Research into new and emerging technologies is urgently needed because only advances in science can bring the levels of increased production needed to ensure safe, nutritious and affordable food for everyone, warned leading experts at a conference last month.
With a soaring population, harvests threatened by climate change, the threat of new animal diseases, as well as trade barriers disrupting food distribution - the world faces a growing food security crisis. "And research needs to play a vital role in finding the solutions to this challenge," said Dr Alf Game, deputy director of the research, innovation and skills directorate at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). He was speaking at a Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum on Food Security.
Research needs to focus on applying the latest science to increasing crop and animal productivity, while minimising the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions, he said. The BBSRC, a leading public funder of agri-food research in the UK, for example, aims to support research projects exploring the potential to use plant nutrients as a substitute for animal nutrients, eg producing long chain omega fatty acids in plants that are currently only found in fish oils or exploiting algae, as they contain many essential vitamins and minerals. The BBSRC will also fund research looking at new food processing, packaging and storage methods which use less energy - such as smaller scale decentralised manufacturing facilities to reduce transport costs and reduced use of refrigeration.
"There also needs to be a re-evaluation of irradiation methods as a food safety measure, and a closer look at the associated questions of regulation and consumer acceptability," Game said. "We need an ongoing public dialogue, addressing the acceptability of technologies including irradiation, genetic modification (GM) and nanotechnology applications in the food industry."
Take GM, he said, the technology has the potential to stabilise and increase food production more rapidly than through conventional breeding programmes alone. It can produce new varieties of crops with potentially beneficial characteristics such as drought resistance, pest and disease resistance, as well as improve yields. "It also offers unique opportunities to improve the nutritional value of some foods," added Game.
However, the research base in the UK has eroded, with declining numbers of universities active in food science, research and training related to food manufacture. "An urgent and sustained increase in investment is needed to address the challenges," and there is a need to instill a "sense of urgency" among policy makers and among the research community, as development of new crop varieties can take between 10-15 years. "To meet the scale and pace of the rising demand for food, major programmes of focused research must be put in place without delay."
Andrew Kuyk, director of sustainability and competitiveness at the Food and Drink Federation, said: "There clearly needs to be more investment in research, skills and technology, which will help secure future food supplies." The price spikes of key ingredients in 2007-2008 were an "early warning" sign of things to come, he said.
Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the Crop Protection Association, pointed out that food production will need to double or treble over the next 30 years if a global food crisis is to be avoided. Despite this, little more than 12% of the world's land is suitable for agricultural production. Dyer said that "demonising" technologies and tools that we already possess, such as pesticides, only aggravated the matter. "To secure our food supplies, we must continue to develop more effective pest control and crop protection techniques ... A focus on research and development is essential," added Dyer. FM