The article considers the main trends in the diversification of the global food system. The author proves that at the present time the dynamic development and globalization in the modern world economy require diversification of Belarusian agro-food complex in order to achieve its independence from crises, reduce risks of the external environment uncertainty, unforeseen circumstances (export embargoes and restrictions) and changes in consumer preferences and, ultimately, boost competitiveness and strengthen economic immunity and stability. At the same time, the pressure of the abundant food supply in the world market segments, ensured by consumer demand, makes the manufacturers follow the principle “from fork to farm”. Thus, it is consumers’ preferences that are often drivers of contradictory and competing shifts in the transformation of food systems. The survey shows that two opposite driving forces – the consumers’ desire for ready-to-use food products with the deep level of processing and the growing elite interest in the natural healthy diet – determine the progressive development of productive forces in the agricultural complex in the direction of innovative search of diverse, adapted to consumer demand, high-tech schemes of production, processing and distribution of food. The classification of main consumer types helps substantiate the priority to develop new types of product subcomplexes. The ecological forms of agriculture have significant export potential and import substitution reserves in the Republic of Belarus and the Eurasian Economic Union as a whole. The author proposes a “road map” for the diversification of food production on the basis of organic (environmentally friendly) agriculture. Its innovation is scientifically justified by the state large-scale economic, managerial and technological measures to develop a highly efficient organic sector of agricultural production in the republic
Keywords
diversification, food system, consumer demand, food