Can Food Science Reduce World Hunger?

Abstract

The world has seen bewildering changes in population, food production, preservation technologies, world food trade, food safety challenges, climate change and ethical issues during the past 200 years. UN predictions indicate that at the current rate of population increase, world population may reach 9B by 2050, yet suitable arable land will likely decrease and population drifts to cities will see over 6B people in urban areas. Demands on food production and food preservation will be huge. Currently we can feed a population of about 7B, but food and feed losses during production and postharvest storage and transportation are unacceptable. Nearly 1B people are chronically hungry, and food-borne illnesses have not disappeared despite increases in the understanding of microbial physiology and the factors contributing to food-borne illnesses. The global distribution of food, and an increased desire for more exotic and ‘less preserved’ foods, has kept food microbiologists and public health officials busier than expected with significant numbers of consumers still affected by both morbidity and mortality from food consumption. Consumers’ knowledge about modern foods has not kept pace with such developments. There are major decisions ahead for the food, feed and health industries, as well as education institutions and political systems, to make appropriate decisions to tackle such difficult questions. Can science and technology advances, including GM food production and ‘modern’ food preservation and storage technologies, keep pace and make an impact on the global food supply and the obesity epidemic? Are we up to the challenge?