2. WHO WE ARE:
GLOBAL FOOD DEMAND
THE BRAIN TEASER
The growth in food demand and need is the result of the
combined effects of world population growth to over 9
billion by 2050, rising incomes and dietary changes
towards higher meat intake.
Meat production is particularly demanding in terms of
energy, cereal and water. Today, nearly half of the
world’s cereals are being used for animal feed.
3. The Need
Population Growth
• world’s population will be 9 billion by 2050
Obesity & Diseases
• 2.1 billion people
• 30 percent of the world’s population, are either overweight or obese.
• 20 percent of health care costs in some developed countries are attributed to treating.
• 40% American will be obese by 2050.
“In the United States, the direct cost of obesity to the health care system is estimated to be $190 billion each year –
or about 7 percent of total annual health care spending, Per capita medical spending is 24 percent higher for obese
individuals than for those who are not obese.”
Meat Diet
• There wouldn’t enough meat to feed 9 billion people.
Vegetarian Diet
• Vegetarians are malnourished due to deficiency of protein in their diet.
Technology and Environmental Challenges
• GMO, Ocean level raising, Inefficient farming, Carbon Emission by Animal Farms and
many more.
4. The Path to Modernization
What are our options?
- Vegan Protein which is rich in fat – require next
generation of crops packed with protein and fat,
similar to meat
- Meat and milk production in factories/labs
- Insect Meat
- Ocean based food
5. Spotlight: Peas, Soya, Lintel, Grains
Humans are consuming plant based protein for centuries, however nobody is able to
create well balanced diet and taste catered to individual. It takes too much land mass
and resources to grow ay crop. Concentrated protein and fat require new type of
technology.
Beyond Meat
Faux meats and substitutes like “Tofurkey” are nothing new, but
companies are getting better at aligning soy and other proteins to mimic
meaty textures and tastes.
Beyond Meat’s "chicken" strips and taco "beef" crumble hit the US market
in 2013, claiming to produce faux chicken enough to save 1.5 million
actual birds per year.
Beyond Eggs is Hampton Creek’s egg substitute. Cheaper than real eggs,
it’s claimed to have longer shelf-life and lower cholesterol.
6. Test-tube Meat
Meat Without Footprints
Concerned about what modern meat production does
to the planet and to the animals? The solution may be
easier than going vegetarian—tissue engineering.
In 2013, Prof. Mark Post of Maastricht University,
produced the world's first lab-grown burger culturing
stem cells from a cow.
New York-based Modern Meadow is developing in vitro
meat using a 3-D printer with a cartridge of bio-ink
made of live cells that can be printed into a pre-set
shape to fuse into living tissue.
At least one study confirms that the environmental
impact of cultured meat is far lower than the
conventionally produced equivalent. Production costs,
however, are prohibitively high.
Tuomisto et.al. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (14), pp 6117–6123 Image: David Parry / PA Wire
7. Problem: There is terrific waste in the food system—from spoilage to packaging discarded.
Solution: rethink how we use, package, distribute, and store our resources.
Offal not Awful: As with insects, there’s nothing new about
offal consumption in many parts of the world, but modern
farming and consumer preferences have made offal
cookery both difficult and taboo.
As a response to the high-carbon-footprint of animal
farming and the waste of butchery, chefs and authors are
finding ways to take advantage of every last scrap of the
animal.
“[In 15 years,] meat will be an occasional food, served in
small portions (a good idea that’s already been explored),
and it will include eating offal—the nourishing foods we've
cast aside for so long,” says Chef and cookbook author
Deborah Madison.
Insect Food
8. Spotlight: ALGAE
At the base of the food chain are photosynthetic water-dwelling plant-like organisms that
already produce over half of the earth’s oxygen. The use of algae in producing alternative
fuels, CO2 sequestering, wastewater treatment, and manufacturing bioplastics and eco-
friendly fabrics and dyes is well-known.
Algal speed of growth means that “one acre of algae can produce the same amount of
protein in a year as 21 acres of soybeans or 49 acres of corn.” (Alltech) Certain algae are
farmed to produce food ingredients like Omega-3 fatty acids and natural food colorants
and dyes. Biomass discarded after “de-oiling” becomes valuable biofertilizer.
Ocean Food
Eating Down the Chain
