The Future of Food

The sequence of editions of the Latin American Symposium on Food Science, since 1995, gives us the privilege of  follow and interact with the development of the food area, the impact of the food industry, the social and economic importance of the food area nationally and internationally.

The innovation in the food and agriculture sectors can include new technologies, packaging, new additives in food, etc. New solutions are being demanded to reduce or prevent changes caused by microorganisms, oxidation of food components and enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions.

Healthier foods should be produced with increased organoleptic properties. For alongside this consumer concern, increasingly informed, these should provide the pleasure of consuming the food.

Food Science as the basis for Food Technology and Engineering must be considered in view of the transformations that modern society undergoes and the requirements of the world population.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that 30% of the global world population is malnourished. And it is estimated that between 2020 and 2020 the entire European Union will consume less food than China and India together.

Brazil as a whole can play an increasingly important role in the area of ​​Food in the international scenario. The enormous diversity of foods, from north to south of the country, the presence of graduate and undergraduate courses in the area of ​​Food (Science, Technology and Food Engineering) of international level, the Food Industry strong and active, indicate us that there is a highly challenging scenario to be worked on.

According to the social and geo-political transformations that the countries are facing, new challenges must be considered, as already reported by major global food industry groups such as: FAO’s Hunger Zero Program, Health and Welfare, Responsibility in Production and consumption of food, the effect of climate, the search for new unconventional food sources, new forms of in nature and processed food production, the impact of functional food and its correlation with health, the digital age and its impact on consumer relations etc.

Brazil and other Latin American countries can and should interact more in a consortium way to seek innovative solutions, exchange of experience and developments of the New Food industry.

This was the main objective of SLACA 13 to bring relevant information to the understanding of what is the frontier of knowledge in the area of Food, understand its implications and outline the directions of research and industrial development.

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