The world population is growing by 1 percent a year, meaning a significant demand for more food.
The Food and Ag Organization predicts an increase of 400 million tons of food over the next three decades. That is the equivalent of the amount of meat the world currently produces.
Some people say that the world needs to change its dietary habits, but a UC Davis geneticist says that approach ignores the fact that most animal production takes place in the developing world.
According to Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, “Whilst this perspective strongly emphasizes the diet-related chronic diseases associated with overconsumption in middle and high-income countries, it tends to overlook that they provide a vital means to improve malnutrition and stunting in low and middle-income countries, especially in rural communities. Many with this perspective favor meat taxes and other government interventions to alter dietary habits... Recently, this has kind of morphed into what I see as this plant-based food picker kingdom-- a dichotomy-- and it’s particularly evident in the discussion around plant-based, meat substitutes.”
At the Animal Ag Alliance Virtual Summit, she said that the demonization of food production threatens food security, and food technology needs to be accepted in both traditional and alternative protein sources.
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