Imagine a fridge that re-stocks itself...

By 2030 fridges could be automatically restocked when supplies were running low.Photo / Thinkstock

Imagine opening your fridge, discovering you're out of milk but knowing an email has been sent to your local store ordering a fresh bottle.

That's what the food and grocery industry in Australia envisage the future of eating and shopping will look like by 2030.

An expert panel on "future food'' gathered in Canberra forecast that technology will revolutionise the way we shop, with consumer choice and convenience to reign supreme.

Australian Food and Grocery Council head Garry Dawson said by 2030 pantries could be automatically restocked when supplies were running low.

Pre-packed, convenient meals delivered straight to the door would also be in high demand in two decades time.

"I think it's going to look like whatever we want it to look like, frankly,'' Mr Dawson said of future food preferences at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) conference.

"That's going to mean an explosion in consumer choice.''

Coles general manager of corporate affairs Robert Hadler agreed anything was possible, saying technology would "fundamentally change'' the way people will shop and what they buy.

But some experts think there could also be a corresponding shift towards healthier, organic produce, with more fruit and veggies on every plate.

With a significantly older population, one panellist predicted a boom in vitamins, organic foods and eco-produce in the average diet.

"I think there'll be a... forever young trend,'' said Trysh Stone from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

"I'm going to eat in a way that's going to help me live and survive.''

Australians should be more "health literate'' by 2030, with more people eating balanced meals and avoiding deadly diseases associated with a poor diet, said Australian Health and Welfare's Lisa McGlynn.

- AAP