Meat Products in the European Union 2013-2023

The Pig Site – The EU meat sector is expected to be supported by strong demand on the world market driven by favourable economic conditions. In Europe, prospects of improved economic growth should leave consumers with more disposable income allowing for a higher consumption of meat products.

Mathematical Modelling of the Dynamics and Control of Salmonella

The Pig Site – Key findings are outlined from a research project carried out at the University of Liverpool which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and BPEX, as part of a Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentship.

The aim of the research was to develop mathematical models to understand the dynamics of Salmonella transmission on finishing pig farms in the UK and assess whether farm structure has any effect on this. The aim was to use these models to investigate where control strategies should be aimed.

Two key forms of unit structure (fully slatted and solid floor) were analysed and three models describing Salmonella transmission were developed:

• Single room, fully-slatted floor
• Multiple rooms, fully-slatted floor
• Single room, solid floor

The models identified some key results with regard to on-farm Salmonella dynamics.

A principal finding showed that there is not a single action that can solve the problem but rather, a number of aspects should be targeted… Continue Reading

 

 Source and Photo: The Pig Site, November 28, 2013

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Chickens Do Not Receive Growth Hormones: So Why All the Confusion?

The Poultry Site – Naturally occurring hormones, such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, are essential for various physiological processes in humans and animals. Throughout history, these naturally occurring hormones have been making their way into the environment, posing the risk of contamination.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified certain environmental contaminants as a global concern. These contaminants are capable of harming reproduction and development by altering endocrine functions in humans and wildlife. As the human population grows and livestock production becomes more concentrated, the quantity and concentration of hormones within local areas increases.

As a result, many of us in the poultry field hear the same question with increasing frequency: “Why do you put hormones in the feed to make chickens grow so big and fast?” The fact that the question begins with “why” instead of “do” indicates the level of confusion and misunderstanding of the consuming public. The truth is no hormones have been allowed in poultry production for more than 50 years. Hormone use in poultry production was banned in the United States in the 1950s… >>Continue Reading<<

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Is Income Set to Become Dominant Driver of Global Food System?

The Fish Site – Per capita income is set to eclipse population growth as the dominant driver of change in the global food system, says a Purdue researcher noted for his work on the economic impacts of global trade and environmental policies.

Thomas Hertel said that while population and income will remain the two most influential factors in determining global food demand and cropland expansion, their relative importance will be altered.

Understanding Food Production to Address Malnutrition

The Poultry Site – The FAO ahead of World Food Day announced that the diversity of food and food production methods is the answer to the under nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies affecting the world’s populations,

The report shows that the cost of malnutrition, through lost productivity and healthcare, could be as high as five per cent of global income.

Other revealing figures are laid out in the group’s World Food Day paper which communicates a simple ethos: Healthy People Depend on Healthy Food Systems.

Fake food: the tech companies working to revolutionise how we eat protein

By Elisabeth Braw
The Guardian – Ethan Brown likes the taste and texture of meat. He just doesn’t like the morals of it. Until now, that left him with the choice of eating an animal and feeling guilty, or going vegetarian and missing out on the juicy taste of grilled chicken. Fungi-based substitutes such as Quorn don’t tend to cut it with those who miss real meat.

But Brown, a former clean-energy executive, belongs to a new generation of tech entrepreneurs who are taking a new approach to protein. “Look at the impact of meat on the climate”, he says. “Look at its impact on human health, the vast resources meat production consumes and how factory farming affects animal welfare. It’s all pointing in the direction of a major change.” Brown’s solution is making plants taste like poultry. His Los Angeles-based company, Beyond Meat, produces protein that looks, tastes and feels like chicken – but is made entirely from plants.

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Source and Photo: The Guardian, 16th Sepetember, 2013
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Exploring 100 Years of Food Security I

The Rockefeller Foundation launches the second book in its Centennial Publications Series, Food & Prosperity: Balancing Technology and Community in Agriculture.

From the Foundation’s earliest days, John D. Rockefeller and his program staff recognized that agricultural productivity is critical to prosperity. Agriculture provides income in poor rural communities and satisfies basic nutritional needs. Done well, agricultural development can also address important issues like environmental degradation, population increase, and the politics of development.

Quinoa: A Miracle Grain and the Fight for Food Security

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has named 2013 “the international year of quinoa”. This ancestral grain, native to Bolivia and Peru, has been heralded as a super-food with the potential to alleviate hunger and malnutrition globally. Quinoa is rich in protein and other nutrients and, through the Andean ancestral cultivation practices, can provide nutritional and biodiversity benefits to countries looking to improve food security. Yet as international demand for quinoa grows, especially among gourmets in Canada, the US, and Europe, prices have risen, making quinoa less affordable for Peruvians and Bolivians. Despite an overall increase in quinoa production, local consumption has decreased due to a host of factors including competition on the global expert market. This situation has generated questions about the potential for the miracle grain to aid in meeting food security goals globally, if global demand and limited production continues to present challenges to achieving food security locally. For more insight, the publication Agenda: Suramerica, give a local perspective on this issue with their feature, “Global vs. Local Food Security: The Case of Quinoa in Bolivia.”

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Source: Rockefeller Fundation

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New Zealand botulism scare triggers global recall

By Nick Perry

MSN News — New Zealand authorities have triggered a global recall of up to 1,000 tons of dairy products across seven countries after dairy giant Fonterra announced tests had turned up a type of bacteria that could cause botulism.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries said Saturday that the tainted products include infant formula, sports drinks, protein drinks and other beverages. It said countries affected beside New Zealand include China, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

Fonterra said its customers were urgently checking their supply chains.

One New Zealand company has locked down five batches of infant formula and China is asking importers to immediately recall products.

 

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With pig virus looming, are US farms and food supply safe?

By P.J. Huffstutter of Reuters

MSN News — The sudden and widespread appearance of a swine virus deadly to young pigs – one never before seen in North America – is raising questions about the bio-security shield designed to protect the U.S. food supply.

The swine-only virus, the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), poses no danger to humans or other animals, and the meat from infected pigs is safe for people to eat.

Though previously seen in parts of Asia and Europe, the virus now has spread into five leading hog-raising U.S. states. How it arrived in the United States remains a mystery.

While the U.S. imports millions of pigs each year from Canada, it imports pigs from virtually no other country, and no Canadian cases of PEDV have been confirmed. Veterinarians and epidemiologists say pigs are infected through oral means, and that the virus is not airborne and does it not occur spontaneously in nature.

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Source and Photo: MSN News, 29th May, 2013
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