Unilever boss Paul Polman used his time on the podium at last night's City Food Lecture in London to unveil a radical new manifesto to improve food security and launch a blistering attack on “well-meaning but ill-conceived” policies on biofuels.
Trade-related factors may have played a greater role in the food price crisis of 2008 than previously thought, according to a new analysis of data on rice, wheat, maize and soybeans by the IFPRI, which finds that price hikes came on the back of surges...
A senior FAO official has argued that current instability in food commodity markets is unlikely to unravel into a crisis but warned that turbulence is here to stay.
Food firms are increasingly discussing the sustainability of their activities, but they must communicate with consumers using practical messages rather than euphemisms and jargon, says brand expert.
The Food Ethics Council (FEC) has published a set of recommendations to improve social justice, after its year-long Food and Fairness Inquiry. The next step involves spreading the word stimulating debate with business and government policy-makers.
The FAO is cautiously optimistic about the prospects of food commodities in the wake of economic upheaval in the past two years, but average prices for wheat and grains, vegetable oils and dairy are likely to be higher over the next decade.
Developed countries can help improve global food security by earmarking aid to set up sustainable fisheries in developing countries, reports a team of experts in Science.
Two food industry executives discuss the importance of people, planet and profits, the need to keep and eye on energy use and emissions, and how to ensure long term security of food supply.
Climate change dominates the CSR agenda but new USDA figures on food insecurity are a sharp reminder that alleviating poverty and hunger should always be the top priority.
‘Hunger down 50 per cent this year’, ‘Malnutrition eradicated in Africa’. Alas, dream headlines not gracing any newspapers this World Food Day. But if we hope to read them one day, governments, industry – and yes, individuals – need to stop thinking of...
The West may be grappling with recession, but now is the time for businesses and governments to invest in agriculture and processing facilities around the world to stave off a massive food security problem by 2050, says the FAO.
Speculation in the commodity markets needs close monitoring to help ease price volatility, the first ever G8 meeting of agricultural ministers has concluded, and agri-food chains should be more closely-coordinated to boost efficiency.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) said it s to publish a list of priorities to tackle the challenges of delivering sustainable food security and the scientific advances needed to overcome them.
At the time of writing, the US is poised to go to the polls. The next two days are going to be hugely exciting. And when it’s all over, after the victor gets some well-earned rest… he’ll rub his sleepy eyes and ask: ‘What’s for breakfast?'.
Defra has published its annual Food Statistics Pocketbook, which traces the precise direction of food prices in the UK over the last 12 months and gives insight into the tough implications for low income households.
Question: When is a crisis not a crisis? Answer: When it’s a food crisis. Compare the two responses to failures in the food system and financial markets.
The scale of the global food crisis merits the same swift fund-raising as the banking crisis, says Egypt’s first lady, as it emerges that just ten per cent of the help pledged this year has materialised so far.
The message blasting out from World Food Day events is ‘adapt now, or the consequences will be grave’. While the world’s poorest will bear the brunt, food safety could be affected everywhere.
A proposal to send unspent EU subsidies to developing countries worst hit by food price rises would have knock-on benefits for the EU, according to the rapporteur leading a Development Committee debate yesterday.
Food businesses have suffered from confusing government policies,
said the UK's Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which hopes Prime
Minister Brown's new strategy will provide greater clarity.
Food industry voices are joining those of politicians in the GM debate, hailing the controversial technology as the answer to the food supply crisis. But the hearts and minds of consumers must still be won.
Stepping up food production and ending trade restrictions could
lift millions out of poverty while helping bring down soaring
prices, said UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.
As world leaders gather in Rome for the first day of talks on food
price escalation and, with luck, to settle on a common strategy to
deal with the crisis, the FAO has put a price on eradicating
hunger: $30bn.
A three-pronged approach including stepping up scientific research
and embracing innovative technology will help combat new food
challenges, says US secretary of agriculture, Ed Schafer.
The first-ever meeting of the Governing Body of the International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture took
place in Madrid yesterday.
The signature of the treaty on plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture marks a major step towards guaranteeing food security
in the world, according to the FAO.
A major European food science body has asserted this week that
genetic modification has the potential to offer strong benefits -
quantity, quality and acceptability - for the world's food supply.
With the booming population of...
Law makers, consumer groups and industry continue to clash over the
use of GM ingredients in the European food chain, but a major
UK-based food science body asserts this week that genetic
modification has the potential to offer strong...
Food makers in Europe today work under strict guidelines on the
labelling and traceability of genetically modified foodstuffs.
Their rules reflect the deep suspicions in consumer minds today
over the safety of biotech food. But in...
Grown in 113 countries and the staple food for over half the
world's population, rice is the globe's most popular food that
shapes religious festivals, customs, cuisine and celebrations. But
at a conference this week dedicated...
Tough new rules on food imports into the US came into force today,
but with thousands of foreign and domestic companies yet to
register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the
policy-makers have given some breathing space.
Chaos is soon likely to set in with only one month to go until
tough laws on bioterrorism enter into force in the US. At least 90
per cent of foreign and domestic facilities have yet to register
with the FDA.
Two years ago to the day terrorist attacks in the United States
struck a nation, leaving the country shocked, angry and vulnerable.
As the country continues to recover, national security remains very
much a top priority, in particular...
The €435 billion US food industry has welcomed a move by the Bush
administration to inject more cash into food security. "Both
Secretary Thompson and FDA Commissioner McClellan emphasised that
the focus of this new food security...
Food producers across the globe are being urged to register as soon
as possible with the US Food and Drug Administration in order to
comply with a soon-to-be-law on security and bio terrorism.
In his budget proposal for fiscal year 2003, President Bush will
include $131 million (€152m) in new spending to protect the
nation's food supply from animal and plant pests and diseases,
strengthen food safety programs and support...
The destination for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
World Food Summit next month may still be under discussion but
today the FAO will focus on World Food Day
