Business owners should pay attention to changes in the business environment. This is especially important when it comes to technology. Changes in technology can create new industry giants, and eliminate iconic businesses almost overnight.
Consider how one small change in technology, the ability to freeze food on a massive scale, has affected all of us.
Back in 1950, there were many regional farms all over the country. People tended to eat what grew seasonally in the area, and they bought their food at small local markets. They canned food for the winter. For the most part, Americans ate healthy, home cooked meals made with fresh food.
After World War II, there was a population boom. Expanding families had an increased demand for food and convenience. The ability to freeze foods on a massive scale, store them and ship them all over the country, was soon developed.
This technology made huge industrialized farms very profitable, and almost eliminated small regional farms. Eventually, constant harvesting depleted the soil of its natural vitamins and minerals. As a result, the plants lost most of their nutritional value. The plants also lost their ability to defend against insects. This created an immediate need for massive amounts of pesticides and fertilizer. It also spawned the market for supplemental vitamins.
Not long after this, development of commercial refrigerated display cases helped the expansion of large supermarkets. This eliminated most of the small, neighborhood food markets. Commercial refrigeration also led to an explosion of fast food restaurants in the decade that followed. All of this created the need for processed foods and preservatives.
America’s expanding families appreciated the speed and convenience freezer technology had provided. This technology alone has created and eliminated multiple business segments.
What if a lifetime of eating processed foods, full of preservatives with very little nutritional value, caused health problems and food sensitivities? If so, what other industries have been impacted because of freezer technology?
