Table of Contents

I. Introduction

A. Growth of the world population and the impact on food supply requirements in developing countries

B. The need and challenge of producing a sufficient quantity of good quality and safe food

C. Growth of the wealth of the global population

D. Strategies to best respond to the needs of the population living in non rural areas

II. Applying technologies at the farm level

A. Increasing the yield and variety of food

B. Prevention of losses

C. Safety of the production

D. Contribution of technology to sustainable agriculture, application of new technologies

III. Applying technology to food processing

A. Improving the quality and safety of food

B. Food preservation technology

C. Ensuring the nutritional adequacy of food

D. Food Analysis and Progress in Testing for Food Pathogens

E. Food Safety Systems

IV. Impact and challenges of new technologies

A. Future food technology trends

B. Innovation and acceptance of new technologies

V. Conclusions and Recommendations

A. Training and education

B. Food Safety Regulation

I. Introduction

A. GROWTH OF THE WORLD POPULATION AND THE IMPACT ON FOOD SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

1. The technical paper prepared for the World Food Summit² gave a brief review of developments in world food and agriculture and food security from the early 1960s to the present, with particular reference to developments since the World Food Conference of 1974. It also illustrated the possible evolution over the period to 2010, as depicted in the 1995 FAO study, "World agriculture: towards 2010".

2. The main, generally available indicator for monitoring developments in world food security is per capita food consumption, measured at the national level by the average dietary energy supply (DES) in calories on the basis of national food balance sheets (FBS) and population data. This makes it possible to follow, through space and time, the evolution of food supplies as national averages. On that basis, the evolution of world food security in the period beginning after the World Food Conference up to the study's projections for 2010 can be shown in Annex 1 - Table 1.

3. There are no internationally comparable comprehensive data for tracking the evolution of access to food for individuals or population groups within countries. Remaining at the level of national averages, the population of developing countries can be regrouped as shown in Annex 1 - Table 2.

4. To interpret these data, the following concepts are useful to derive inferences on the extent of undernutrition within countries. A threshold is defined as corresponding to the average DES (given gender, age distribution and average body weights) that represents a minimum level of energy requirements for individuals, allowing for only light activity. This level ranges from 1 720 to 1 960 calories/day/person, depending on the country. Indirect evidence from household food consumption or expenditure surveys is used to estimate the extent of inequality of distribution of available food supplies within countries. It results that, for countries where the average DES is close to the threshold, the majority of individuals are undernourished, while experience shows that for countries with DES of about a level of, say, 2 700 calories, the proportion of undernourished individuals becomes small, except under extreme inequalities. Accordingly, and this is the information closest to the concept of access to food, the population in developing countries below the respective threshold has been estimated as shown in Annex 1 - Table 3.

5. Projections that food energy requirements, expressed in terms of the total plant-derived energy incorporated into human food, are set to double in developing countries and triple in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 result from the growth of population numbers and, to a lesser degree, the changing age structure of the population.

6. Many developing countries will thus have to graduate to more nutritious average diets in order to eliminate chronic undernutrition and diversify their food intake to ensure a well-balanced diet is reached.

7. Where land and water become scarce, increases in yields, and hence food security, will be achieved mostly through an increase in productivity sustained by the development of human capacities. Levels of education already achieved show that many countries in Asia seem well prepared for the change in the nature of development, whereas Africa's lower level of development of economic infrastructures and of human resources will constitute a serious handicap for this region.

8. The reduction of poverty and eradication of undernutrition, principally present in rural areas among food producers, will lead to an increase in food demand, a large part of which can be met through imports, notably cereals, particularly in Asia.
Growth of world population is about 80 million people per year. 95 % of this growth is concentrated in developing countries, while it is stagnant in the developed world with an expected reduction in e.g. Europe and especially in Eastern Europe. World-wide, the growth of the urban population is faster than that of the rural population.

B. THE NEED AND CHALLENGE OF PRODUCING A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF GOOD QUALITY AND SAFE FOOD

9. World agricultural growth is likely to be slower in the future compared with that of earlier decades, although not as slow as that observed in the first half of the 1990s. This reflects both positive developments (slow-down in world population growth, smaller scope for further increases of food consumption etc.) and negative developments (inadequate growth in per capita incomes, continued prevalence of severe poverty in many countries, very low levels of nutrition) in the world food and agriculture scene.

10. In many developing countries, per capita food supplies may remain stubbornly inadequate to allow for significant nutritional progress, despite an average increase to nearly 2 800 calories per day by the year 2010 in these countries. Under the circumstances, and given population growth, the numbers of undernourished in these conditions may decline only insufficiently from the current 840 million to possibly 680 million, although, in percentage terms, this would represent a significant decline.

11. The dependence of the developing countries on food imports will most likely continue to increase with net imports of cereals growing to over 160 million tonnes by 2010. While the global capacity to increase food production to match the growth of effective demand may not give cause for excessive concern, production growth constraints facing individual countries will continue to be a major factor conditioning the prospects for progress in food security. This is particularly the case of low-income countries heavily dependent on their own agriculture for food supplies, income and employment and with limited potential to import food, and the well-known constraints to increasing output of capture fisheries.

12. The role of production in food security raises the issue of sustainability. Today, it is becoming increasing vital that the negative effects on the resources, the environment and the sustainability of agriculture be minimised. Whilst being of particular importance for those low-income countries where the exploitation of agricultural resources is the mainstay of their economies and the deterioration of their resources threatens both their food security and overall economic well-being, it is in these very countries where pressures intensify that contribute to degradation and unsustainability.

C. GROWTH OF THE WEALTH OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION

13. In spite of generally low-income levels in developing countries, compared to industrialised countries, the percentage of those within the medium and high standard-of-living segment increased during the past 35 years, those in the former by about eight-fold between 1960 and 1995, thus effecting their purchasing power, food requirements and eating habits.

D. STRATEGIES TO BEST RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN NON RURAL AREAS

14. An important and still debated strategic question is how best to assist people who live in areas where sufficient food production is not possible. Economic and environmental factors argue for investing in land with the best potential for sustainable production. But, strategies must aim at improving human living conditions and well-being in the poorly endowed areas.

15. Strategies include greater emphasis on education and job-related training, diversification from agriculture to other sectors, investment in appropriate agricultural processing and marketing capacity to add value to feasible products and special government support programmes. Improved national and regional transport infrastructure to facilitate the movement of food to markets in exchange for goods or services produced in those areas. Such strategies must be accompanied by appropriate social, economic and institutional factors in order to maintain what has been accomplished so far.

II. Applying technologies at the farm level

A. INCREASING THE YIELD AND VARIETY OF FOOD

16. The green revolution, which began in the 1960s, is widely seen as a global technological achievement that raised food production and productivity on a wide scale. The effects are still being felt today. While the productivity gains have increased significantly over the last three decades, constant population growth and a diminishing land area to produce food will pose the challenge of continuing to increase productivity and to introduce in the poorer, food-insecure countries the necessary tools for doing so.

17. Today, as part of a continuing and ongoing learning process, it is also possible to address a range of social, economic and environmental factors that affect the food production process. In fact, the research focus has already begun to be broadened to more varied crops and animals (including cropping systems), increased emphasis on integrated pest management and plant nutrition and adoption of ecoregional approaches to research to reflect prevailing biological and physical constraints.

18. But the green revolution clearly illustrates the potential for development by the dissemination of new agricultural knowledge and by narrowing knowledge gaps between what scientists already knew about plant genetics and the widespread ignorance on this score in developing countries.

19. To disseminate this knowledge, developing-country governments established agricultural extension services employing extension agents to inform farmers about the new seeds and techniques, and to listen to and learn from farmers about their needs and concerns.

20. However, most farmers were uncertain whether the seeds would work, and this uncertainty, coupled with the inability of the poor to obtain credit, had significant implications for the rate of adoption of the new seeds. Large landholders and farmers with more education were among the first to try the new seeds primarily because they could limit their risk and most importantly had better access to credit. Poor farmers, unable to borrow and lacking insurance or the savings to fall back on in the event of failure, could only watch and wait until their wealthier neighbours proved the value of the new seeds. Only in recent years have microcredit schemes been set up to address these problems.

21. Eventually the green revolution did filter down to poor farmers and the landless increasing demand for their labour boosting their incomes; and hence improving their protein and calorie intakes massively.

B. PREVENTION OF LOSSES

22. The production potential of all crops basically is given by its genetic potential, however, this potential only can be fully utilized if the growing conditions are optimized. While we do not know figures of the "none utilization of the genetic potential", the losses in food production are estimated at an average of 33% in spite of the annual use of $ 33 billion worth of pesticide. In developing countries these losses may be more than 40-50%. Losses may begin in the field where they can be caused by insects, diseases and weeds. Poor harvesting practices as well as poor transport and storage conditions also may cause substantial losses. A sustainable post-harvest and marketing system is thus a precondition for food security.

23. Improvements in handling, storage and distribution can do much to reduce post-harvest losses, thus lowering costs to the buyer and improving returns to participants in the food chain. However, care must be taken to ensure that such improvements are economically viable and fit in with the way the marketing system functions. A basic activity of the food industry is to manufacture food products and to transform them into a form that can be better transported, stored and distributed to consumers. By this the food industry contributes to the prevention of food losses.

C. SAFETY OF THE PRODUCTION

24. Food production is a complex process. Food generally expected to be safe may become unsafe due to the introduction of hazards during production, processing, storage, transport or final preparation for consumption. For food derived from animals, the hazard may originate from a number of these and other sources including the consumption by food production animals of contaminated feed eg. salmonellosis, mycotoxicosis.

D. CONTRIBUTION OF TECHNOLOGY TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

25. Agricultural production is becoming increasingly knowledge-based and science intensive. New strategic research areas have emerged and been developed, with profound effects on our capacity to produce food and manage natural resources and the environment.

26. In the area of developing a sustainable agriculture there are four key research areas that are rapidly expanding, closely related to sustainable development :

• biological control, or integrated pest management
• research on management of genetic resources
• Natural fertilisation
• Agro-ecology

27. In biotechnology, we are witnessing the very rapid development of the application of molecular biology to a range of agricultural production problems and issues of sustainability (see annex 2).

28. Biotechnology has made possible selective breeding and hybridization of crops. This process allows for the transfer of only one or a few desirable genes, thereby permitting scientists to develop crops with specific beneficial traits and without undesirable traits. Current technology permits scientists to alter one plant characteristic at a time rather than spending years trying to develop the best tasting and hardiest plants in the traditional manner

29. Benefits can also be seen in the environment, where insect-protected biotech crops reduce the need for pesticide use. Insect-protected crops allow for less potential exposure of farmers and groundwater to chemical residues, while providing farmers with season-long control. Also by reducing the need for pest control, time, effort and resources spent on the land are less, thereby preserving the topsoil.

30. Achievements of "organic agriculture" have to be recognized but its limits needs also to be shown. Growing methods, as recommended by organic movements, basically aim for sustainability. However, the sustainability concentrates on ecological aspects. Due to reduced yields, it will not be possible to cover the needs of a growing world population and considering the still high spending for basic food requirements in developing countries the social sustainability is not given either - in developed countries it is more competitive but needs substantial financial subsidies. Although "organic production" by itself can not be considered as a sustainable production that could cover future food requirements, certain achievements and knowledge gained by this growing method can be used in integrated, sustainable production.

31. Last but not least, information and communication technology in both research and production is having a very significant impact in empowering the innovation capacity at farm level.

III. Applying technology to food processing

A. IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF FOOD

32. Details on the different classes of food and drink products currently on the market, as well as the processes used for their manufacture, are already to be found in extensive reviews. The primary object of this report is to look behind these products and processes as a whole. Here, one of the main contributions of the 20^th century has been to give the whole processing industry a solid scientific basis assuring new approaches in technology and better understanding of the complexity of foods and drinks with profound implications for process and product quality.

33. Any food product follows a chain, which starts with the production and storage of raw materials and continues through processing, packaging, distribution and preparation in the household to the table of the consumer. Once eaten, it becomes nutrition, as it goes on to fuel the metabolic cycles of the life process.

34. The discussion on quality is often reduced to one of legal standards for the upper safe limits for microbial contamination or the lower limits for vitamins, minerals, trace elements in the product as it leaves the factory. This approach, however, is too restrictive, based as it is on an absence of negative qualities. Instead, the food processor asks objective questions of quality all along the food chain.

35. Quality for the consumer is something subjective, seen partly in terms of visible qualities like the "pleasure" attributes of the product and partly in terms of an awareness of invisible qualities such as microbial and toxicological safety and nutritional value. The role of the food processor is to meet such consumer expectations of quality, whether visible or invisible, through appropriate quality control and quality management methods.

36. A major question of quality involves analysing the impact of the process and of process residues on the environment - namely, on the quality of soil, water and air. Research on environmental impact involves developing a range of ecologically balanced approaches, with the aim of avoiding the recycling of contaminants within the food chain.

37. To ensure quality products at the end of the chain involves addressing quality throughout the food chain from the farmer to the consumer:

• Threats to food safety can be chemical in nature like the naturally occurring aflatoxins, or microbial in the form of pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria or Salmonella. Whatever the nature of the potential threat, food safety assurance involves a whole series of preventive measures all along the food chain which fall under the umbrella of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) code.
• Food legislation defines acceptable maximum levels of toxins or contaminants in food products. If levels are higher, real safety problems may occur. However, food safety from a personal point of view is an emotional subject that transcends the legal and scientific standards of quality.
• In assuring food safety, it is imperative to sort out the real from the emotional problems, so as to concentrate efforts in process and product safety in the most relevant areas, and to be ready to act when the real problems arise. The food and drink industry has an ongoing goal to develop and apply the most reliable control methods which ensure that products and processes meet or exceed all given safety and quality standards and respond to consumer expectations.

B. FOOD PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY

38. Consumers demand convenient, innovative, fresh foods, including new "minimally processed" products. To meet consumers' expectations for freshness and convenience in the 21^st century will utilize novel technologies whose purpose will be two-fold: 1) to provide new quality attributes demanded by consumers; and 2) to ensure the all-important and often expected assurance of food safety.

39. Beyond the traditional methods of thermal processing, freezing, salting, and drying for food preservation, new methods of processing and packaging continue to emerge, which can extend the shelf life and freshness of perishable foods:

• ultra-high pressure hydrostatic processing
• ohmic processing
• pulsed energy processing
• high intensity light pulses
• high electric field pulses
• radiofrequency heating
• irradiation
• microwave processing
• thermosonication
• modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging

40. A brief description and some possible future applications for each of these technologies is given in Annex 3.

C. ENSURING THE NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY OF FOOD

41. Health is easily associated with good food. In its broadest sense, it means having a sense of well-being and vitality. In the relationship between food, nutrition and health, a number of points are worth noting. First, food only becomes "nutrition" once we have eaten it. Second, there are no bad foods but many bad diets. Third, there are only 40 or so essential nutrients - amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements - and these we must get from the foods we eat. Since no single food contains all of the essential nutrients, nutritionists recommend dietary balance, variety and moderation.

42. Nutritional quality is not simply determined by the presence of individual nutrients at appropriate levels as measured analytically. It also depends on the bioavailability of the nutrients present. The iron in soya, for example cannot be digested and remains unabsorbed. An important aspect of process and product quality involves developing new technologies to avoid such adverse nutrient interactions.

43. Consideration on the quantity and bioavailability of individual nutrients, is a relatively new concept in food technology. It has an impact on many areas, including nutrient labelling, recommendations for optimal nutrient intakes, evaluation of nutrient contents and product formulation.

44. Some micronutrients are not always present or available naturally in sufficient amounts in foods. Food fortification with micronutrients may help in overcoming deficiency problems and it is an essential element in nutrition strategies to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies in target population groups and industry. A multi-disciplinary approach is essential for successful fortification with active collaboration of all sectors involved.

45. Rapid growth in consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has produced an insatiable demand for information. Among the factors fuelling interest in developed countries in functional foods are rapid advances in science and technology, a better understanding of processes and, on the other hand, rising healthcare costs, an ageing population and rising interest in attaining wellness through diet.

D. FOOD ANALYSIS AND PROGRESS IN TESTING FOR FOOD PATHOGENS

46. Over the past decade, foodborne illnesses caused by bacterial pathogens have raised concern about the safety of food. Consequently, testing for biological hazards in foods continues to advance significantly as awareness of foodborne diseases from microbial pathogens and their toxins gains more public visibility and a higher regulatory profile. In addition, with HACCP becoming mandatory for the whole food chain, the importance of testing methods for surveillance of harmful microbes will continue to develop.

47. Developing methods and procedures to rapidly detect pathogens in foods is an ongoing challenge and a high priority for all involved with food and the food industry. Once technical feasibility is proven, new testing methods need to be standardized and verified through collaborative studies prior to adoption by industry and authorities. Testing methods under development are focused on increasing sensitivity, improving accuracy, decreasing time, and reducing cost. Quick detection of harmful bacteria in foods can help avoid, as well as respond to, potentially disastrous food safety situations.

48. Detection of pathogens in foods and food ingredients employs a variety of methods. During the past ten years, some developments in pathogen detection have progressed from standard analysis done at laboratory level towards on-line testing giving real-time or "near" real-time results. This trend toward real-time testing has been driven by the need to provide information that is useful during the food production operation and is an effort to partly overcome the shortcomings of conventional methods where results cannot be used to control the process.

49. Strong interest in having new, rapid methods that are automated has led to the commercial introduction of several new approaches for food microbiological testing. This trend is expected to continue with a goal of having rapid, real-time results that are accurate and inexpensive. However, with automation, genotyping has evolved from a tedious and slow process into a practical method that can be applied to everyday microbiological testing. The use of rapid biochemical and serological techniques will be playing a much bigger role in both rapid food pathogen testing and in real-time testing approaches.

E. FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS

50. During the 1990's priority was given to the safety status of the food supply. Recently, there has been a continued effort to evaluate and adopt risk-based food safety systems such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) into a regulatory framework.

51. HACCP focuses on controlling hazards to ensure the production of safe and wholesome food by using a preventative system with monitoring and process controls. Safety is designed into the process instead of safety being reactionary or in response to an accident. The HACCP approach has been adopted by both the food processing industry and the government as a key element in the modernization process.

52. Over the past 30 years, the industry has time-tested the attributes of HACCP and it was anticipated that a system that has worked well for the industry would be eventually introduced by the regulatory agencies to replace or supplement the traditional visual and organoleptic inspections. As industry and the regulatory agencies gain more experience with this food safety system, HACCP continues its evolution into an even better food safety system in the 21^st century.

53. The potential applications of HACCP are often described as extending from "farm to fork." Today, much work still needs to be done beyond the food processing industry to adapt and implement HACCP in other parts of the food chain to the betterment of the food industry.

54. Although the industry, regulators, and consumers would favour a totally risk-free food supply, zero-risk is neither practical nor achievable. Considerable steps are being taken by the food industry towards understanding and managing risks that exist, or that are anticipated, and the development of methods and models for identifying health hazards and predicting food safety is a high priority for the food industry.

IV. Impact and challenges of new technologies

A. FUTURE FOOD TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

55. A number of technologies have been developed over the past century including molecular biology, nutritional science and food science. For further change to occur in this traditionally conservative industry, a strong compelling reason to alter or adjust the way foods are processed, produced or tested is needed.

56. The drive from industry and food regulators will come in the form of closer monitoring of food safety issues as our global food supply shifts toward fresh and minimally processed products, which may be imported more frequently and in larger quantities. Industry will continue to seek new rapid methods of testing foods and new technologies to identify and to control possible food hazards.

57. Likewise, consumers will push for new technologies in processing and packaging using innovative approaches that yield foods with a "less processed" quality.

58. Regulation that calls for food safety systems based on anticipating hazards and managing risks will continue to reshape the role of regulatory oversight and consequently will have a significant impact on the food safety systems of the 21^st century. New tools in risk assessment and new advances in HACCP training, HACCP system management, and implementation will assist the industry in dealing with current and emerging foodborne hazards.

B. INNOVATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

59. As human beings, we seem to be inherently suspicious of novelty when it comes to food. Throughout history, migrating populations have carried on traditional food habits over one or many generations, and new foods or processes have often been received with reservation.

60. The same kind of public fears are expressed today regarding currently emerging food technologies. For the future, the widespread acceptance of technologies will depend very much on public information and education. In addition to international organisations, government health authorities, responsible elements in the media and informed consumer organisations, the food and drink industry as a whole must play a greater role in creating and diffusing educational material.

61. In any age, there are two fundamentals in the relationship between man and his food: the need as individuals to eat and drink, and the challenge to produce and preserve enough food and drink to meet the needs of entire populations.

62. Just as past technical innovations in the 1800's and 1900's have served the food industry, so will the technological advances of the 21^st century. Technical innovations and sound science will lead to the production of safer foods that have new flavours, textures and tastes, are more nutritious, are more convenient to prepare and have a longer shelf-life. Further, new processes, new packaging materials, new equipment, new testing procedures and new safety systems will enable advances to our overall food handling and delivery systems.

63. The 21^st century promises technological improvements in food production, food variety, food handling, and food delivery on a global basis.

64. Tracing the food industry back to its roots helps bring the debate on the consumer and food back into the context of biology and nature. With our 20^th century lifestyle of town and city dwelling, we, as consumers, tend to lack awareness of nature and this has its consequences in our approach to food. The idea that industrially processed foods are non-natural or even synthetic is a good example. In fact, the food processing industry does not "manufacture" foods as such. What it does is to develop and use an ever increasing array of technologies to transform and preserve natural raw materials in the form of food ingredients or finished products, packaged and ready for use. Especially in view of the inevitable increase in industrial activity in the coming decades, keeping nature in focus is important for at least two reasons: the desire at the level of the consumer for "more natural products", and the need to see the food and drink industry as an integral part of a sustainable world.

65. Today, around the world, there are thousands of ingredients, and hundreds of thousands of products that can be created from them. However, there are still only the same 40 or so essential nutrients and these we must get from foods and drinks. Throughout the 20^th century, the food and beverage processing industry has performed well in meeting the challenge to provide an ever increasing array of nutritious, safe products at affordable prices, that give pleasure as well as sustenance to an ever growing number of consumers. Investment in research and development in both the private and public sectors to develop and exploit new technologies, backed by an effort to communicate to the consumer the benefits of these technologies, guarantees that this trend will continue into the 21^st century.

V. Conclusions and Recommendations

A. TRAINING AND EDUCATION

• The need to develop new technologies and best practices remains essential. Research activities should therefore be further supported to contribute to innovation and the wealth of our society. International organisations, supported by all existing expertise in the private and public sector, should provide technical assistance to fill in the knowledge gap and contribute to the availability of safe and nutritious foods at world level.
  
• Governments, industry, farmers, consumers should be associated in developing the appropriate training packages for the safe production and handling of food, particularly for the application of HACCP or similar systems.
  
• International organisations, governments in close contact with industry and consumer associations should develop education and training programmes to explain the importance of the safe application of new technologies. Such education and training programmes will help to better understand food processing and facilitate consumer acceptance 

B. FOOD SAFETY REGULATION

• Food safety regulation should be based on risk analysis. Codex Alimentarius should further develop guidelines for a correct application by Member countries of the internationally agreed principles.
  
• Risk assessment should be based on sound science. Scientific assessment at international level, reinforce the credibility of the international scientific committees. FAO, WHO and Member Governments should facilitate the creation of appropriate international, inter-governmental forums to address safety assessments at international level of the new technologies and food products obtained with them.
  
• Risk management should be based on proper risk assessment. Food safety measures should be proportionate to the food safety problem to be limited or eliminated. Risk management decisions should be taken in a transparent manner involving all stakeholders including industry. It is essential that all factors taken into account in the decision-making process are identified and debated in a transparent and objective manner to ensure a predictable environment to support innovation.
  
• Food safety is a shared responsibility.
  
• All links of the food chain have their specific responsibility to ensure the production, distribution and marketing of safe foods.
• An integrated approach, from "plough to plate", is therefore paramount.
• The application of GAP (integrated crop/pest management) and GMP should strongly be recommended by international organisations as a way to produce safe foods.
  
• The national and international food regulatory framework should acknowledge the prime responsibility of the whole food chain for the production of safe food by setting objectives, leaving to the operators the responsibility to determine the most appropriate means to achieve these objectives.
  
• Codex Alimentarius should continue to work along these principles and promote the application of all HACCP principles as laid down in the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene.
• These principles should be applied to all foodstuffs, throughout the whole food chain, from "farm to fork", and include feedingstuffs.
  
• In the new era of the information society and taking advantage of new information technologies, risk communication is an important responsibility that should be shared by all stakeholders. Clear and effective strategies need to be developed involving all of them. Risk communication is a constant need and should take place at all stages of the risk analysis process, even before a decision is taken.
  
• Information about the use of new food technologies is essential to ensure consumer confidence and consumer acceptance. Labelling is only one tool of information. Its role should not be overestimated. Labelling should not be misused. Too much information, harms information. Labelling should remain functional. Other means of information should be developed in order to provide additional information to the consumers.

Annex 1

Table 1

AVERAGE PER CAPUT DIETARY ENERGY SUPPLY (DES)

Table 2

POPULATION IN COUNTRIES GROUPED BY AVERAGE PER CAPITA (DES)

Table 3

UNDERNOURISHED POPULATION

Annex 2

Key topics in plant biotechnology (from European Food Information Council)

Annex 3

Emerging 21^st Century Processing and Packaging Technologies³

Ultra-high Pressure Hydrostatic Processing - At pressures of 50,000 to 120,000 PSI, vegetative cells of spoilage organisms and pathogens can be destroyed with very little heating of the product. It is speculated that the mechanism of vegetative cell inactivation is through rupture of the cell wall during pressure release. With the addition of mild heating plus high pressure, some more fragile bacterial spores also can be inactivated. The ultra-high pressure process was first commercialized in Japan where fruit products, such as jellies and jams, are being treated to extend product shelf-life. This process can also be extended to heat-sensitive fruits and vegetables. Future applications will likely include liquid and semi-solid foods products where rigid texture is a less important attribute of the product and little or no heat for processing is desirable.

Ohmic Processing - Electric current applied directly to a conductive food allows for rapid heating of the food product. The heat generated destroys microorganisms in a manner similar to classical thermal processing. Ohmic processing has found applications in Europe, as well as some use in the US. Future applications, such as for aseptic food products, will likely take advantage of the unique characteristic of uniform heating of particles and suspending fluid alike and the lack of a traditional heat transfer surface. In the future, formulated foods conceivably could be heat-treated by having liquids and suspended solids heated in different process streams and later combined. Different processing technologies may be used to optimize quality properties of the final product.

High Intensity Light Pulses - Very intense white light (20,000 times sunlight on earth) can be pulsed with a duration of 10^-6 to 10^-1 cycles/second which results in the decontamination of surfaces on foods. Higher levels of energy have been shown to inactivate bacterial spores as well as vegetative cells. Pulsed light may destroy microbes through both a rapid surface heating, with no real cooking of the product, and a photochemical mechanism. Future surface treatment of foods and package material decontamination applications are anticipated using pulsed light technology.

High Electric Field Pulses - Electrical pulses with a field strength of 10-20 kV/cm have been shown to disrupt and rupture cell membranes. The pulsing creates an uneven distribution of the electrical charge across the cell's membrane, which leads to microbial inactivation. Although the process generates little heat, it is likely that it may find commercial applications in conjunction with mild heating. Future applications may include pasteurizing fruit products and alcoholic beverage products.

Radiofrequency (RF) Heating - Food material is placed in an electrical field consisting of pulses of radio waves. This generates heat throughout by a rapid reversal of the polarity of molecules. RF has both current and future applications for bakery products as well as some applications for comminuted meat products. Other potential applications include reduction of Salmonella in eggs and destroying harmful bacteria in fresh fruit juices .

Irradiation - The destruction of bacterial cells and spores by radiation has been recognized for years.
Governmental interest in the process is emerging for many reasons. They are largely related to persistently high food losses from infestation, contamination, and spoilage; mounting concerns over food-borne diseases; and growing international trade in food products that must meet stiff import standards of quality and quarantine - all areas in which food irradiation has demonstrated practical benefits when integrated within an established system for the safe handling and distribution of food.
The FAO has estimated that worldwide about 25% of all food production is lost after harvesting to insects, bacteria and rodents. The use of irradiation alone as a preservation technique will not solve all the problems of post-harvest food losses. But it can play an important role in cutting losses and reducing the dependence on chemical pesticides. Many countries lose huge amounts of grain because of insect infestation, moulds, and premature germination. For roots and tuber, sprouting is the major cause of losses.
Radiation processing offers an alternative to fumigation and some other treatments.

Microwave Processing - A well-accepted technology for heating and thawing for the past twenty years, microwave processing has yet to have wide commercial processing applications. The lack of uniformity of heating has been a significant technical hurdle. However, because of its properties, it has significant potential as a technology and may be used in combination with other processing methods. Application for many processing steps for foods such as blanching, baking, and pasteurization are projected for the future.

Thermosonication - The combination of ultrasound and heat at moderate temperatures can cause enhanced inactivation of microorganisms. This additive effect may be particularly useful for pasteurization of certain beverages where a reduced temperature is desirable. Ultrasound has potential application for emulsified foods, especially where a product's rheological qualities can be improved by ultrasound treatment.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and Active Packaging - Controlled atmosphere storage and preservation of packaged food products is a widely utilized technology for fresh foods, prepared foods, and baked products. The utilization of inert gases, reactive gases or vacuum can allow for unique applications which control microorganisms as well as maintain product color and freshness. Extensive continued use of MAP in future food preservation is anticipated.
Packaging material can have functionality beyond its traditional barrier properties for oxygen control, moisture control, light restriction, and insect infestation. For example, active packaging material do only act as a barrier to oxygen, but can also function as an oxygen absorber and scavenger. This active role reduces destructive chemical reactions in oxygen-sensitive products and also can help restrict growth of oxygen requiring microbes. Many different product types could have increased shelf life when held under reduced-oxygen conditions.

1 Largely inspired from "The Food and Drink Industry, a constant need, a constant challenge", published by CIAA (Conf�d�ration des Industries Agro-Alimentaires de l'UE) and GMA (Grocery Manufacturers of America), in honour of FAO's 50^th anniversary.

2 World Food Summit Technical Paper Food, agriculture and food security: developments since the World Food Conference, November 1996.

3 J. T. Barach and R. S. Applebaum, Food technology in the 21^st Century