In Case You Missed It: The Best Food Related Inventions of 2019 (According to TIME Magazine)

There are certain lists we look forward to this time of year. Obviously, Santa’s list is far and away the most important to us personally. But we’d be lying if we weren’t tempted to read through TIME magazine’s annual gathering of best inventions. It’s a pretty comprehensive list and we encourage you to read through it all, but we figured we’d just get to the part that talks about food and drink since that’s typically what’s on our minds here at Leisurely. While we’re still waiting for someone to invent a device that removes all of the bullshit that exists in the food and drink industry (subpar wages, lack of benefits, inability to make profit, Yelpers), we’re excited to share the ideas that have the chance to define the next decade of food culture. Without further ado because this intro has gone on long enough, here are the 2019 food and drink winners listed in alphabetical order.

This might be where plants come from in the future. Photo: AeroFarms/Facebook

2019 Winner: AeroFarms

Climate change is really screwing up farms, but technology may be the saving grace when finding a solution. Aerofarms uses a reusable cloth made from recycled water bottles instead of dirt to grown plants, and a gentle mist is used instead of traditional hydration tactics.

You were probably going to get seaweed in your mouth at some point. Photo: AKUA/Facebook

2019 Winner (Special Mention): AKUA Kelp Jerky

While we’re not all about replacing every single snack in our lives with a healthier alternative, we appreciate ingenuity, especially if it means we’re helping fight climate change. Eating kelp helps remove carbon from the water, and the fact it’s pretty nutritious too means we don’t always have to snap into a Slim Jim when hunger pains kick in.

Apeel Sciences is helping produce last longer. Photo: Apeel Sciences/Facebook

2019 Winner: Apeel Sciences’ Plant Based Protective Coating

This is a big win in so many ways, but definitely because we hate using saran wrap to protect fruit and vegetables. The sheets just never rip off the way we want them to and plastic is really bad people. Perhaps that’s why Apeel Sciences developed a natural, plant based coating that helps slow down the ripening process. So basically your avocado toast is going to last a whole lot longer.

2019 Winner (Special Mention): Banqu

How do you prove you’re a company that practices fair trade? Get verified by Banqu, a blockchain technology company that provides a digital pathway to every transaction. The ability to trace supplies directly back to the farm that produced them has tremendous consequences, but most of all it provides peace of mind that the food we put in our bodies actually has a place of origin.

2019 Winner (Special Mention): Charity: water’s Remote Tracking Sensors

Let’s not forget the importance of clean drinking water and how much it impacts literally everything when it comes to the foods we eat. Charity: water helps build systems for developing clean water in 28 countries, but this year it upped the ante by developing sensors that analyze water flows in real time. If there’s an issue with contamination or something seems off, sensors reiterate that information through cloud technology, and a technician is called to correct the issue. 7,354 sensors, which can safeguard the water of an estimated 1.4 million people, are being used so far.

2019 Winner: Farmer’s Fridge

Do you work in a building that’s too far from healthy dining options? Farmer’s Fridge has updated the standard vending machine options to include fresh produce in jars. But you still have to be careful not to get your arm stuck when pulling out your lunch.

No meat burgers continue to thrive. Photo: Impossible Foods/Facebook

2019 Winner: Impossible Burger

After making a first of its kind burger that was meant to mimic the taste and texture of meat, Impossible Foods went ahead and worked on just upgrading everything we love about meat based foods. While the jury is still out on how successful the company can be, we appreciate living in a time where our perception of the foods we loved growing up are being turned upside down in the best way possible. And in case you think this is a fad…

Plant based foods continue to win. Photo: Beyond Meat/Facebook

2018 Winner: Beyond Sausage

Because there’s always someone at a BBQ who prefers links over patties.

Tasty, dairy-free ice cream? Yes, it’s real! Photo: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams/Facebook

2019 Winner (Special Mention): Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

Non-dairy desserts are essential the more we realize milk is actually terrible for adults. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has a line up of dairy-free ice creams in flavors like Texas Sheet Cake. Yes, we know the name Sheet Cake is probably going to make the gigs giggle if they say it 10 times fast at a birthday party, but let’s just be thankful there’s a dairy free option that won’t destroy their stomachs, okay?

A bowl of Magic Spoon cereal Photo: Magic Spoon/Facebook

2019 Winner: Magic Spoon Cereal

For too long breakfast cereal has caused pain and agony with families. Sweet cereal is the first step in a long and painful relationship with dentists, and has been known to turn tur jolly cartoons into hated monsters. Enter Magic Spoon cereal. It’s gluten-free, low in sugar, and geared toward adults who just don’t have the time or energy to cook breakfast.

2019 Winner: Postmates Serve

Tired of dealing with human delivery people? Postmates created a robot named Serve that can carry up to 50 pounds of your pad thai. The service is being rolled out in Los Angeles and San Francisco for starters, and might just help restaurants in those cities turn a profit by reducing delivery costs. At the very least, they won’t blow through red lights on electronic scooters while on cell phones.

2019 Winner: Sanku Dosifier

Need a machine that adds nutrients to flour? You might not, but there are plenty of areas in this world that are undernourished. The Sanku Dosifier ads vital nutrients for anyone milling flour. It’s only going to help about 100 million people get a nutritious diet, so really no big deal.

Soylent Squared is putting Pop Tarts on Notice. Photo: Soylent/Facebook

2019 Winner: Soylent Squared Breakfast Bar

A 100-calorie breakfast bar that costs $1? The heir-apparent to Pop Tarts is here.

Keep your eyes on Watergen, this could be the new Poland Spring Water Cooler. Photo: Watergen/Facebook

2019 Winner: Watergen’s GENNY

A machine that pulls moisture out of the air and uses a filtration system to make it drinkable is poised to replace Poland Spring deliveries in the near future. If it could make a decent cappuccino, it might just stop productivity in the workplace for good.