here in London.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The world's fastest takeaway pizza.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Well, that's not official,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32but it is freshly made pizza straight out of a machine.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38This pizza vending machine can knock you up a pizza from scratch
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and it can do it in just three minutes.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45So let's give it a go.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- You fancy some pizza? - Yes.- Of course. I'm hungry.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The machine mixes fresh dough for every order...
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- You can actually see the pizza being made in there.- Wow.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01..sprays out tomato sauce with a robotic arm...
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- Oh, look.- That is sick.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08..adds a topping in one specially made layer...
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I think it needs more pepperoni, though.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Oh, does it? Just send it back?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20..and after cooking in less than a minute in an infrared oven...
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Have you ever seen anything like this before?
0:03:22 > 0:03:23ALL: No.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26..out pops a piping hot pizza.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27ALL: Wow.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Yeah, it's all right.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Needs more cheese.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40If they can do this with pizza, what's next?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Coin operated hamburgers or vending machine kebabs?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50So far this is the only machine like this in the country,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54but soon you may well be seeing pizza vending machines popping up
0:03:54 > 0:03:56on a high street near you.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It's actually very good.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Now I've come to Britain's largest and most futuristic greenhouse farm.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23You say farm to people, they think of mud and fields
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and battling the British weather. Not here.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Everything is controlled, the lights, the temperature, the insects,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31there isn't even any soil.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45So is this what all our farms will soon look like?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50These hi-tech greenhouses hold the secret to putting 16 million peppers,
0:04:50 > 0:04:5313 million cucumbers
0:04:53 > 0:04:58and a whopping 430 million tomatoes onto our plates every year.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09You're the man in charge of this huge operation.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Give me a sense of the scale.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12How many tomato plants do you have in here?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- In total we have about 1.5 million plants here.- Wow.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The most obvious difference in somebody's garden at home,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21or how any of us grow tomatoes is, there's no soil.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23No, we grow in rock wool.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Instead of soil, the roots of the tomatoes are planted
0:05:28 > 0:05:32into a dense wool made from volcanic rock.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Can I see a little bit of it?- Yes.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37So the roots are right in here.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- The roots go straight through it? - Yes.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43So it's like a... Oh, it just feels like loft insulation.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46So you plant them in this artificial looking substance, not soil,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- what's the problem with soil?- Growing in soil gives us less control.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51This is all about control.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The more control we have, the better the crops we can grow.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The rock wool holds more water than soil and it doesn't have
0:05:58 > 0:06:01any of the dangerous bacteria that soil can contain.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05So, counterintuitively, tomato plants grow better out of mud
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- and earth than they do...? - Absolutely.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Soil or not, tomatoes need food,
0:06:12 > 0:06:18and here tiny pipes feed in precise levels of nutrients and water.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20All controlled by computer.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But the thing that really produces a bumper crop is putting
0:06:25 > 0:06:29the fear of death into them.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32By quickly dropping the temperature at the end of the day
0:06:32 > 0:06:35that tricks the plant to thinking it's going to die
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and it wants to reproduce, to preserve the species,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41so it will get forced into fruit production.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Cos that happens in nature.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46In the autumn, the temperature quickly drops,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48which is naturally their end of life,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52so they start focusing on fruit production.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56This might seem like a dirty trick, but by fooling the plants
0:06:56 > 0:07:00into thinking they're dying they trigger their survival mechanism.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And survival depends on reproduction
0:07:03 > 0:07:06and that means producing more tomatoes.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09How much more efficient is this at producing tomatoes
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- than just traditional farming methods?- I would say four, 500%.- Wow.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- Four, five times more yield because of the way you do it?- Correct.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19That's incredible.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21So all of us with our grow bags at home, plonking things in...
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- Forget it.- ..we've been doing it wrong for years.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31We'll be back here later to see just what Gert and his team do
0:07:31 > 0:07:33when their crops come under attack.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39But their top tip, by the way, if you want to improve your home-grown
0:07:39 > 0:07:42tomatoes is to keep the plant thirsty,
0:07:42 > 0:07:47particularly when it's young, and you'll end up with tastier fruit.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Whether it's a cream bun or a traditional fry-up,
0:08:01 > 0:08:06we all know that too much fat is bad for our waistlines.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11But there may be a secret ingredient that could let us eat fat
0:08:11 > 0:08:13and not pile on the pounds.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Of course it sounds too good to be true,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22so we sent Chris Bavin to found out more.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I'm here on the Northumberland coast,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30but I'm not here for future ice creams or fish and chips
0:08:30 > 0:08:34from a far-flung land, I'm here for something a little less tasty.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Brown seaweed.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It contains a harmless chemical called alginate that scientists
0:08:42 > 0:08:46believe can stop our bodies absorbing some of the fat we eat.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52So we're going to put this to the test on a group
0:08:52 > 0:08:56with a reputation for being heavier than most.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Truckers.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Hello, hello. Good morning.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12You could have waited for me, you've already started tucking in, I see.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13So when you're out on the road,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16what sort of foods are you eating on a daily basis?
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- Fried breakfast. Steak pie and chips for dinner.- Chinese takeaways.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22This is just the starter.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25By the time you finish that you'll be ready for lunch, eh?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29That's a lot of high-fat food.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33But can seaweed help the truckers to lose weight
0:09:33 > 0:09:35without changing the way they eat?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We aren't going to ask them to eat seaweed.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42To be effective, the alginate needs to concentrated into pills
0:09:42 > 0:09:45which have to be taken with every meal.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And to see if they work we're going to weigh and measure them now
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and again in four weeks' time.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53So for that, I'm going to need you guys to take your shoes
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and socks off, please.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Is that all right?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59You can keep your pants on, don't worry.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Dr Matt Wilcox, the man who helped make the link between seaweed
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and fat, is running the trial.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11He's also giving them a blood test
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and is working out just what percentage of their body is fat.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- 25% body fat.- Nah, your machine doesn't work properly.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Recalibrate it.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Your fat percentage, 41.9. Fit as a butcher's dog.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I thought I'd better give it a go as well.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35They asked me to fatten up for this, actually.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I'm a method actor, so...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42The healthy range depends on your age,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46but for blokes like me it's between eight and 20%.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And if you're a bit older it's 11-25.
0:10:50 > 0:10:5325.3% fat.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56It's quite a lot, isn't it?
0:10:56 > 0:11:00So how is the seaweed alginate going to help the truckers
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and my vital stats move in the right direction?
0:11:06 > 0:11:11It's all to do with how the fat we eat gets processed by our bodies.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17Usually fat is broken down in the gut and then absorbed into the blood
0:11:17 > 0:11:21where it can travel around the body to be stored or processed.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24So if we take, for example, we're in a cafe now,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27so if we take a full English breakfast, OK?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29If you normally eat that,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32how much of that will your body absorb and digest?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35So your body's really efficient in digesting fat,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- so 95 to 100% of all the fat on that plate will be absorbed.- Wow.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And then it moves from the blood to various parts of the body and
0:11:42 > 0:11:45it's stored, it's fat, so whether that's your stomach or your hips.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48So if you can reduce the amount that's digested and absorbed
0:11:48 > 0:11:51then you can reduce the amount that goes into your blood
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and therefore reduce the amount that's stored.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And this is what it's hoped seaweed alginate can do
0:11:58 > 0:12:02as it stops some of the fat passing from the gut into the bloodstream.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05So where does it go if it doesn't go into your blood, what happens?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It just passes out naturally, so it will come out in your stool.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Wow.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15So will the seaweed work for our truckers and me?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19We'll be back later to find out.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Next, what will tomorrow's restaurants look like?
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Eating out in Britain is a big deal.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40There's over 100,000 places to get a meal,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43from fine dining to fast food, from pubs to takeaways,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and in that competitive clamour,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49places are always trying to find new, inventive ways to feed us.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53To see what's going to come next, technology expert Shini Somara
0:12:53 > 0:12:56travelled to China to visit two restaurants that are unlike anywhere
0:12:56 > 0:12:58you've ever eaten before.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10I grew up with Meccano sets and mechanical gadgets,
0:13:10 > 0:13:15so a restaurant I would like to try is one run by machines.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17And in this place, just outside Shanghai,
0:13:17 > 0:13:23that seemingly sci-fi future is actually a reality.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26In this restaurant, robots run the show,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29waiting tables and working as chefs.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33The waiters glide around using optical sensors that follow
0:13:33 > 0:13:36a clear black line on the floor.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39They deliver your food, are programmed to say nice things...
0:13:41 > 0:13:44..and there is even a little bit of flirting!
0:13:44 > 0:13:48And when you want them to leave, just tap them on the head.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Back in the kitchen, there is
0:13:51 > 0:13:53no danger of getting a hair in your soup.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56These robots steam hundreds of dumplings a day,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58but they can't do everything.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So, it still needs a human being to actually
0:14:01 > 0:14:05serve my dumplings on a plate, which is kind of reassuring, because for
0:14:05 > 0:14:09a robot to cook my entire meal, I'm not sure I'm too comfortable with!
0:14:16 > 0:14:19In theory, it seems like an incredibly efficient way
0:14:19 > 0:14:21to run a restaurant.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23But now, having seen them in the flesh,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27they feel like more of a novelty - essentially trays on wheels.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Look, I think they are fun, I just don't think they are the future.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37But on the other side of Shanghai, I've heard of a very
0:14:37 > 0:14:41different restaurant that has recently opened.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45One that is so extraordinary that its location is kept secret.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I'm sitting in a specially built dining room that is using
0:14:52 > 0:14:56new science to control the way my food tastes
0:14:56 > 0:14:58by stimulating all of my senses.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03This is such a weird sensation,
0:15:03 > 0:15:08it feels like I'm sinking below the earth!
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Recent discoveries have revealed that it's not just our taste buds
0:15:11 > 0:15:13that allow us to enjoy our meals.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And here, they are putting that into practice.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21By manipulating the sights, sounds and smells around me,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26they can change the way my food tastes.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29There was a big gust of cigar smoke underneath that glass dome.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34My senses are kind of overwhelmed!
0:15:36 > 0:15:41They've created a different scene for every course.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I'm about to eat an oyster.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47So, I can really smell the ocean and the air,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50and then, seeing water on the walls really makes me
0:15:50 > 0:15:53feel like I've just picked this out of the ocean.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The restaurant only seats ten diners,
0:16:01 > 0:16:07but requires a team of 25 to produce a 22-course meal.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11The whole experience is the brainchild
0:16:11 > 0:16:13of French chef Paul Pairet.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17So, what was your vision in creating all of this?
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Compared to normal restaurants, the possibility was to trigger
0:16:21 > 0:16:24the atmosphere, so how do you trigger the atmosphere?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Basically, you've got to play on everything you can play on.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32We can play on the smell, we play on the sound, on the music,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34you can play on the visual.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Delivering Chef Paul's vision
0:16:37 > 0:16:40requires some cutting-edge technology.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44To run the dining room takes eight miles of cabling,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48seven hi-res video projectors,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51four scent machines pumping out tailor-made perfumes,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and dozens of lights and speakers.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59All managed by ten computers from a specially designed control room.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06This beautiful piece of fish that's being revealed, the guests
0:17:06 > 0:17:09look really stunned, I don't think they know what they are in for next!
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It's almost like watching a performance.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18If this is what the future is like, then I'm really excited.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Although it does come with a huge price tag.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Each meal costs a staggering £400.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30But using our senses to change the way
0:17:30 > 0:17:34we taste isn't just for fancy restaurants.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37If you are on a night out and don't want to drink too much,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40then avoid pubs with loud music -
0:17:40 > 0:17:44the noise is thought to cause stress, making you drink more.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And if you are eating on a plane,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51be aware that the food will have more seasoning -
0:17:51 > 0:17:55scientific studies have shown it would taste bland without it.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59That's because our brains are so busy
0:17:59 > 0:18:01blocking out the noise from the engines.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Now, can you make cheap wine taste like posh plonk?
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Service, please! Two deep-fried oysters, one baked pumpkin.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Throughout the series,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22our very own Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Can you pass me a bowl, John, please?
0:18:25 > 0:18:30- ..is going to be trying out some of the kitchen gadgets...- Service!
0:18:30 > 0:18:35..that claim they could revolutionise our cooking and our lives.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Today, a technology that could transform wine.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45So, this is a wine decanter, and it claims that by using
0:18:45 > 0:18:48sonic waves, it can make every bottle of wine taste better.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Sounds too good to be true for me, but we're going to try it out.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'To put it to the test...'
0:18:54 > 0:18:55In it goes.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59'I've got a £5 bottle of classic supermarket plonk.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:03You press red for a red wine... and we wait and see what happens.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09'The inventors claim that by passing high-frequency sound waves
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'through the wine, their machine can mimic the ageing process.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Usually over time, chemicals in wine break down,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20smoothing and enhancing the flavour.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22But this can take years.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29The sonic decanter claims to do the same thing using sound waves...
0:19:30 > 0:19:33..in just minutes.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34But does it work?
0:19:36 > 0:19:40'I'm going to compare one glass that has been through the decanter
0:19:40 > 0:19:42'with one that hasn't.'
0:19:42 > 0:19:44So, they look the same colour-wise at the moment,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47they don't seem visibly any different.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I can't smell any difference to them.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53So, let's taste it and see.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Actually, that is a lot smoother,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10that is quite a noticeable difference.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11I have to say, I thought
0:20:11 > 0:20:15that machine was just a load of old nonsense when I first saw it!
0:20:15 > 0:20:20I'm very surprised, I never thought that was going to work. Darn it!
0:20:20 > 0:20:23# My boy lollipop
0:20:23 > 0:20:26# You make my heart go giddy-up... #
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Don't just take my word for it.
0:20:30 > 0:20:36We took the decanter out onto the streets to give it a proper airing.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Do I need to drink it all?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Sample A came straight out of the bottle,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46while sample B has been treated with the sonic decanter.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49The question is...
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- Oh, yeah, you can definitely notice the taste difference.- Mm.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53..which tastes better?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I prefer this one here, B, less sharp,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58slightly easier on the palate.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59B.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- A.- I prefer A.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Prefer B.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05They both taste exactly the same.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I like B, it's more fruity.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08B, B is the best.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13So, that's a pretty even split, then.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Watch out for a sonic decanter coming your way soon!
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Earlier, here at Thanet Earth, we got a glimpse of future farming.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37But what about the farmers themselves?
0:21:37 > 0:21:41How might they change in tomorrow's world?
0:21:42 > 0:21:48To find out, we sent our fruit and veg expert Chris Bavin to Australia.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I've come to a farm just outside Sydney
0:21:54 > 0:21:57where they are testing a new breed of farmer, a robot farmer!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59MUSIC: The Robots by Kraftwerk
0:21:59 > 0:22:04On this farm, I'm surrounded by a gang of futuristic machines,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06scouring the fields...
0:22:06 > 0:22:07# We are the robots... #
0:22:07 > 0:22:09..and patrolling the skies.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14These robots are one-of-a-kind prototypes,
0:22:14 > 0:22:15built by the University of Sydney.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20They've been designed to make farming quicker and cheaper.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27The first is a solar-powered weed hunter called Ladybird.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29The brains behind this future farmer
0:22:29 > 0:22:33are Mark Calleija and James Underwood.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36So, this is the Ladybird. What's it doing?
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Right now, it's looking for weeds, basically.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47The Ladybird hunts the fields alone, powered by solar panels and
0:22:47 > 0:22:52directed using an armoury of sensors that allow it to navigate the crops.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56MUSIC: Poison Arrow by ABC
0:22:58 > 0:23:01# Shoot that poison arrow through my heart... #
0:23:03 > 0:23:05When it spots one of its weedy victims,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08its high precision sprayer takes aim.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The secret to how the Ladybird works is under its wings.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17So, there's a whole lot of different sensors around,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20there's a couple of cameras under here, looking straight down,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and just like the way you use two eyes to see in 3D,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25those cameras can get a three-dimensional colour picture
0:23:25 > 0:23:27of what's going on under here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30We can identify the targets, the weeds,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33send the arm to the right position to nail them with the herbicide.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36# Shoot that poison arrow... #
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Then, an onboard computer takes aim
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and directs the weedkiller to just the right spots.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45It's like a deadly weed sniper, isn't it?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47And this is only the prototype version,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50it's going to get a lot faster and even more accurate.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52# Shoot that poison arrow. #
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I tell you what, all you've got to teach it to do now is pick
0:23:55 > 0:23:58the crops and put it in a bag, and you guys will be billionaires!
0:23:58 > 0:24:00That's amazing, this is incredible!
0:24:04 > 0:24:07The Ladybird uses a fraction of the chemicals
0:24:07 > 0:24:09used in traditional crop spraying.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13And you never know, they might even build a mini Ladybird
0:24:13 > 0:24:15to weed our own back gardens.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20But the future of farming isn't just at ground level.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23MUSIC: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Meet the farming drone,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29a flying shepherd that can find your missing cattle or even tell you
0:24:29 > 0:24:31when your crops are ready.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34In a similar way to how we use the cameras on the Ladybird,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37we can do that from a drone from above as well.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41So ultimately, you could have a farmer sat at home, on his computer,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44assessing vast scales of land, without even leaving his house?
0:24:44 > 0:24:45That's exactly right.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And also, that farmer doesn't even have to actually fly that
0:24:48 > 0:24:52vehicle himself, the objective can be specified, like,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54"Go out, find my cows," like that sort of level,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and then the drone can just take it from there.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58# We are the robots... #
0:25:02 > 0:25:05But that's not all. I've got one final bot to meet.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10A robot that could replace one of the most cherished
0:25:10 > 0:25:13guardians of a farm - the noble sheepdog.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15COW MOOS
0:25:15 > 0:25:18The sheepdog of the future might look something more like this.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22It's called the Shrimp and it's a robot herder.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Though at the moment, it's only for cows.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27COW MOOS
0:25:27 > 0:25:30We've got this onboard laser sensor that scans around
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and we can see exactly where every single cow is.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Is this what Shrimp is looking at right now?
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Yeah, exactly,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40it's kind of like seeing the world through Shrimp's eyes, if you like.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Today, the Shrimp still needs a handler,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and there is a lot to do before it can operate alone.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53So, of all the bots I've seen, my money's on the Ladybird.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57That feels like something that's going to make it really big!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59COW MOOS
0:25:59 > 0:26:04This has been an amazing look at a multi-million pound robot farm.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05We are in the future.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08These farm bots can help farmers not only save huge amount of time,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10but money as well,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14and put an end to some of the most backbreaking jobs there are.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16COW MOOS
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Back at the UK's largest and most advanced greenhouse,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37they don't rely on tech for everything.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Sometimes, nature has a better way.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Like when it comes to protecting these 1.5 million plants
0:26:47 > 0:26:49from billions of insects.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57'The resident bug expert is Dr Joe Burman.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- Joe, thank you, that's quite an entrance we've made!- Not bad, eh?
0:27:01 > 0:27:05- Oh, you get a really good view of just how huge this is!- Yeah.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08'With so many plants under one roof,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11'an insect invasion would be a disaster.'
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Things like aphids and whitefly, they are a big problem.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Like, an aphid arriving here, a single aphid,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20how much could that breed over a short period of time?
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Aphids are amazing things, so, for most of their lives,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26they are asexual, asexual organisms,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- just producing clones of themselves all the time.- Yeah.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Those clonal copies produce really quickly, so they can
0:27:31 > 0:27:34give birth, say, every 40 minutes, 45 minutes, something like that.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35That fast!
0:27:35 > 0:27:38'That means in just one season, one aphid could
0:27:38 > 0:27:44'turn into 100 billion aphids, which would decimate these crops.'
0:27:44 > 0:27:47What can you do? It's not pouring pesticides onto the plants?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51No, so that's the common misconception about producing
0:27:51 > 0:27:54plants in the UK, especially tomatoes.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Most tomatoes and most glasshouse produce in the UK is
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- pesticide-free, most of the time. - So, what kills those aphids?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04So, we can actually have someone farm and produce lots
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and lots of predators, things which like to eat the aphids,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09so we have a species called Macrolophus, which is
0:28:09 > 0:28:13actually a related species to the aphids, and it has
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- kind of a big, spiky mouth part, a little bit like a straw.- Yeah.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19It can insert that into the aphid and it'll suck all the goodness out.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22So, you bring in another insect to eat the insects that eat the plants?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24That's right.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30So, they can quash an aphid invasion with one invited guest.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34But there is another they need even more.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37The most essential thing we need is pollinators,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41so, tomatoes have flowers, of course, the flowers need to be
0:28:41 > 0:28:45pollinated in order to produce the fruit, so we use bumblebees here.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Bumblebees have got a particular kind of pollination,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49called buzz pollination,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51so they produce a particular frequency
0:28:51 > 0:28:54and they buzz in a particular way that vibrates the pollen
0:28:54 > 0:28:57and spreads it out and allows that flower to be pollinated.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Would this building be economically viable,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02would it deliver enough tomatoes if it were not for bees?
0:29:02 > 0:29:04No, not a chance, no. Not at all.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06It produces a much bigger fruit, you get much more yield
0:29:06 > 0:29:08and the quality of the fruit is better.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11So, the bees are a vital part of the production process?
0:29:11 > 0:29:12Absolutely essential.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22INSECTS BUZZING
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Now, could the future bring us everlasting food?
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Angela's in Boston, on exercise with the US military.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40They have sell-by dates in their sights.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44'They're putting me through my paces
0:29:44 > 0:29:47'before I get to try my first army rations.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52'I'm sure there is an easier way to work up an appetite!'
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Oh, my word!
0:29:56 > 0:30:00'I'm shattered after just a few minutes, but these guys can burn
0:30:00 > 0:30:03'up to about 5,000 calories a day,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05'so their food has to be just as tough.'
0:30:05 > 0:30:08This is, I think, as far as I can go!
0:30:10 > 0:30:13You got chicken noodles, no? No-one wants chicken noodles?
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Anyone want vegetarian?
0:30:15 > 0:30:19'Soldiers in the field are provided with ration packs known as MREs,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22'or Meals Ready to Eat.'
0:30:22 > 0:30:24I'm going meatballs in marinara.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- I'm going with the chicken pesto pasta.- Chicken pesto pasta, OK.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33'Each one is 1,300 calories and a perfect nutritional balance.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37'And with a few drops of water to spark a chemical reaction,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39'they even heat themselves up.'
0:30:42 > 0:30:45It might not be appealing, eating out of a plastic pack,
0:30:45 > 0:30:46but you know what?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48When you're absolutely starving, that's what you'll do.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Now, I've got nice...
0:30:52 > 0:30:55marinana... marinara meatballs.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01'With over 12 million US ration packs in circulation,
0:31:01 > 0:31:06'what is the one food they want to eat more than anything else?'
0:31:06 > 0:31:08- Pizza.- Pizza?- Pizza would be good.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10And what about the rest of you on pizza?
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Would that be something you would all be happy to eat,
0:31:12 > 0:31:13a slice of pizza? Yeah?
0:31:16 > 0:31:21But creating a military grade pizza is no easy feat.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26All rations have to withstand helicopter drops,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29being shaken on the back of a truck,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and the trickiest thing of all is they have to be able to
0:31:32 > 0:31:38sit on a shelf in 27 degrees heat for three years and still be edible.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43I've eaten a lot of pizza in my time
0:31:43 > 0:31:45and I've cooked a fair amount as well,
0:31:45 > 0:31:50but I've never made one to last three days, never mind three years!
0:31:50 > 0:31:52'And that's what I'm about to do.'
0:31:55 > 0:31:57'Here on the army base,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00'military food technologist Michelle Richardson and her team
0:32:00 > 0:32:03'need to stop the pizza going off,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06'by preventing bacteria from feeding on it.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11'And bacteria love moist environments,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13'like pizza sauce or cheese.'
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Are you sick of eating this pizza?
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Um, yes, sometimes. I don't really eat pizza as much as I used to!
0:32:20 > 0:32:22I bet you don't!
0:32:23 > 0:32:28'They had to find a way to keep the water and bacteria apart.'
0:32:28 > 0:32:31We use an ingredient called glycerol, and that's, like, one
0:32:31 > 0:32:34of my favourite ingredients when we are trying to reduce water activity.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Let's get the glycerol on there, then!
0:32:36 > 0:32:40'The glycerol has been mixed into the pizza sauce.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46'It binds to the water in the sauce, locking it away from the bacteria.'
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Wow, something else!
0:32:49 > 0:32:52'But what about the rest of the ingredients?'
0:32:53 > 0:32:56This looks like pre-grated mozzarella to me, is it?
0:32:56 > 0:33:00- It's a 50-50 mix of off-the-shelf mozzarella...- Yeah.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05..then, there's also what we call a low water activity mozzarella.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06I can't imagine going to a supermarket,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09"Can I have a quarter-pounder with a low water activity cheese?"
0:33:09 > 0:33:14This is a pepperoni alternative. It's made using Osmo technology.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17This is meat that has been dried using pressure
0:33:17 > 0:33:21and a sweet solution to draw out the water.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- Is that OK?- That's beautiful.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27You did a better job than I did. What are you doing tomorrow?
0:33:27 > 0:33:28I'm eating it.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33Hi-tech or not, my pizza still has to be cooked.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38After years in development...
0:33:38 > 0:33:41but just 20 minutes in the oven, it's ready.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46So, this is my pizza. It certainly looks good.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49And it smells pretty good as well.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55So, it can last three years and be dropped from a helicopter.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59But will it get the thumbs up from the troops?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Be honest, what do you think?
0:34:02 > 0:34:05- It tastes like pizza. - That looks fancy.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Fancy! I like that word.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10It's good, it's a little different.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Out of ten - one being really bad, ten being, obviously, very good -
0:34:13 > 0:34:15what do you think, Fairfax?
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Eight.- Eight.- Eight.- Eight. - I'll probably go with seven.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20They're very proud of this pizza, actually.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23I'm going to tell him you all said ten out of ten.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24THEY LAUGH
0:34:27 > 0:34:30So, will the three-year pizza make it out of the war zone
0:34:30 > 0:34:31and onto the high street?
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Chris is seeing how it goes down with the great British public.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49# When the moon hits the sky
0:34:49 > 0:34:53# Like a big pizza pie That's amore. #
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Now, because the army's long-lasting pizza is so new,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01none of it has got to the ripe old age of three years yet.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06The ones I have are three months old, which is still some way past
0:35:06 > 0:35:09the sell-by date of a normal pizza.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12I wonder if I can get anyone to try it.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Fresh pizza...ish!
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Would you like to try some pizza, sir? Are you sure?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Would you like to try a little bit pizza, sir? For me? Are you sure?
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- Thank you very much.- Are you serious?- Serious. Three months old.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Imagine that.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- Is it really three months old?- Yeah. - It tastes fresh.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29It tastes like cold pizza the next day.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32It tastes three months old.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Pizza. Freshest pizza, only three months old.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37- Perfectly safe.- OK.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41- This was better.- Was it? - THEY LAUGH
0:35:41 > 0:35:43That was three minutes old, this is three months old.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46It tastes delicious, actually. It tastes really nice.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49# ..That's amore... #
0:35:49 > 0:35:51So that's a thumbs up, then.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Over the course of the series, I'll be investigating
0:36:02 > 0:36:06some of the issues about how we will eat in tomorrow's world.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Whether we should genetically modify our food.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12How do we tackle the growing crime of food fraud and, firstly,
0:36:12 > 0:36:16how will change in weather affect what we eat?
0:36:22 > 0:36:26We're often told that the one meal of the day we shouldn't skip
0:36:26 > 0:36:28is our breakfast
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and we may take it for granted, but in the future,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34staples like these could become a rare luxury.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Because toast is made from bread, which is made from wheat.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Cereals are made from wheat and wheat,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44like rice or maize or millet,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47is a crop that's been bred to deliver huge yields,
0:36:47 > 0:36:52but finely tuned to today's climate and that climate is changing.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58So, there's a race on to breed crops that can cope with
0:36:58 > 0:37:01the demands of a hotter climate with more extreme weather.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06And at the forefront of this is a lab in Nottingham
0:37:06 > 0:37:09run by Professor Malcolm Bennett.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Malcolm, thank you for letting us into your greenhouse.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15What's going on here? What magic are you creating here?
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Well, we're creating the climate of the future,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20so we're mimicking drought, extreme weather events,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23all those types of problems we face because of climate change.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25And there are different strains of wheat that
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- you're comparing under different weather conditions?- Exactly.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Malcolm is looking for plants that flourish even when it's very dry.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36And to discover how, he's using a CT scanner,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40like you'd find in a hospital, to look at their roots.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44This one can grow longer roots to reach water
0:37:44 > 0:37:46deep below the parched surface.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54To future-proof our crops, the plan is to combine the genes of those
0:37:54 > 0:37:58that can survive a drought with the ones that can provide a lot of wheat.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02But this will take time.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09So, I'm off to America where they're taking more immediate action.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16# ..I wanna know
0:38:16 > 0:38:19# Have you ever seen the rain? #
0:38:21 > 0:38:23- RADIO:- 'The forecast - going to be another warm one.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25'Sunshine and plenty of it
0:38:25 > 0:38:27'as we head for a high of 100 this afternoon.'
0:38:27 > 0:38:32The land here in West Texas has long supported a good crop of maize,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36cotton and wheat, but there's been a drought for the past five years
0:38:36 > 0:38:38and for some, life has become very difficult.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48I've been farming out here since 1967.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Steve Williams has a farm just outside the town of El Dorado.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57We're totally dependent on rainfall here.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02I don't have no irrigation and if it doesn't fall out the sky,
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Mother Nature doesn't send it to us, we don't make a crop.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12But luckily for Steve, here in Texas,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15it's not just Mother Nature that controls the weather.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Today, I'm going to witness something quite astonishing.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29Men who take to the sky and make it rain.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33- How are you, Phil? Are you well?- I'm doing well. How about you?- I'm good.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35I'm looking forward to this, though.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38- Let's go see some clouds West Texas style.- Thank you very much, sir.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Up ahead of me is another plane piloted by Don Baker.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54So, now we have visual contact with the plane.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Much higher, is he, than us?
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Yes, he's about 2,000 feet higher than we are.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05Don's plane has nearly 10kg of flares strapped to its wings.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10And he's going to use them to create a rainstorm.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Clouds have to be ready to rain for this technique to work.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20It's called cloud seeding and it makes it rain sooner
0:40:20 > 0:40:23and more heavily than it otherwise would have done.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26'Are we aiming for that cloud over there on the right?'
0:40:26 > 0:40:27'That's affirmative.'
0:40:27 > 0:40:31'You can see the flares that are arranged on the wing of the plane.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35'Now, we're going to follow it, fly underneath the cloud.'
0:40:35 > 0:40:40When the cloud seeding plane is in position, under the cloud,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Don sets off one of the smoke flares on the wing.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46'Ready for the flares?'
0:40:46 > 0:40:50'That'll be stations four and five. Number four and five.'
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Thermals in the cloud suck the smoke up into the centre.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01# I wanna know
0:41:01 > 0:41:05# Have you ever seen the rain? #
0:41:07 > 0:41:10The smoke contains particles of calcium chloride
0:41:10 > 0:41:15and silver iodide, which react with tiny droplets of water
0:41:15 > 0:41:19and ice crystals in the cloud, and grow into bigger droplets.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23As they get heavier, they fall as rain drops.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27The chemicals are used in such small amounts,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30they're considered harmless and don't contaminate the ground below.
0:41:30 > 0:41:37# I wanna know Have you ever seen the rain? #
0:41:40 > 0:41:42And this is how you make it rain Texas-style.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Here in Texas, cloud seeding is so successful, they do it
0:41:48 > 0:41:51over an area bigger than the whole of Wales.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And, remarkably, it creates so much extra water,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59it could supply a major city like San Francisco for a whole year.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Wow, that is amazing.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Sitting here, watching this happen, getting a real sense that
0:42:08 > 0:42:10we really take rain for granted where we come from.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12We don't do any of this stuff,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14we just stand at a bus stop and we get enough rain.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21Of course, exciting though this is up here, the real benefit is down there.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Down there, where the people who live, who need this water.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31After cloud seeding, the rain doesn't fall immediately
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and you can't even guarantee exactly where it will fall,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37but for farmer Steve Williams, it saved his livelihood.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43When you look up and you see a plane seeding a cloud,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47and it's raining out of that cloud and you look over there
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and it's not raining as much out of that cloud,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I think most people would become a believer.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57It's helped the crops and it's helped all of the grassland
0:42:57 > 0:43:00and it's been really good for the area.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Water is life here.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21We're always on the lookout for new and extraordinary foods of the future
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and Chris Bavin has one that will challenge our taste buds.
0:43:27 > 0:43:28It's the middle of the night
0:43:28 > 0:43:32and I'm in New Spitalfields Market in the East End of London.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35The produce in here comes from all over the world.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40Peas, lovely and sweet. Yeah, best time of year.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44These traders have seen and sold every fruit and veg going.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49- Lovely, lovely bit of Belgian endive.- Very good!
0:43:50 > 0:43:52But I don't think they've seen one of these -
0:43:52 > 0:43:56Synsepalum dulcificum, the miracle berry.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59And this fairly innocent-looking piece of fruit
0:43:59 > 0:44:01does something pretty special.
0:44:01 > 0:44:02- Hello.- Hello.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07It's claimed it can change the way we taste,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09transforming sour into sweet.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Right, gentlemen.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14So, with a box of lemons,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17I'm ready to put it to the test.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Right. So, if you eat that, perfectly natural, don't worry.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- Let it dissolve in your mouth, so don't chew it.- I just swallowed it.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26The berries grow in West Africa
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and the ones I've got have been concentrated into pills.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33If you try that now and you try that...
0:44:35 > 0:44:39Sweet. Yeah, a totally different fruit.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40It's amazing, isn't it?
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Now it's more like a sugary taste, a very sweet taste in the mouth.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45Like a lemon sherbet, really, like the sweet.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46It's a hell of a difference, yeah.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Couldn't give one of them pills to my wife, could you?
0:44:49 > 0:44:50THEY LAUGH
0:44:50 > 0:44:52- Sweeten her up a bit. - Sweeten her up.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58But is the miracle berry just a party trick?
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Dr Shini Somara is in Japan and they're using it
0:45:03 > 0:45:06as a weapon in our ongoing battle against sugar addiction.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16In Tokyo, there are now cafes where you can choose to go sugar-free.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21So, I've just had dinner and now it's time for dessert,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24and this restaurant has a few of my favourites.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29Made without sugar and served with a miracle berry.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31They claim it's a practical sugar alternative.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35First, a bite without the miracle berry.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40That's very tart.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45So then, I eat a berry before another bite.
0:45:46 > 0:45:47Now for the moment of truth.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Wow. That's unbelievably sweet.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58What's actually happening is that a chemical called miraculin
0:45:58 > 0:46:02in the berry is attaching itself to my taste receptors
0:46:02 > 0:46:06and that's changing the way they react to the food I'm eating.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10When miraculin meets something acidic,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13it stimulates the sweet receptors on my tongue.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Mm! Lovely.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18It's amazing, and that was all because of that berry.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20# Sugar
0:46:20 > 0:46:22# Yes, please
0:46:22 > 0:46:26# Won't you come and put it down on me? #
0:46:26 > 0:46:29So, eating miracle berries means we could have less sugar
0:46:29 > 0:46:34and still get that sweet hit. But there is one drawback.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38It's an amazing fruit at an amazing price,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42because it only grows in very specific conditions.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45This little berry can cost anything up to £5.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55But just outside Tokyo, they're trying to make it cheaper.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57This is a dwarf mutant.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Professor Hiroshi Ezura is using genetic modification
0:47:01 > 0:47:05to take the sweet gene from the miracle berry
0:47:05 > 0:47:07and put it in tomato plants.
0:47:07 > 0:47:13So, why did you choose tomatoes as the main medium for this gene?
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Tomato is the number one vegetable produced in Japan
0:47:16 > 0:47:17and even in the world.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Tomatoes are cheap and easy to grow, so using them for miraculin
0:47:23 > 0:47:28instead of miracle berries would drive the cost right down.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31According to the cultivation in our miraculin tomato,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35the cost would be less than, maybe 200 times less.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37200 times less.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42The plan is to produce miracle tomatoes as fresh fruit
0:47:42 > 0:47:44and in powdered form.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49But because they're genetically modified, Professor Ezura's tomatoes
0:47:49 > 0:47:51will be need to be tested and approved
0:47:51 > 0:47:53before they can leave the lab.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Right now I can't even try one, but eventually
0:47:57 > 0:48:00miracle tomatoes could be a small
0:48:00 > 0:48:04but important step towards curbing our spiralling sugar addiction.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Tastes. We all have our favourites.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20But whether it's the sweetness of strawberries
0:48:20 > 0:48:22or the sourness of lemons,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25surely taste is something we'll only ever be able to get
0:48:25 > 0:48:28from our food and drink.
0:48:28 > 0:48:29Or is it?
0:48:34 > 0:48:39Imagine if, in the future, we didn't need food to create that sensation.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Imagine if we could do it at the touch of a button.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47At City University in London, a machine is being developed that can
0:48:47 > 0:48:51trick the brain into thinking it's tasting something that isn't there.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55The project is run by Professor Adrian Cheok.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56Pleasure to meet you.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59His device relies on the way our tongues sense
0:48:59 > 0:49:02five fundamental flavours.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06We have five different kinds of receptors, which are sour, salty,
0:49:06 > 0:49:07sweet, bitter and umami taste.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09- Would you like to try? - I'd love to try.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12So, basically, all tastes we know can be reduced down to some
0:49:12 > 0:49:15- combination of these five tastes? - That's right, yes.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18You can try it for yourself now and tell us,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20what do you think is the taste of this liquid?
0:49:20 > 0:49:23Are you giving me a particularly strong version, or is it going to be...?
0:49:23 > 0:49:26- No, it's mild, I think.- OK, fine.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31That's sweet. That's sickly, but sweet.
0:49:31 > 0:49:32And all children love it,
0:49:32 > 0:49:36because children are hard-wired to ingest as much energy as possible.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40Oh, is that why kids love sweets? OK. The second one.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Hope you like it.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43Hm.
0:49:46 > 0:49:51Urgh! That's seawater. Yeah, that's a bad day at the beach.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Then, there's sour.
0:49:55 > 0:49:56And bitter.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59God, they're all horrible tastes!
0:49:59 > 0:50:03And finally umami, the most recent taste to be discovered.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08- It just tastes smoky.- Yes.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11It is often described as a savoury taste.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14Umami is present when you cook meat, pleasurable oily foods, you know,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16that's why people love to eat barbecues.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Adrian is trying to recreate those tastes without food,
0:50:21 > 0:50:27using only electricity to stimulate our taste receptors.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30This device is called an electrical taste machine and what it does,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33essentially, is it produces an electrical current which will
0:50:33 > 0:50:35stimulate your taste neurons.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38For example, you can have a virtual sour, salty,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41sweet taste using this device.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45Simulating taste electronically could lead to all sorts of intriguing
0:50:45 > 0:50:49possibilities, like sharing it over the internet,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51so Adrian has high hopes for his device.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58So, you could be watching a TV programme about, you know, MasterChefs
0:50:58 > 0:51:02and not only see the food, but taste at the same time.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06So, if I have this implement and I am watching MasterChef,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09they can send me, ping me, essentially,
0:51:09 > 0:51:13the flavour of the meal that, as they're testing it, I can go, "Mm!"
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- I can taste it.- That's right.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18That's what we hope for in the future. You place it on your tongue.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21It's off now, so you won't feel anything at first.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24And now I will turn on the device.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28You should be experiencing a virtual sour taste on your tongue.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30HE CHUCKLES
0:51:30 > 0:51:34I have to say, I'm not really getting a full burst of sour off that.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37I know, I can feel the extra charge.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40It's like licking a battery, is what it felt like.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Adrian can change the pattern of electric signals
0:51:43 > 0:51:46depending on the flavour he wants to create.
0:51:46 > 0:51:47This time we'll try lemon.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Yeah, OK. It's not like you've, literally,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53opened a lemon on my tongue.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56- It's a simulation. - It's a simulation, yeah.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00It's a really odd sensation, definitely a hint of lemon
0:52:00 > 0:52:03but also...metallic.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Do you have any tequila? ADRIAN LAUGHS
0:52:05 > 0:52:08I'm thinking, you know, while I've got the taste in my mouth,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I'm just saying. When life gives you lemons...
0:52:12 > 0:52:16Adrian's device is still some way off from making it into our homes,
0:52:16 > 0:52:21but the idea of digitising taste is very intriguing.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27The thought of tricking your brain or being able to e-mail a taste,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30that's all incredible and he may be on the path to that, but right now,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33he's a very nice man who puts a very bad taste in your mouth.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Argh! Argh! I need a chocolate bar.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50Earlier, we asked a group of truckers
0:52:50 > 0:52:52to eat seaweed pills with every meal.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Brand-new science suggests the seaweed would stop them
0:52:56 > 0:52:59absorbing some of the fat they ate.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02So, have they lost any weight?
0:53:02 > 0:53:06After four weeks, we've brought our truckers back to the caff to see
0:53:06 > 0:53:08if the seaweed alginate has worked.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13Good morning, guys.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17How did we all find it? How did you get on? Enjoyed it? Yeah?
0:53:17 > 0:53:20- Apart from the tablets. - LAUGHTER
0:53:20 > 0:53:23You enjoyed it apart from the actual thing you had to do!
0:53:25 > 0:53:29The trial is being run by Dr Matt Wilcox.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33He's going to compare every trucker's weight now with a month ago.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38So, will the seaweed alginate have helped the fat
0:53:38 > 0:53:40they've eaten to pass straight through them
0:53:40 > 0:53:44rather than end up on their waistline?
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- I lost 1kg.- 1kg.- Yeah.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50- Very good.- And didn't change diet at all.- And what about you?
0:53:50 > 0:53:54- I lost 1.3kg. - Lost 2kg.- Lost 2kg?- Yeah.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58- Without even trying.- And yourself?
0:53:58 > 0:54:03About the same but I've, honestly, eaten some of the worst dross
0:54:03 > 0:54:06- you could ever imagine in the last five weeks.- On purpose.- Yeah.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11- I've had a guilt-free month. - Amazing results for the truckers.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12So what about me?
0:54:12 > 0:54:16Oh, hello, you all want to see mine? That's nice, innit?
0:54:16 > 0:54:19So it looks like you've put on weight.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22Put on weight! Sweet.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25The only person to put on weight was me.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27That's fairly embarrassing. Thank you very much.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35Now I have to fess up, I forgot to take some of my pills, which is
0:54:35 > 0:54:37probably why I didn't lose weight,
0:54:37 > 0:54:39but the others have done brilliantly.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45On average, they lost 1.5kg in just four weeks
0:54:45 > 0:54:48and absorbed 6% less fat.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Now, that might not sound like much, but over a year,
0:54:54 > 0:54:59that's 4kg of fat each that wouldn't have hit their waistlines.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Or a whopping 48 fry-ups.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Look at this.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10I mean, just the heat coming off of 48 cooked breakfast, I'm sweating!
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Seaweed alginate tablets aren't available in the shops yet
0:55:16 > 0:55:18as there are more trials to be done,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21but it's not difficult to imagine them
0:55:21 > 0:55:23on sale in every caff in Britain.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30I must admit, I was sceptical about this trial, but those results
0:55:30 > 0:55:34seem to show that seaweed could play a big part in all our future diets.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38Imagine in a few years, places like this full of skinny truckers.
0:55:45 > 0:55:46So, to recap.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49In the future, our children's lunchboxes will be filled with
0:55:49 > 0:55:53everlasting food, robots will do our farming
0:55:53 > 0:55:57and sweet treats will be guilt-free. But there's more.
0:55:57 > 0:56:03Next week - Angela comes face-to-face with the chef of the future.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09In Milan, Shini checks out the supermarket of tomorrow.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Chris learns how to grow fruit
0:56:13 > 0:56:17and veg in one of the most hostile locations on the planet.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Mm! That's lovely.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24And I reveal how Britain's online supermarkets bring us
0:56:24 > 0:56:26futuristic shopping today.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Before we go, I want to introduce you to an incredible new plant.
0:56:32 > 0:56:37A plant so amazing, it has its own greenhouse. Not that one, this one.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40This is its greenhouse. It's called the TomTato.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43And the reason it's called that is because, well,
0:56:43 > 0:56:47this is one plant where above ground you can grow tomatoes off it,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50just like normal, but underground, off the same plant,
0:56:50 > 0:56:52potatoes are growing.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56There is no miraculous science at work here.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58These two plants have just been spliced together
0:56:58 > 0:57:00when they were young.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03It's possible because potatoes and tomatoes are related.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07And I can tell you that this is an amazing thing, because it allows us
0:57:07 > 0:57:12to marshal the limited resources we have, or use smaller bits of land,
0:57:12 > 0:57:15but it's amazing because this is a plant that will give you chips
0:57:15 > 0:57:16and ketchup in one.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18Truly, we live in an age of wonders.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25See you next week.