U..S. employment statistics hit a new milestone last year, but not a positive one. In August 2021, almost 4.3 million workers quit their jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That's the highest number since the department began tracking voluntary resignations. Their reasons for leaving their jobs vary--the numbers track people who quit for a different position, as well as those who quit without having another job lined up. While the reasons for quitting vary, one thing is clear: Businesses are having a tough time getting employees to come back.

Food technology is rapidly permeating our daily lives. From food cultivation to distribution, cooking and food intake, there is no stage that is not affected by artificial intelligence: Food Tech. In the United States, it is so popular that famous entrepreneurs and stars such as Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio invest in food technology companies. In fact, the popularity of artificial intelligence in the food field is a trend not only in the United States, but also in the global industry. Food history is information from production to distribution of food, and it can be said that it is information needed to make food safe.

Now that Amazon's "Alexa" has become a daily partner in our lives, with 83 million plus users and more than 100 million devices sold, proving we have accepted face and voice recognition, artificial and predictive intelligence, as well as following directions from the Google Maps lady, its about time we accept robots making our latte and autonomous vehicles delivering our food. The world of automation and robotics has jumped off engineering drawing boards and moved into restaurant dining rooms and kitchens. Not to mention the halls of congress and the cross-hairs of legislative policy wonks. The time has come to add Food Technology to the growing list of priorities in your food company's strategic plans. While gawking my way through the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, the physical space dedicated to health, wellness and food was noticeably larger, despite the significantly smaller number of attendees due to COVID.

Food technology or food tech for short has been growing since the revolution of technology. In 2021, food technology changed the design (recipes), production, and delivery of food products. The food industry continues to work towards the integration of advanced technology such as big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning into its business models. The increase in sustainability and efficiency of this sector is closely related to food tech and the most impactful integrations of food with technology has led to the rise of food delivery applications. Before I proceed any further, it's noteworthy to mention the thin line existing between the two industries "food technology" and "agricultural technology" or Agtech.

There is no bigger industry on our planet than food and agriculture, with a consistent, loyal customer base of 7 billion. In fact, the World Bank estimates that food and agriculture comprise about 10% of the global GDP, meaning that, food and agriculture would be valued at about $8 trillion globally based on the projected global GDP of $88 trillion for 2019. On the food front, a record $1.71 trillion was spent on food and beverages in 2018 at grocery stores and other retailers and away-from-home meals and snacks in the United States alone. During the same year, 9.7% of Americans' disposable personal income was spent on food -- 5% at home and 4.7% away from home -- a percentage that has remained steady amidst economic changes over the past 20 years. However, despite a stalwart customer base, the food industry is facing unprecedented challenges in production, demand and regulations stemming from consumer trends.

A new report published by the Refresh Working Group, which is funded by Google and led by the Swell Creative Group, San Francisco, aims to better understand the role artificial intelligence may play in food production, distribution, processing and consumption. Titled "Food tech: Soil to supper," the report is a first step in contextualizing how such a rapidly evolving technology may add value to the supply chain. "This report initiates a much-needed conversation about the benefits technology can bring to food production, distribution and consumption," said Ali Lange, senior public policy analyst at Google. "It is exciting to see so many every day, real-world applications of A.I. and to work together with people from across so many different sectors." The report addresses food production A.I. technologies such as autonomous tractors, drones and remote sensors that collect and analyze data in order to help farmers increase crop yields.