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... water is key to food security 23-08-2011 q&a with fao assistant director-general for natural resources, alexander mueller a farmer in burundi waters her crops ... the vulnerability of rain-dependent food production systems and the people who depend on them has been brought into stark relief by the situation in east africa ... everybody understands that water is crucial for growing food - but often in an abstract way ... while many people in the horn of africa are pastoralists, not crop farmers, the current situation there makes it painfully clear the risks and vulnerability associated with rainfed food production systems, especially as the impacts of a changing climate are now making themselves felt ... over the last 50 years, the earth's population doubled and the global food system responded remarkably to the increase in food demand ... we have not seen the wholesale commitment to modernize irrigated production and marketing into changing local and global markets - even when land and water resources have been available but aren't other world regions running out of water? increasing regions of the world are indeed facing water scarcity and face the risk of progressive breakdown of their productive capacity under a combination of demographic pressure and unsustainable agricultural practices ... toward 2050, rising population and incomes are expected to require 70 percent more food production globally, and up to 100% more in developing countries ... but some regions are coming very close to their potential to intensify food production, which is already leading to tension on access to natural resources, in particular water ... it is estimated that only about 50% of the food that is produced is actually consumed, the rest being lost in storage, distribution and at the level of end users ... that's not just food waste -- it's water waste too if production is irrigated ... the production of 1 calorie of food requires 1 liter of water

... for the first time in its 100 year history, the international association for food protection (iafp) is bringing its international forum to australia ... the securing global food safety conferencence is to be held on 26 – 28 september 2011 in melbourne ... the event also incorporates the 14th australian food microbiology conference, and is presented by the iafp, the australian institute of food science and technology inc (aifst) and the international commission on microbiological specifications for food (icmsf) ... the conference provides food safety professionals with a forum of international and local expertise in which to exchange information and learn more about protecting food supplies ... conference topics will look at the management of food safety systems in manufacturing, international trade, the supply chain, primary production as well as foodborne disease epidemiology, foodborne hazards updates and the role of the laboratory in food safety ... there will be ample opportunity to exchange information on the current state of play for microbiological and other food hazards, enhancing the effectiveness of systems used by industry and government to manage food safety and challenges faced by individuals and organisations in securing a safe global food supply ... australia’s food regulation system will be explored, with the three tiers of government represented by steve mccutcheon (food standards australia new zealand), dr john carnie (chief health officer, department f health, victoria) and mark saunders from the local government sector ... au, and click on the securing global food safety conference link

... a leading food industry consultant has warned that more australian food processors will be driven out of business as a result of competition between and commercial powers held by major food retailers ... in a speech to the crawford fund annual conference, held this week in parliament house, canberra, food industry expert dr david mckinna, founder of mckinna et al, said australian food processors’ margins are no longer sufficient to support the reinvestment needed for global competitiveness ... the comments follow recent plant closures or imminent closures of food processing plants around australia ... “without doubt, global food companies must all be considering closing australian processing facilities ... ” according to the austrade, trade in processed food products makes up 20 per cent of australia’s manufacturing industry and accounts for around 18 per cent of employment in the manufacturing sector

... com: “ our food safety group finished off a very strong year with overall sales growth of 12 per cent ... all six operating divisions in food safety achieved sales increases ranging from 2 per cent to 38 per cent compared with the prior year ... in terms of product lines, food allergens led the way in fiscal year 2011 with overall growth of 45 per cent ... ” recent third party market reports indicate the global food safety markets are growing at more than 10 percent per year ... the company’s food safety division markets dehydrated culture media and diagnostic test kits to detect food borne bacteria, mycotoxins, other natural toxins, genetic modifications, food allergens, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns ... ” james herbert, neogen’s chief executive officer and chairman, added: “ the results we are reporting clearly indicate neogen is capturing a piece of the growing global demand for food and animal safety products ... “neogen is uniquely positioned to continue to seize food and animal safety opportunities wherever in the world they may exist from farms, ranches and aquaculture operations, through food processing and food service

... a report by market research group leatherhead food research has valued the global market for functional foods at us$24 ... the functional food market has also been growing significantly faster than the headline rate of growth of the global food and drink market of around 4% per year ... leatherhead said that changes in consumer diet, lifestyles, awareness and interest in health and wellbeing had helped the growth of the functional food market, with consumers looking for products with the potential to deliver health benefits ... the company conducted a survey of over 1500 consumers in the united kingdom, suggesting that functional food consumption is fairly widespread; over a quarter claiming to consume functional products daily and a fifth claiming to consume them fortnightly ... however, just under a third of consumers surveyed claim they do not (and never will) consume functional food products because they do not believe they work ... in fact, when all survey respondents were asked what would encourage them to eat more functional food products the majority stated they would like to see definitive proof, substantiated by independent science, that the product ‘does what it says on the tin’ ... leatherhead said the survey results supported the widely held view that verifiable health benefits are key to driving market growth, and that growth is more likely to come from existing consumers, rather than ‘converting’ those who do not already buy into functional food products ... “third, efsa [european food safety authority] decisions as to the efficacy of functional claims will have a significant impact on the development of the market ... “fourth, health, nutrition and wellness are key features of many of the world’s biggest food and drink company’s strategies, and they are looking to the functional foods market for growth opportunities ... whilst we do not overlook the many sme’s [small and medium enterprises] that make up the functional foods market, the potential for significant expansion is more likely to come from multinational food giants and the rate at which they can bring new products to market

... stevia supplier purecircle has argued that new “important” markets will open for the high-intensity sweetener after a positive ruling global food standards body codex ... the london-listed firm said yesterday that a decision from the codex alimentarius commission would help markets including india, indonesia, thailand and the philippines approve the use of stevia in food and drink products ... purecircle believes stevia will be used worldwide to combat rising obesity, increasing diabetes levels and a global sugar shortage, which is leading to higher sugar prices ... “we see stevia as a global mainstream sweetener,” mitchell said ... speaking about the eu standing committee’s decision earlier this week to recommend the use of stevia as an ingredient in food and beverages, mitchell said that he expects the final approval to come in november, with products set launch on the european market by january 2012 ... “with all the global multinationals, they’ve had two years of experience in other markets, whereas in the us we were starting with a cold start

... 5 trillion, increase its share of overseas sales to 20-30% and join the ranks of the top global food companies in scale, while becoming a trusted company with global quality by 2015,” asahi said in a statement

... a crisis management network offering a multi-country approach has been launched to tackle global supply chain issues in the food and drink market ... thirteen independent communications agencies have set up the crisis management network to offer support to global food and drink industry players ... recent european food scares include salmonella in eggs and dioxins in animal feed, which lower consumer confidence in the food supply chain and regulatory agencies ... she said: “many food businesses have tried to optimise their business through outsourcing, consolidating suppliers, adopting just-in-time (jit) or lean manufacturing techniques

... swiss food giant nestlé is in talks to buy leading chinese confectionery firm hsu fu chiin, a deal that would cost about $2 ... " “strategically, we would view the deal positively since it would give nestlé access to china’s fast-growth $6bn confectionery market and allow the group a number of international cross-selling opportunities,” claims mf global analysts ... 27bn) in china in 2010, due to the growth there of its global brands including nescafé, nan, maggi, kitkat as well as a hike in demand for local brands such as haoji and totole ... instant-food partnership in april, the global food giant announced that it has acquired a 60 per cent stake in chinese food maker yinlu foods group, expanding nestlé’s instant-food offerings in a key growth market

... electron beam decontamination of food is a technology waiting in the wings; a leading researcher claims it can be the ultimate defence in terms of food safety but its potential is being stymied by regulatory hurdles, industry naivety and costly equipment ... in the final part of our special on dry decontamination technology, we check in with us and german experts to see if zapping food with electron beam s to decontaminate it could offer processors a pathogen free future ... fda approvals ebeam has not been approved in the us for use in ready meals or prepared food, but rather spices and herbs, ground beef, poultry, shellfish, and fresh produce ... while the greatest take-up has been in the pharmaceutical industry (7 per cent of that sector use ebeam), pillai believes that there are enough foods now with permission to be irradiated status from the food and drink administration (fda) to encourage greater adoption of ebeam by food manufacturers as a critical tool for their food safety kits ... “currently only about 1 per cent of the global food industry – mainly us based – uses ebeam at the final stage of their processes, and those that do often rely on third party facilities rather than having a housing co-located at their own processing sites,” explained the researcher ... com “ if you were to ask the five or six biggest ebeam suppliers about interest from food producers say eight years ago, you would’ve had a much different reaction than today –technology providers are now beginning to sense greater demand in this market ... ” regulatory disconnect but there are hurdles still to be overcome before wider adoption in the us food industry: “there is a disconnect between the fda approval process for irradiation of foods and that around packaging materials, which doesn’t help propel the technology forward ... barriers to entry he also reckons a fundamental misunderstanding of the process by brand owners, in particular around consumer resistance, and a lack of mass production on the equipment supplier side means barriers to entry remains for a high percentage of food processors