Food scientists have a duty to confront and come up with innovative ways of dealing with the challenges of feeding the world, according to South African deputy minister of science and technology Derek Hanekom.
Hanekom said food scientists needed to keep abreast of new technologies not only to keep a competitive commercial edge, but to come up with sustainable methods of feeding a growing population.
“With 79 countries here at IUFoST we can surely support the goal of people having access to enough safe and nutritious food?”, asked Hanekom.
With a global population of nearly seven billion people, Hanekom said there was enormous pressure on resources of food and water.
Hanekom said a millennium goal signed of halving poverty and malnutrition by 2015 was unlikely to be met, with malnutrition affecting more than one billion people in 2009. “The reality that has to be confronted is that many people in the world either don’t have sufficient land to grow their food or insufficient income to buy food, or they live in areas that simply don’t have the potential to produce their food,” he said.
Supporting small-scale agriculture and carry out biotechnology research into planting indigenous crops suitable for local conditions were part of the solution in South Africa.
Hanekom said the recent floods in areas such as Pakistan and China and climate change also showed the importance of finding better food storage solutions.
