WP4Ethics in Food Technologies:

Perspective from India

Sachin ChaturvediGEST Meeting, Preston, UKMarch 15th and 16th, 2012

What are the Issues?

• Growing • Malnutrition• Food Insecurity• Changing Dietary Preferences• Changing Food Culture• Food Production Technologies• Food Processing Technologies• Safe Food

Malnutrition

• Is it necessary to avoid traditional food system be used to improve micronutrient status of the people?

• What cultural attributes and environmental constraints new technologies generate for using these foods?

Malnutrition

What is uncultivated food?

• The greens from land that are not cultivated such as plant, creeper etc.

• The greens that are not cultivated but are available as per partner crop in a cultivated field etc.

• The greens that are available from cultivated plants, but the product was not the explicit objective of the cultivation

Malnutrition

* Deccan Development Society led movement in India on Uncultivated Food Crops:- Millets - Greens like medicinal plants Very few greens are seen in chemical fertilizer applied fields as they die when they are young due to burning effect.

* Tastier - Doggalikoora is more nutritious than broiler egg.

Changing Food Profile

Country Simpson Index of Diversity Sources of Diversification (%)

Cropping Intensity

Crop Substitution

1981-82 1991-92 1999-2000

1991-92 1999-01

India 0.61 0.65 0.66 36.63 63.37Source: Joshi et. al. (2004)

Dietary energy protein and fat consumption

Countries Energy Protein Fat

Cal/person/day g/person/day g/person/day

1994-96

1999-01

2003-05

1994-96

1999-01

2003-05

1994-96

1999-01

2003-05

China 2811 2899 2940 79 85 88 70 80 86

Germany 3358 3430 3491 95 97 99 144 144 142

India 2343 2352 2358 57 56 56 44 50 52

Netherlands 3267 3222 3240 106 105 103 138 142 135

UK 3233 3397 3426 94 100 104 139 142 137

Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook 2009.

Share of Rural population in totalCountries Population

Rural Share(% of share)

1980 1995 2010

China 80.0 68.3 54.8

Germany 27.2 26.7 26.2

India 76.9 73.4 69.9

Netherlands 35.3 27.2 17.1

UK 12.2 11.2 10.1

Source: FAO, TH E STATE O F FOOD AND AGRICULTUE 2010 – 1 1

Share of adult population with chronic energy deficiency

Country Share of adult population with CED (% of total)

Share of children underweight (% of total)

By Sex By Residence By household wealth quintile

Women Men Male Female Urban Rural Poorest Richest

India 35.6 33.7 46.0 49.0 38.0 51.0 61.0 25.0

Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook 2009.

Food Price Volatility

• Since the food price crisis of 2007 to 2009, the number of hungry and unnourished increased to unprecedented levels.

• Nearly 1 billion in 2009.

• Nearly 925 million people live in Asia and the Pacific (62%) followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (26%).

• Since 1990, implied price volatility has systematically increased with a peak in 2008.

• The implied volatility represents market expectations of how much is the price of a commodity is likely to fluctuate in the future. (FAO 2011)

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Food SecurityFood Security# FAO: “Food security exists when all people, at all time, have physical and economic

access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.

# World Bank: “Secure access by all people at all time to enough food for a healthy and active life”.

# Thus plans to maintain the nutritional quality of the food supply are important to the promotion of food security.

# Chronic and Transitory Food Security

Lack of Access Availabilitypurchasingpower

# India is one of the few countries which has experimented with a variety of food security related programmes.

Food Self Sufficiency

Food Availability Nutritional Quality

Food Production

• GM technology and its concerns.

• Idea of labeling and associated costs

• Organic Production and its labeling.

Safe Food

• Huge amount of unsafe chemicals are being added fir early ripening of fruits and vegetables.

• Also for enhancing shelf life value

• Extra sweetening.