By James Mellgren
The statistics can be unsettling. The population is expected to rise to over 9 billion people by 2030 and that means a huge rise in demand for food. Some say it will require a seventy percent increase in food production. Considering that as much as 75% of our food is derived from just 12 plants and five animal species, it begs the question, are we as efficient in our use of food as we could be? Are we short on food or innovation? Two very forward-thinking women sat down with SFA President Phil Kafarakis on Tuesday at a session called “Disrupt or Be Disrupted” at the Winter Fancy Food Show.
“We hear a lot about the need to produce more food,” said Michele Simon, executive director of Plant Based Foods Association, “but we really need to be producing more nutritious food. There is a huge disconnect between government guidelines on what we should be eating and the actual government agricultural policy. We simply don’t grow enough fruits and vegetables to supply how much we are supposed to eat.”
“We need to be more engaged as eaters,” said Danielle Nierenberg, co-founder and president of Food Tank, non-profit organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. “We can affect how food is produced and consumed. Activism is so important.”
“We formed our company because small plant-based companies needed to have the same voice as the big producers. There are lots of fruits and vegetables in the market but when have you ever seen an ad for carrots and lettuce? And when was the last time you saw an ad for Coca-Cola or McDonald’s? Probably in the last couple of hours, perhaps even on your phone.”
“We need to have a lot of uncomfortable conversations with food producers and consumers. We all need to be a little more uncomfortable. Maybe we just need to eat fewer burgers.”
“We change the culture by changing policy,” said Simon. “Smoking decreased in this country because policies changed. Indoor smoking was banned and taxes were levied. There’s no getting the big lobbyists out but we feel like we’ve joined the barnyard.”
from Industry Operations http://bit.ly/2ROejL2
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