By 2100 the world's population will exceed ten billion and more
than 80% of that population will be resident in Africa and Asia, according to
the United Nations. Right now, world population growth coupled with the
economic crisis and its resultant higher food prices and falling consumption
mean that the world, and Africa in particular, is facing a food security
crisis.
The pressing issue of
food security, or the availability of food and a population's access to it,
will be dealt with extensively at the USA Food Security Seminar in Sandton,
Johannesburg on Tuesday, 22 May, hosted by the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
In this one-day seminar, American and South African industry leaders will
provide insights on food security, nutrition, world food trends and practical
solutions for cost-effective feeding of the people of Southern Africa,
including the region's most at-risk demographic, children aged five and under.
"We invite stakeholders and buyers from the Southern African food industry
to join us, to listen and exchange views on the issues that will be put on the
table, as well as be introduced to a range of quality, cost-effective food
products from the USA," says Jim Hershey, seminar facilitator and
executive director of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) at
the American Soybean Association (ASA).
Emphasis will be on protein-rich products
Topics on the agenda include global food demand and rising food prices, the
role of trade in transforming agriculture into food security and building a
platform for long-term food security and trade in Africa, for good health and
economic development.
"Among the food products that will be introduced and discussed, are dry
beans, peanuts, dehydrated potatoes, value-added soy proteins and seafood. This
emphasis on protein-rich products is deliberate in view of the role played by
protein-deficiency in stunting and the prevalence of this condition in Southern
Africa," Hershey adds.
Stunting, which is reflective of chronic nutritional deficiency and results in
low height for age, affects an estimated 195 million children in the developing
world. More than 90% of the world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia,
and according to a January 2011 UNICEF news release, of the 24 countries that
account for 80% of the world's stunting burden, seven are in the Eastern and
Southern African region.
Soy is a step in right direction
More sobering yet are the findings of South Africa's 2005 National Food
Consumption Survey, which highlighted stunting as the most common form of
nutritional disorder affecting South African children. The study found that 18%
of children aged between one and nine were affected by stunting, while 5%
showed signs of severe stunting.
"On a more positive note, the good news is that there are increasing
numbers of companies in Southern Africa that are looking for ways to use soy
protein in the foods they offer to the market, like soy-fortified maize flour,
soy beverages and textured soy products like soy mince. This is absolutely a
step in the right direction, towards a future where the phrase 'nutritional
deficiency' has no place in the Southern African vocabulary," says
Hershey.
By 2100 the world's population will exceed ten billion and more
than 80% of that population will be resident in Africa and Asia, according to
the United Nations. Right now, world population growth coupled with the economic
crisis and its resultant higher food prices and falling consumption mean that
the world, and Africa in particular, is facing a food security crisis.
The pressing issue of
food security, or the availability of food and a population's access to it,
will be dealt with extensively at the USA Food Security Seminar in Sandton,
Johannesburg on Tuesday, 22 May, hosted by the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
In this one-day seminar, American and South African industry leaders will
provide insights on food security, nutrition, world food trends and practical
solutions for cost-effective feeding of the people of Southern Africa,
including the region's most at-risk demographic, children aged five and under.
"We invite stakeholders and buyers from the Southern African food industry
to join us, to listen and exchange views on the issues that will be put on the
table, as well as be introduced to a range of quality, cost-effective food
products from the USA," says Jim Hershey, seminar facilitator and
executive director of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) at
the American Soybean Association (ASA).
Emphasis will be on protein-rich products
Topics on the agenda include global food demand and rising food prices, the
role of trade in transforming agriculture into food security and building a
platform for long-term food security and trade in Africa, for good health and
economic development.
"Among the food products that will be introduced and discussed, are dry
beans, peanuts, dehydrated potatoes, value-added soy proteins and seafood. This
emphasis on protein-rich products is deliberate in view of the role played by
protein-deficiency in stunting and the prevalence of this condition in Southern
Africa," Hershey adds.
Stunting, which is reflective of chronic nutritional deficiency and results in
low height for age, affects an estimated 195 million children in the developing
world. More than 90% of the world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia,
and according to a January 2011 UNICEF news release, of the 24 countries that
account for 80% of the world's stunting burden, seven are in the Eastern and
Southern African region.
Soy is a step in right direction
More sobering yet are the findings of South Africa's 2005 National Food
Consumption Survey, which highlighted stunting as the most common form of
nutritional disorder affecting South African children. The study found that 18%
of children aged between one and nine were affected by stunting, while 5%
showed signs of severe stunting.
"On a more positive note, the good news is that there are increasing
numbers of companies in Southern Africa that are looking for ways to use soy
protein in the foods they offer to the market, like soy-fortified maize flour,
soy beverages and textured soy products like soy mince. This is absolutely a
step in the right direction, towards a future where the phrase 'nutritional
deficiency' has no place in the Southern African vocabulary," says
Hershey.
By 2100 the world's population will exceed ten billion and more
than 80% of that population will be resident in Africa and Asia, according to
the United Nations. Right now, world population growth coupled with the
economic crisis and its resultant higher food prices and falling consumption
mean that the world, and Africa in particular, is facing a food security
crisis.
The pressing issue of
food security, or the availability of food and a population's access to it,
will be dealt with extensively at the USA Food Security Seminar in Sandton,
Johannesburg on Tuesday, 22 May, hosted by the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
In this one-day seminar, American and South African industry leaders will
provide insights on food security, nutrition, world food trends and practical
solutions for cost-effective feeding of the people of Southern Africa,
including the region's most at-risk demographic, children aged five and under.
"We invite stakeholders and buyers from the Southern African food industry
to join us, to listen and exchange views on the issues that will be put on the
table, as well as be introduced to a range of quality, cost-effective food
products from the USA," says Jim Hershey, seminar facilitator and
executive director of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) at
the American Soybean Association (ASA).
Emphasis will be on protein-rich products
Topics on the agenda include global food demand and rising food prices, the
role of trade in transforming agriculture into food security and building a
platform for long-term food security and trade in Africa, for good health and
economic development.
"Among the food products that will be introduced and discussed, are dry
beans, peanuts, dehydrated potatoes, value-added soy proteins and seafood. This
emphasis on protein-rich products is deliberate in view of the role played by
protein-deficiency in stunting and the prevalence of this condition in Southern
Africa," Hershey adds.
Stunting, which is reflective of chronic nutritional deficiency and results in
low height for age, affects an estimated 195 million children in the developing
world. More than 90% of the world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia,
and according to a January 2011 UNICEF news release, of the 24 countries that
account for 80% of the world's stunting burden, seven are in the Eastern and
Southern African region.
Soy is a step in right direction
More sobering yet are the findings of South Africa's 2005 National Food
Consumption Survey, which highlighted stunting as the most common form of
nutritional disorder affecting South African children. The study found that 18%
of children aged between one and nine were affected by stunting, while 5%
showed signs of severe stunting.
"On a more positive note, the good news is that there are increasing
numbers of companies in Southern Africa that are looking for ways to use soy
protein in the foods they offer to the market, like soy-fortified maize flour,
soy beverages and textured soy products like soy mince. This is absolutely a
step in the right direction, towards a future where the phrase 'nutritional deficiency'
has no place in the Southern African vocabulary," says Hershey.
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