Food crisis

Citation

(2009), "Food crisis", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 39 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2009.01739cab.023

Food crisis

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 3.

A looming world food crisis, caused by climate change and economic growth in emerging nations, will come down to “survival of the fittest”, according to the Working Party Chairman of a new report published recently by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

“The Vital Ingredient – chemical science and engineering for sustainable food” says changing weather patterns, crops being used for fuel rather than food, and emerging Chinese and Indian middle classes will all contribute to a breakdown in the global food supply chain. The report describes meeting energy and food demand despite declining fossil fuel resources – without permanently damaging the environment – as the greatest technological challenge facing humanity.

Professor Peter Lillford CBE, Chairman of the Working Party that produced the report says that it will be the poorest nations that succumb first: “The countries that are less technologically advanced and those that rely most heavily on food imports will be the first to suffer. It will be survival of the fittest.

“Last year, we saw riots in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Senegal and Morocco because of food shortages. We experienced ripples of change in the UK too where many food prices rose. It's all about the availability of food as a commodity on a global scale.

“In the developed world, because food is relatively cheap, we waste it. That is no longer morally or economically acceptable and we'll also rely on the chemical sciences to implement technology to reduce this waste, alongside the need for adjustments in consumer behaviour. There is no way out of this unless we make changes”, warns Lillford.

The report recommends a stronger focus on developing and improving chemical engineering technologies to conserve and reuse water; the development of modern biotechnology to create pest-resistant crops; the application of novel enzyme chemistry and technology in food manufacture; and the creation of methods to treat livestock waste to generate energy and biogas as possible solutions to prevent the food shortfall.

It also calls for improved scientific literacy amongst policy makers and says supermarkets must make greater efforts to champion sustainability.

The report warns, however, that a shortage of properly qualified scientists and engineers in the UK threaten to undermine such efforts and could harm the nation's food industry and its capacity to deliver.

By 2030, the World Bank estimates that cereal production must increase by 30 per cent and meat production by 80 per cent to meet the demands of a global population exceeding 8 billion – up by more than a billion on current numbers.

Agriculture currently consumes almost three quarters of the world's water resource. By 2050, as many as 60 countries will experience water scarcity according to research by the United Nations. The RSC/IchemE report calls for a stronger focus on developing and improving chemical technologies to conserve and reuse water, treatment of contaminated water, recycling water, desalination and harvesting water for irrigation.

It also says that more work should be done to improve crop yields by using both conventional breeding methods and plant biotechnology, highlighting opportunities to enhance crop resistance to pests, bacteria and environmental stress, including drought and salinity.

The application of novel enzyme chemistry and technology for use in ingredients, processing and preservation is identified as a key area for development along with a call to reduce the use of agricultural land for biofuels production through a step change in research and development of chemical and biochemical methods to extract cellulose from second generation fuel crops grown on marginal land, including switch grass and jatropha.

The report was launched in Westminster by Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.