Parliament hosted high level scientists for a workshop on harnessing the potential of technology for ending food waste by 2050.

How to feed the world in 2050

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16451006/n001-131205-001-en.srt

One third of the food we produce,  1.3 billion tons,

ends up as waste or gets lost.  Is 2050 the magic number?

Well what it is  is a number that’s not so far away.

In the next 40 years, as our numbers swell,  demand for food will rise by 70%.

Food scarcity will become more acute, the  richer will get richer as the poorer, well...

Chronic hunger is found in areas where  people are really isolated from the economy,

where they have no access to land,  no access to markets

and where countries and states are failing.

For these people, short-term solutions are  unfortunately only in the form of food aid,

Over to Parliament where a workshop  looked at Europe’s role

in feeding the world into 2050  by finding solutions

through the ways that we produce  and consume food

by cutting waste and better biodiversity.

What should we be doing  in the weaker and poorer countries

to reduce food waste in the first phase  of the food chain, so in the fields?

And what could we do  in richer Western countries

to reduce food waste in the phases  which are closest to end consumer?

MEPs used the occasion  to pass a resolution to recycle food

nearing its sell-by date  and give that to people on the breadline.

We shouldn't be afraid  of modern technology.

What we need to look is what can help us  to improve food safety and the food chain,

what can help us to do new things such as  using new species like algae or insects.

For our MEP,  it was case of eat more bread and pasta.

Individual citizens could of course  balance their expenditure,

have a more balanced diet,  without over-consuming animal products.

The measures we take -  whether promoting recycling of crops,

or reducing our land-use emissions -  what we do will impact our future.