Balancing Food Safety and Food Security

1
Balancing Food Safety and Food Security FAO
Perspective

• Ezzeddine Boutrif
• Director,
• Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division

2
Food security an evolving concept

• In the 50s and 60s
• Food security self sufficiency in major staples
• After World Food Conference of 1974
• Food Security Access to sufficient food
• World Food Summit of 1996
• Food security exists when all people, at all
  times, have physical and economic access to
  sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
  their dietary needs and food preferences for an
  active and healthy life.

3
Global food supply increased substantially since
World War II

• For most of the past 50 years food production has
  outpaced rising demand.
• World population has doubled since World War II,
  but food production has tripled.
• In the developing world the calories available
  per person increased from an average of 1,925
  calories in 1961 to 2,540 in 1992.
• World food production has expanded since the
  early 1960s due mainly to the Green
  Revolutionadoption of crop rotation, the mass
  production and use of petroleum-based fertilizers
  and chemical pesticides, expanded irrigation, and
  the introduction of genetically superior,
  disease-resistant cultivars

4
Hunger in the Midst of Plenty!

• The world produces sufficient food to feed all
  its people, but many millions in developing
  countries are undernourished.
• Each year about 18 million people, mostly
  children, die from starvation, malnutrition, and
  related causes.
• Two billion people suffer from some form of
  malnutrition or dietary deficiencies.
• In sub-Saharan Africa as many as 70 of all women
  are anaemic (Iron deficiency).
• About 200 million children under age five40 of
  all children of this age in the developing world
  lack sufficient nutrition to lead fully active
  lives.

5
Global Food security High on the international
agenda

• March 2008 establishment of the UN High Level
  Task Force on Food Crisis
• June 2008 FAO High Level Conference on Food
  Security The challenge of climate change and
  bioenergy
• The G-8 Summit in Japan in October 2008 addressed
  the impact of soaring food prices on world food
  security
• The Madrid High Level Meeting on Food Security
  for all, January 2009 which established the
  Global Partnership for Agriculture, Food Security
  and Nutrition.

6
Food Insecurity in the World - gloomy prospects

• World hunger is increasing. The WFS goal of
  halving the number of undernourished people in
  the world by 2015 threatens to be out of reach.
  FAOs most recent estimates put the number of
  hungry people at 923 million in 2007 versus 842
  million in 1990-92, the baseline period for the
  World Food Summit (WFS) and Millennium
  Development Goals (MDGs).

7
Number of undernourished people in the developing
world (WFS target)
8
Proportion of undernourished people in the
developing world (MDG target)
9
Trends in global undernourishment, 2003-05
compared with 1990-92
10
Soaring Food Prices Crisis

• Between Jan. 2005 and Feb. 2008 prices of major
  food commodities increased by
• Corn 130
• Wheat 177
• Rice 62
• Soybean oil 175
• Coconut oil 137
• The highest price increases in 30 years!.

11
Impact of high food prices on numbers of
undernourished by region 2003-05 to 2007
12
Free trade an opportunity or a cause for
concern?

• Major promoters of free trade tend to make
  exceptions in their favour
• More than USD 300 billion as subsidies
• No possibility for small developing countries to
  compete
• Food Sovereignty several countries (India,
  Pakistan, Argentina, Russia and China) decided to
  ban export of certain commodities to protect
  their populations.

13
Biofuels A ?green Energy? or a cause of a
crisis?

• In 2007 some 80 million tons of grain in biofuels
  25 of US corn production
• In 2008 expected to reach 100 million tons
• i.e. amount equivalent to the consumption needs
  per year of 400 million people.!
• Production of biofuels from grains is not
  necessarily environment friendly!
• Second generation of biofuels may be more
  attractive.

14
Climate change the big challenge

• Negative effects include droughts,
  desertification, more frequent and serious
  storms, intense rainfalls and floods.
• Agriculture and climate change are tied together
  in a feedback loop they affect each other.
• Modern agriculture is an important contributor to
  climate change.

15
Food safety contributes to food security

• Ensuring safe food has positive implications for
  food security
• Access to safe food is in itself an element of
  food security.
• Food-borne illnesses may have serious social and
  economic consequences
• Application of GAP, GMP and GHP improves food
  safety and reduces food losses ? increases food
  availability and food security.

16
Food safety standards can affect negatively
food security

• Food safety regulations imply costs of compliance
  which may be prohibitive for some producers
  e.g. private standards
• Stringent food safety standards may raise food
  prices with negative consequences for poor
  consumers.
• Food safety and other sanitary and phytosanitary
  measures can have a major impact on trade in
  agricultural and food products.

17
Food safety in times of food shortage

• When food is in shortage, can policy makers
  accept lower food safety standards to protect
  food security?
• Need to take into account the risk of
  starvation/undernutrition in the risk analysis
  process.

18
Conclusions

• Food insecurity is still a major concern in the
  21st century Need for a global commitment to
  mobilise the necessary resources to address the
  problem decisively.
• Food safety contributes to food security and
  enhances nutritional benefit
• In times of food shortage, it is important to
  include in the risk analysis process the risks of
  food insecurity.