The
sophisticated food demands of newly affluent consumers in China and other
developing nations are likely to cause major change in U.S. farming and food
production, Asian food policy and world trade, according to Food 2040, a new
study of emerging food trends in Asia by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).
USGC President and Chief Executive Officer
Thomas C. Dorr presented a preview of Food 2040 today at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.
“Growing affluence in China could change
people’s diets and the global food system. Consumers will expect more choice,
quality, convenience and safety in their food purchases,” Dorr said.
Food 2040 also reveals important implications
for agricultural trade policy between the United States and Asian nations. “We
are seeing China become more open to acceptance of new technology, such as
agricultural biotechnology, which can help meet the needs of the Asian middle
class in a sustainable manner through trade,” Dorr said.
U.S. attitudes about feeding the world are
likely to change too. “Many of the agribusinesses and agricultural
organizations that comprise the U.S. Grains Council are starting to review
possibilities for meeting the needs and capturing the economic value that
ascendency of the Asian middle class represents,” said USGC Chairman Dr.
Wendell Shauman, an Illinois corn farmer and member of the Illinois Corn
Marketing Board. “Working together with trading partners around the world to
understand emerging trends, we can use a convergence of science, technology and
policy reform to meet changing food demands and capture the economic potential
of new Asian consumers.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS) is assisting the Council with the launch of Food
2040 in Japan. “Japan and the United States are longstanding trading partners,
and we understand each other well. Now, our two nations must learn more about
China and develop an understanding of how this emerging mega-market will
influence the global food system and our two nations’ participation in it,”
said Geoffrey Wiggin, USDA’s FAS Minister-Counselor in Tokyo.
Food 2040 outlines the following possibilities
for significant change in the global food system.
GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS RESTRUCTURED TO SUIT
CHINA’S MIDDLE CLASS
China is the world’s fastest growing economy,
and because of the sheer size of its population, Chinese demand will reshape
the global food industry over the next 20 years. Although India is expected to
surpass China in population numbers, China is likely to remain the dominant
economy within the timeframe of Food 2040.
CHINA AS WORLD BIOSCIENCE LEADER
Agricultural biotechnology may no longer be
dominated by U.S. technology. China is on a path to global bioscience
leadership, driven by major central government investments to meet its own food
needs and a desire to be an export leader.
NEW ASIAN SYSTEM OF FOOD SAFETY
Asia does not yet have a well-developed food
safety and inspection system, but this could change through use of 21st-century
nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and logistics systems.
FOOD AS A SERVICE
By 2040, 70 percent of consumer food
expenditures in Japan will go toward foods prepared outside the home, and China
is likely to adopt Japan’s rapid acceptance of foods prepared outside the home.
FOOD AS A SERVICE
Food 2040 envisions a proliferation of
specialty markets and product differentiation in Asia. This is not a new
concept for the United States, where the average U.S. supermarket carries
almost 40,000 items, but when four billion people around the world with very
different cultures and diets begin to enjoy that degree of consumer choice it
will significantly affect global food production, processing and distribution
systems.
Tukwilareporter.com
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment