Global Food Security Challenged as Industry Innovation Tries to Keep Pace

MICHAEL COSTA | SENIOR EDITOR

THREE KEYS TO GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY, according to Vivien Sheehan from the Kerry Group, are regenerative agriculture, eliminating food waste, and sustainable protein. Sheehan presented her path to overcoming challenges in maintaining a secure food supply during her keynote address at the recent Global Midwest Alliance conference in Chicago, which focused on novel ways to enhance the safety, quality, and nutritional value of food.

“Food security means that all people at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods that meet their dietary needs,” Sheehan says.

Sheehan, global vice president, R&D, applied health & nutrition at Kerry, says this path is currently faced with global crises, including the war in Ukraine and climate change. Here, in her own words, are some of Sheehan’s key takeaways for how to address the hurdles facing global food security now and in the future.

The significance of 2050

Sheehan: The global pursuit of net zero emissions by 2050 is a huge undertaking. By 2050, the global population is expected to swell from

7.9 billion people to almost 10 billion people. With this, we will require 50% more food and 70% more animal protein to feed everyone. That means we would need the resources of three to four planets to accommodate our dietary needs. Complex problems require holistic solutions and collaboration among policymakers, farmers, food manufacturers, and the food and beverage industry. Innovation and government regulations will not be enough to meet our targets, and as an industry, we need to instill responsible culture changes in our businesses and to consumers. We need to make smart decisions to deliver radical improvements to ensure that future generations have a food system that meets their needs with the available resources.

Regenerative agriculture

Sheehan: Soil quality is the beginning of a stable food system, and our industry depends on it. When soil is damaged, carbon goes back to the atmosphere, drying out that soil and turning it to dust—this is a process called desertification. It’s estimated that by 2050, 1 billion people will be refugees to soil desertification. Since chemical agriculture accelerated in the 1970s, we’ve lost a third of the world’s topsoil, and if we don’t take steps to reverse this trend, we’ll increase our emissions and reduce the soil base carbon sinks, which will result in us exceeding the global warming limit of 1.5°C.

A healthy soil achieved from regenerative farming practices can bring our carbon down, capture it and put it in the ground. Soil microorganisms have this unique ability to capture the carbon and make it carbon blue. So, ensuring mass adoption by incentivizing farmers, offering education programs, and facilitating a move to renewables is fundamental in the transition to sustainable agriculture. If we accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture, it will make an enormous contribution to futureproofing our food system.