Current Trends in Green Technologies in Food Production and Processing
Joyce I. Boye
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Yves Arcand
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J. I. Boye (&) Y. Arcand Food Research and Development Centre
, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint Hyacinthe,
QC, Canada
Finding a balance between food supply and demand in a manner that is sustainable and which ensures the long-term survival of the human species will be one of the most important challenges for humankind in the coming decades. Global population growth in the last several centuries with the attendant demands resulting from industrialization has made the need for food production and processing an important issue. This need is expected to increase in the next half century when the population of the world exceeds 9 billion. Environmental concerns related to food production and processing which require consideration include land use change and tremendous reduction in biodiversity, aquatic eutrophication by nitrogenous and phosphorus substances caused by over-fertilization, climate change, water shortages due to irrigation, ecotoxicity, and human effects of pesticides, among others. This review summarizes key highlights from the recently published book entitled Green Technologies in Food Production and Processing which provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of the agriculture and agri-food sectors in regard to environmental sustainability and material and energy stewardship and further provides strategies that can be used by industries to enhance the use of environmentally friendly technologies for food production and processing.
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Food is an integral component of life and human existence.
Since the beginning of time, humans have had to eat to
survive. In earlier times when human population was much
smaller, resources were abundant and there was less need
for food processing and storage. As populations grew,
limitations in food processing and storage techniques
forced more individuals to devote considerable amounts of
time daily to feeding themselves and their families (i.e.,
harvesting and hunting). Industrialization shifted a large
percentage of the population toward a myriad of activities
creating the need for an industrialized food sector to feed
an increasing number of urbanized humans.
Burgeoning population growth in the last several
centuries with the attendant demands resulting from
industrialization has made the need for sustainable food production
and processing technologies even more important. At the
same time, changes to climate and population health have
made evident the precarious balance between sustainable
food production practices, a healthy environment, and a
healthy population. In 2050, the population of the world is
expected to reach 9 billion FAOSTAT [23]. Adequate
supplies of healthy, nutritious food will be needed to maintain
global socioeconomic viability. To do this successfully will
require that we produce more food with much less impact on
our environment. Our ability to meet growing demands for
food supplies will, thus, hinge on the sustainability of the
practices used in food production and the fervor with which
novel processes and technologies are developed to address
ever-changing and conflicting pressures.
Since the industrial revolution, worldwide food
production has increased significantly but at a slower pace
than global population and with much more waste and less
efficient resource distribution. Food supply shortages have
left 3 billion people malnourished globally with iron
deficiency affecting 2 billion people and protein/calorie
deficiencies affecting nearly 800 million people [25]. At the
same time, most land and aquatic resources are overused.
And even more startling is the estimate that currently
3050 % of food produced is wasted [4].
Among some of the more serious environmental
concerns we face are land use change and extensive reduction
in biodiversity, aquatic eutrophication by nitrogenous
substances caused by over-fertilization, global warming
caused by enteric fermentation and use of fossil fuels,
aquatic eutrophication by phosphorous substances caused
by fertilizers overuse, water shortages due to irrigation,
ecotoxicity, and human effects of pesticides [7].
Growing awareness of these challenges is causing social
shifts with some stakeholders including farmers, food
manufacturers, consumers, and policy makers, desiring
more efficient approaches in agricultural and food
production practices. Increasing use of organic inputs in
processing, use of recyclable and good-for-the-environment
packaging, establishing of just employeremployee
relationships, buy local, whole foods, free-from, and
fair-trade are examples of some of these trends.
Green technology is defined by the global collaborative
encyclopedia, Wikipedia, as the application of one or
more of environmental science, green chemistry,
environmental monitoring and electronic devices to monitor,
model and conserve the natural environment and
resources, and to curb the negative impacts of human
involvement (http://en.wikipedia.org). (...truncated)