THE "INSATIABLE" DRAGON-REACHING FOR AUSTRALIAN LAND

A country as big as China with 1.3 billion plus population has the arduous responsibility of feeding its growing population by producing enough food to meet their minimum requirement and prevent malnutrition and hunger. As the land availability is not unlimited, increased production can be achieved either by higher productivity through technological breakthrough in agriculture or by expanding the area of cultivation. It is remarkable that so far, the Chinese government has done well in ensuring food adequacy mostly from domestic production though imports are resorted to during times of shortfalls in production. Chinese are adept at working in many third world countries especially in Africa and South America as a part of their foreign aid programs, earning lot of good will in the process besides evolving practices best suited to most of these countries. Extending its reach to other developing countries has enabled it to think in terms of organizing agricultural operations in many countries with lot of lands to spare and produce some of the foods required for its domestic consumption. Latest to be tapped is Australia which has very low population density with plenty of lands to spare and its efforts to "colonize" this country are highlighted in the following report.     

"CHINA would invest billions of dollars to transform vast tracts of undeveloped land in northern Australia for farming, under a plan confirmed yesterday by the federal government. But opponents said an ''Asia food bowl'' would come at the expense of giving Australians access to affordable, good-quality food. Trade and Competitiveness Minister Craig Emerson confirmed that the government was undertaking a joint study with Beijing to examine the policy changes needed for a massive investment by Chinese agricultural interests. Dr Emerson has denied that this means there are plans to ''buy up the farm'' and use imported labour to produce food for the voracious Chinese market, with its 1.3 billion citizens. ''It is designed to lift Australian food production for world markets,'' he said. The revelation, in advance of an official report expected midyear, has caused some consternation in Canberra, where foreign ownership of Australian farmland is a hot-button issue. Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce, who recently pushed for tougher restrictions on foreign ownership of land in a move that was seen as breaking ranks with the Liberals, said that the report would raise hackles in urban as well as regional areas across Australia. ''There is a strong concern in the Australian public about ownership of their farmland and it has a deeper philosophical vein to it than many other things,'' he said. ''It is not only a concern for regional people - it is reflected very, very strongly in urban constituencies.'' While the move by the Chinese was ''astute'', he said it exposed the lack of planning for our own food security since Australia was now a net importer of food and the resulting inflation had an impact on food prices. ''It's not that you'll run out of food, it's the form of food that you'll be able to buy, and that is happening right now. How often do you see people who in the past bought the roast, now buy mince? Why? Because they can't afford the roast, but that was once a staple.'' The question of selling Australian land to a foreign state-owned enterprise could also have troubling implications, according to Senator Joyce. ''It is held by an organ of the government, and governments, especially strong ones like the Chinese, don't go broke - therefore they can hold [the land] in perpetuity,'' he said. Joyce denied his views were xenophobic. ''Look at any other country and see what their controls of [foreign] investment are like and then compare it to ours and you'll see you can't buy [land] in China, you can't buy it in Japan, you can't buy it in South Korea, you're struggling to buy in the United States and there are vastly greater controls with buying it in New Zealand.'' Liberal senator Bill Heffernan said Australians were either ''too bloody tired or too bloody lazy'' to develop the land to ensure our own future. ''I think it's time that all Australians sat up and took notice,'' he said. While northern Australia has millions of hectares of underutilised land - as well as abundant water and good proximity to Asia - obstacles to development have included poor transport links and a difficult climate. Until now, the Chinese have focused on opening up farmland in South America and Africa to meet the demands of the burgeoning Chinese middle class. They are expected to continue to focus on wheat and rice production on the mainland while looking for new sources to meet their increasing needs for beef, sheep, sugar and dairy. It is the consumption of meat, in particular, that tells the story of the food needs of the world's most populous nation. More than a quarter of all meat produced worldwide is now eaten in China. In 1978, China's annual consumption of meat was 8 million tonnes - it is now 71 million tonnes and more than twice that of the United States".

While as a business deal, land leasing for short periods makes sense, most Australians are worried about the long term consequences of Chinese buying the land and becoming its owners. Chinese have a propensity to bring large contingents of labor into the country where land is leased out or bought and create a separate settlement for them near the work site, secluded from the local population. With cheap labor deployed for raising crops, the production cost tends to be significantly lower and this enables them to send them back to China or to the global markets. Interestingly Chinese interests are more in setting up animal farms for producing beef and pork, besides milk and dairy products. It appears that this country is not able to meet the aspirations of people whose purchasing capacity has increased significantly due to rapid economic development during the last two decades. Many experts believe that Australia should not be too much concerned about the Chinese programs as long as there are iron-clad safety provisions in the lease agreements. It must be realized that the low population in Australia, combined with the shortage of labor to work in farms, makes it imperative to seek such temporary arrangements as the one with China without compromising its sovereignty .

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE NEW CALORIES ASSISTANT-A READY RECKONER MOBILE APP!

These are the days of mobile telephony and with each passing day hundreds of apps are emerging for different users of mobile phones.  The communication distances are shrinking at a rate unprecedented in human history. It was not long ago consumers were excited about the inter phase potential of mobile phones with super market shelves to glean out information about every product on the isles. Traceability is another important issue and the world is moving towards a regime where the consumer can trace out the origin of the product and its ingredients, offering a choice that may be useful to those swearing by local foods and their advantages. To add to these existing apps, here comes another one considered very relevant to those consumers desperately trying to cut down on consumption of carbohydrates in their daily diets. According to medical community this app helps the doctors to educate and control food intake by their patients who are on a diet regime recommended for weight reduction or for control of diabetes. Here is a take on this new development.    

"One of the many uses of mobile technology is its unique ability to capture, store and access data whenever and wherever. For diabetics and those trying to lose weight, one of the best ways to manage this is using a calorie counter to track food intake. As physicians, we often times assume patients have a basic understanding of foods that are carb rich and those that are not.  Educating patients on carbs takes time, and even then, it's clear patients can't remember exactly what we tell them during our visit — completely understandable.  There are great apps in the Health section of the App Store that help reinforce this type of teaching and learning, and we'll be covering them over the next few weeks at iMedicalApps. We're start with Low Carb Diet Assistance.  Low Carb Diet Assistant is a carb counter with easy-to-use features and a large database of foods, including restaurant menu items. One of the key absent features is the lack of a barcode scanner for obtaining nutritional information from bar codes. Despite this the app tracks weight, water intake, BMI, and contains a limited exercise logging capacity".

Though the app seems to be a novel means for dietary control, how it can count the calories in various foods is not clear. Of course by keying in data for carbohydrates in hundreds of standard foods it may be possible to find out the calories contributed by it in the food that is consumed but it may be a dud when it comes to many foods on which data have not been keyed in. Probably in a country like the US where most food products and restaurant preparations are well standardized this app may be of some help. What is not clear is why the calorie count is restricted to only carbohydrates and with a little more data logging it could have been extended to fats also, considered the biggest culprit in weight gain and health disorders.  Diabetes management may be easier as carbohydrates, especially starchy components in the diet, contribute most of the calories and glucose, detrimental in diabetes control regime. Probably one can understand the limitations of handheld devices, especially when they are connected to internet, to store vast volumes of information. It may be a question of time before better and more efficient apps are developed in future, useful to all sections of consumers watching the quality of the foods they consume every day.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MAKING RICH FARMERS RICHER-NEW AMERICAN POLICY

Agricultural subsidies doled out to rich farmers in some of the wealthy countries are considered an anachronism and in spite of world wide condemnation of such practices, there does not seem to be any sign of this incongruous policy being curtailed. United States of America and the European Union countries are the major culprits in perpetuating such distorted policies. Where else except in the US farmers are paid to leave their land fallow, fearing the adverse impact a surplus production will have on the market prices of commodities? Now comes the report that the government there is debating the feasibility of new ways of subsidizing its farmers to insure them against crop failures or low market price realization for their crops. It is interesting that even some of the members of the farming community feel that such government hand out is not necessary for those engaged in honest farming. Of course genuine problems like unexpected crop failure or disasters affecting crop yields must be factored in when agriculture farming is planned and any financial help to cushion the insurance premium is understandable. How far the planned financial aid to the agricultural farms will materialize depends on the political flux this country is going through. However, most WTO members, especially the poor and the developing world, have been fighting this perverted policies of the rich nations with very little success. On the contrary the political classes in the developed economies are contriving to perpetuate this distortion by increasing the dole outs through the tax payers' money, probably for furthering their vested interests. Here is a take on this developing story.    

"Advocates, including farm interest lobbyists and lawmakers with a long history of creating and protecting benefits, argue that the new program would save Washington money by replacing a longstanding one costing $5 billion a year, known as direct payments, that pays owners of farmland a set amount regardless of whether they have planted crops. Crop insurance has existed for decades, with the government now spending about $7 billion a year to pay about two-thirds of the cost of farmers' premiums. Under the federal program, farmers can buy insurance that covers poor yields, declines in prices or both. On Tuesday, the Senate began debate on a farm bill, passed by the Agriculture Committee in April, that would set up another crop insurance subsidy, costing $3 billion a year, to cover any losses farmers suffer, known as deductibles, before their crop insurance policies kick in. The change from the existing direct payment program to the crop insurance subsidies as the primary safety net for farmers means that "payments are going to people who are actually farming," Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan and chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, said Wednesday. The Senate measure would cut about $23 billion in spending over the next 10 years, though that is far less than the Obama administration wanted. Crop insurance supporters say insurance programs provide an important safety net for farmers, who are subject to the whims of weather, pests and volatile markets. "Cuts in the crop insurance program would reduce the effectiveness of the most important risk-management tool farmers have," said Sam Willett, senior director of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association. Even some farmers argue that the subsidies are already generous to agribusinesses, especially with the government facing large deficits. Jim Faulstich, a farmer and rancher in Highmore, S.D., said he was in favor of farmers having crop insurance, but added that the insurance should not be used to make money at taxpayer expense. "If we as farmers expect taxpayers to support premium subsidies, it's only fair that we grow on land that is capable of supporting it," he said. "Could some of this land be profitable without the crop insurance subsidy? I think not."

Theoretically what any nation does within its borders is no body else's business but can such an isolationist policy work in a globalized community where cooperation and mutual help are the watch words. With what cheek countries like America, the EU, Japan and others with high per capita income, can ask the poorer countries to lower their import tariffs for industrial products manufactured by them so that their domestic manufacturing sector flourishes? Don't they know that cheap food grains produced in their countries through massive subsidies depress the global prices of many of them and hurt many countries depending on export of their surplus commodities for sustenance? With what conscience the American citizens go to sleep each day when millions of poor people starve around the world because of the subsidies doled out by their insensitive politicians? What is the use of billions of dollars worth of surplus food grains, being channelized to African countries in the name of food aid  if the huge subsidies received by the American farmers effectively kill the local agriculture? If WTO cannot stop this patently unjust policies of the rich nations, it has no right to exist any more!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"CAVIAR MONOPOLY" OF RUSSIANS-END IN SIGHT?

Caviar is a highly priced fish derived product popular all over the world. It is the non-fertilized Sturgeon roe either salt cured, fresh or pasteurized and to command such high prices the sturgeon has to come from Caspian Sea or Black Sea. Russian caviar was once the world standard but the self-imposed ban by this country against harvesting the roe, has spurred development of caviar substitutes from other fish species like Salmon, Steelhead, Trout, White Fish etc. Beluga, Sterlet, Osserta and Sevruga caviars still rule the roost. The rim countries of Caspian Sea viz, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Azerbaijan have access to genuine caviar and with Russians not in this business any more, Iran and Azerbaijan have become the major source of this precious food material. Recently there has been a shift in the dynamics of caviar production with the US entering the field with its own version of this product harvested predominantly from the southern coastal waters. Here is the developing story of caviar in the US.    

"Global efforts to all but ban the international trade of caviar from the Caspian Sea, where overfishing and pollution have depleted sturgeon populations, have opened enormous opportunities for affordable substitutes from unlikely places in America. Even landlocked Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma have thriving markets based on wild river fish. "I think any chef or any food person with a conscience is only eating domestic or farmed caviar," said Mitchell Davis, executive vice president of the James Beard Foundation. The world has come to have a taste for the growing American market of caviar and fish roe. Between 2001 and 2010, annual exports of white sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon (also called hackleback) and paddlefish roe increased to about 37,712 pounds from roughly 5,214 pounds, with a majority of wild origin, according to the American branch of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. Seventy percent of the total caviar and roe exported from the United States in 2010 went to countries in the European Union, Ukraine and Japan. Domestically, there has also been a rise in interest in both wild and sustainably farmed caviar, from restaurateurs wanting local sources for interesting foods and from adventurous young consumers".

The success story of US entrepreneurship can be gauged by the fact that this country producing caviar from species like bowfin fish is exporting more than 75% of its production to countries like Europe, Ukraine and Japan! Considering that the supply of original Beluga caviar is dwindling fast and modern generation youngsters would never have tasted this product in their life, new products from other species are likely to be more and more popular among them. Besides, the price factor also makes a big difference in the purchasing decision of new generation consumers. If Russian caviar commands prices as high as $500 per oz, same type of products from other fish species can be available at less than $30 per oz. Caviar is preferred in its fresh form and both salt cured and pasteurized versions are not easily accepted by those swearing by the supreme flavor of fresh caviar. Incidentally even the FDA of the US does not accept any roe other than that originating from Sturgeon to be called caviar but allows others by their source of origin, like salmon caviar, bowfin caviar etc. Is it not amazing that a product like caviar which is after all used as a garnish or spread can command such high prices and there are wealthy consumers prepared to shell out such astronomical sums for such little pleasures? Probably the pricing incongruities has spawned an entirely new industry capitalizing in the name of caviar, offering similar products without sacrificing the inherent nutritional value of fish eggs per se that has made it possible for average consumers to patronize them.      

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"JACKPOT" FOR JACK FRUIT!-IS THIS FRUIT REALLY GETING GLOBAL?

Jackfruit in India and Durian in Malaysia and Indonesia are two of the most "smelling" fruits liked well by some or hated too much by many others! Those liking it will go to any length to have a bite of these fruits wherever or whenever they can and others with intense dislike will even keep away at least for 24 hours from people who consumed them fearing the intense body smell generated by the aromatic chemicals present in the fruits. India is considered the country where Jack fruit originated about 6000 years ago but it also grows in Brazil and Philippines where people seem to be enjoying its taste and flavor, fresh or in local preparations made from them. Those in the states of Kerala and southern Karnataka in India swear by this fruit and the production is more or less concentrated in these areas. Though it is not a commercial crop in a strict sense, a small quantity is processed by the unorganized food sector into products like canned bulbs, fruit leather, fried chips from unripe fruits and osmotically dried bulbs. According to some reports Sri Lanka is exporting one of the varieties of this fruit with soft slippery texture and intense color to Europe for incorporation into ice cream preparations. The classical Kerala preparation Chakka varattiyathu  made from ground soft fruit variety and jaggery finds some export markets in gulf countries for catering to immigrant populations there. A recent report suggesting that jackfruit is going to be exported to the US is indeed welcome and here is a take on this interesting development.  

"Global Village Fruits Inc. (GVFI), a for-profit social enterprise started by pre-med anthropology concentrator and Harvard public service traveller Annemarie Ryu is set to export 25 tonne of dried jackfruit to the US, but she faces shortage of supply. To overcome the supply crisis, Annemarie along with her local partner NV Paulose is all set to launch 'The Jackfruit Campaign'. The increase in demand will translate into a boon for farmers here who are not able to market the fruit. Currently, a major share of jackfruit produced in undivided Dakshina Kannada district is wasted due to the lack of a proper market.  GVFI will enable farmers here to market the fruit and make more profit. Paulose told TOI that though there is a demand for 25 tonne of dried jackfruit per year in the US, the supply here is less than 1 tonne.  "Annemarie will visit Mangalore to promote more ventures in jackfruit processing. GVFI will introduce more varieties of jackfruit products, including jackfruit burgers, if she is able to get more supply. This will further increase the demand for the fruit in the US, and farmers in India, especially those in coastal Karnataka, will get a higher price," he said. Anniemarie will meet jackfruit farmers, entrepreneurs and investors at a campaign in the city on June 16. She will present a special 3D shooting session on 'Jackfruit economics' and interact with stakeholders". 

How an American has developed a liking for this intensely flavored fruit still remains a puzzle and if the fruit becomes really popular, sky is the limit for exports of this item in the coming years. Unfortunately the very nature of jackfruit cultivation and harvesting does not lend itself to easy mass production and processing. Besides the buyer is looking towards dried fruit bulbs which can be achieved by sun drying only and to add to the woes, jackfruit harvesting coincides with the Monsoon season when sun drying is almost impractical. Controlled drying can be done but very little drying capacity is available in the  Udipi area to get any sizable quantity of products made in short time. An organization like the Puttur based CAMPCO must come forward to help the jackfruit farmers to process the ripe fruit into dehydrated products for which a demand has been generated. Also worth exploring is whether the Vacuum Frying facility, set up a couple of years ago in Udipi area  by a  private enterprise, can be exploited to meet the present demand. A major problem in handling jackfruit is its sticky nature when cut, to extract the bulbs, making processing an arduous task. The gumless variety being propagated during the last two decades in that area may provide the answer to this "stickiness" problem. Those involved in export of jackfruit must explore these options for a systematic development of this industry in the region.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MOVE OVER SYNTHETIC SWEETENERS, HERE COMES STEVIA!

Stevia sweetener is making waves these days riding on a success unparalleled in the history of non-nutritive sweeteners. Food industry seems to be bowled over by the potential this sweetening ingredient can have in the coming years, its biggest asset being the "natural" tag it can claim as it is derived from the Stevia plant leaves through well known aqueous extraction process with no residue problem. Why there was so much delay for this sweetener to catch the attention of the industry and allow others like aspartame, saccharine, sucralose  etc to dominate the markets, till remains a mystery because the product was in the market for the last 30 years. Stevia industry, if one can call it so, was sustaining because of patronage from a single market, viz Japan and it was only after 2008 that it was recognized as a good sweetener. Probably approval by FDA of the US could have tilted the scale in favor of Stevia and the market got further strength after winning approval from the EU last year. Stevia industry has become an organized one with about a dozen players sharing the market and if FAO projections are to be believed this sugar substitute may capture more than 30% of the market within a few years. No wonder that more and more investors are entering this field hoping to catch a significant part of the pie and establish successful business. Here are some details about the Stevia industry as perceived by one of the latest entrants in California, USA.   

"The pace of new stevia product introductions is staggering, as more than 500 new products were introduced world-wide in 2011 alone. Some have experienced considerable success, such as Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater Zero brand that achieved approximately $110 million in sales in its first year. This success has occurred despite the industry still being in its infancy. To date, more than 85% of U.S. consumers still have never purchased food and beverage products that contain stevia. But, consumer awareness of stevia is rising fast, with the percentage of consumers that know of stevia growing from 32% in 2009 to 57% in 2011. Such rapidly increasing consumer recognition bodes well for stevia's continued success and market growth. This is especially true now that regulators in all major markets have approved its use, which no longer holds back the market potential of what many consumers and industry insiders have long considered the "holy grail" within the sweetener market. Jubilation over the success of new stevia products and the approval of stevia in the U.S. and Europe should be tempered with reasonable expectations. With over 10 stevia manufacturers world-wide, not every company will be an overnight success, and current growers and processors of stevia may fall victim to new market entrants, sophisticated new technologies, and an overall modernization and globalization of a fragmented industry that was formed more than 30 years ago and has until now principally catered to consumers in Japan. Technical challenges also exist that could eventually present obstacles to the rapid growth and expansion of the stevia market".

It is remarkable that the source of Stevia sugar known for centuries has remained in obscurity till about 3 decades ago and the search for non-caloric sweeteners because of wide prevalence of diabetes and obesity, brought to the fore its usefulness . Rest is history! The open arm welcome by the US food industry which is turning out thousands of products incorporating this ingredient either to replace natural sugar and HFCS or partially substitute them reflects its ready acceptability and the success story is likely to repeat in Europe also after the approval it got last year. America is a country where one third population is obese and more than 50% are over weight and probably Stevia can be considered God-sent considering the dire need of the population to cut down on calories for their very survival. There are even suggestions by really concerned health experts to blend natural sugar with Stevia to increase the sweetening intensity of the former and market the same as a low calorie sweetener. With Stevia boasting of a 300 fold sweetness compared to natural sugar, the scope for such products is unlimited and governments world over must consider favorable policy interventions to encourage such innovative products. The added bonus will be sparing of millions of acres of land, presently being used for cultivation of the water intensive sugar cane and sugar beets, for growing other more nutritionally beneficial crops.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

HEALTHFUL FOOD PROMOTION-A NEW INITIATIVE

Eating out is a practice which is becoming more and more prominent in the life styles of people who have very little time to spend in the kitchen due to the pressure of work and other daily commitments. This trend has driven a fast paced development in the food service sector with fierce competition being the hall mark of this industry. Innovations like the Food Truk are also a part of this paradigm shift in the life styles of people on the move in search of more family income and pleasures of life. While the food processing sector is being hauled up for turning out foods which are not healthy causing much of the damage to the well being of the consumers, restaurant sector has not received that much attention from health critics regarding the nutritional quality of preparations served by them. Of course isolated attack on a few catering giants in the form of criticism of their unfair practices in alluring the kids with super sized serving proportions loaded with calories and fat, has not assumed any alarming magnitude still. State policies in cajoling the caterers to declare about the calories in the portion size served seem to be working and may players in this field do display prominently the calorie content along with their menu. Such progressive efforts are sought to be supplemented by voluntary organizations by encouraging the restaurants in in improving the "healthiness" of their offerings. Here is an example of such organizations which certify the restaurants which conform to nutrition standards for their products and disseminate the same among customers.    

"The USHFC will help consumers distinguish restaurants and other food service providers that are utilizing nutrition best practices; such as the use of fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits, whole grains, moderate portions sizes, and minimally processed food and beverages with higher nutritional qualities, while decreasing the use of additives such as industrial trans-fats, sugar, sodium and MSG. In addition, foodservice providers will be credited for their use of environmentally friendly and humanely raised foods, as well as special dietary offerings such as children's menus, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, Paleolithic, and identification of common food allergens. "As a restaurant owner and chef, I feed people for a living, so I believe I have a responsibility to do so well and sustainably," said Chef Ris Lacoste, of RIS in Washington DC. "There are large variations in industry purchasing and preparation practices, and customers are increasingly looking for signs that indicate, 'this house cares.' We go to great lengths to find and use high-quality and healthful ingredients, so I enthusiastically support the efforts of the USHFC." The USHFC is developing programs to provide recognition, incentives and assistance to eating establishments across the entire spectrum of foodservice provision--from high-end restaurants, to fast-casual establishments and eventually school cafeterias, fast food chains, sporting complexes and military and other government foodservice providers. The USHFC initial programs are being modeled after other non-profit initiatives that have successfully incentivized corporations and independent businesses to align their practices with the interests of consumers". 

No wonder this approach is being widely acclaimed and many restaurants are vying for such certification and recommendation to increase their business. In a competitive market such positive actions can be the tipping point in garnering sizable growth and improved bottom line. As for the customers, this is a boon because currently they have no reliable system to discriminate between healthy restaurants and normal ones peddling jumbo sized and unbalanced foods with high calorie and fat content. More such efforts by organizations like the one above will spread the message that customers do care for the nutritive aspects of food preparations besides the culinary quality. It is the responsibility of the government to encourage such organizations which can be a watch dog safeguarding the interests and well beings of the citizens. The phenomenon of consuming meals away from home is bound to increase in the coming years and the restaurant sector will have more responsibility in ensuring the safety and quality of their preparations.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com