How do we ensure food security?
Food security is a complex issue and there are arguments in favour of both market and regulatory mechanisms to ensure access, availability and affordability for all. Policy in developed countries has historically centred on issues such as self-sufficiency and support of home production. Whilst this has resulted in food availability, it has not focused on affordability especially where these policies have been financed by general taxation. Indeed individuals vary greatly in their ability to make autonomous decisions with regard to food and nutritional choices. Globalisation of food supply chains has provided benefits in terms of increased calories per capita, but it has not addressed nutritional security. It could be argued that malnutrition in terms of both under and over-nutrition has shown an alarming positive correlation, if not actual cause and effect, with increased food availability in terms of calories per capita. There is a recognised nutritional transition in developed and developing countries towards a more sedentary lifestyle and a change in diet towards animal source foods and this transition will impact on natural resource availability in terms of land requirements and water use.
Nutritional food security needs to address the following:
• the development of water policy and/or virtual water trade especially for countries that lack the national ability to provide for their population needs in terms of both food and nutritional security;
• the impact of global supply chains on malnutrition i.e. both under and over-nutrition;
• the factors that impact on personal and group autonomy including low income, low education, family eating habits, knowledge or access to health and nutritional information and availability of food options; and
• the reduction of food waste at household and supply chain levels.
As the human population continues to rise this will provide an increasing challenge to policy makers, governments and food supply chains as they seek to meet both nutritional and calorific needs.
Nutritional food security needs to address the following:
• the development of water policy and/or virtual water trade especially for countries that lack the national ability to provide for their population needs in terms of both food and nutritional security;
• the impact of global supply chains on malnutrition i.e. both under and over-nutrition;
• the factors that impact on personal and group autonomy including low income, low education, family eating habits, knowledge or access to health and nutritional information and availability of food options; and
• the reduction of food waste at household and supply chain levels.
As the human population continues to rise this will provide an increasing challenge to policy makers, governments and food supply chains as they seek to meet both nutritional and calorific needs.
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