Synthesis Agri-Food Insights
March, 2010 Volume 2, Issue 3
Helping you understand agri-food's challenges and
opportunities by analyzing the issues and sharing their insights - the Synthesis consulting team Rob Hannam, Mary Lou McCutcheon, Julien DenTandt, and Peter Hannam.
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Connecting farming, food and health
As a
population, we seem to be becoming unhealthier and more overweight, causing government
spending on healthcare to rise. The World Health Organization says that
approximately 80 percent of strokes, type-2 diabetes and premature heart
disease could be prevented through a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Healthy
foods are part of the solution - and there's opportunity there for agriculture
to make a difference, says a Synthesis Agri-Food Consultant who attended the
recently held Leaders Summit on Food for a Healthy and Prosperous Future.
The event
was hosted by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and brought
together representatives from the agri-food, health, research, not for profit
and government sectors. Health leaders at the conference, focused particularly
on preventing disease by changing what we eat.
And that's where market opportunities exist for agriculture,
says Peter Hannam, President of Woodrill Farms and a member of the Synthesis
Agri-Food Consulting team, citing examples that include Omega -3 milk and eggs,
and specialty trait oilseed crops.
"There are new products and new seed traits coming that will
feed into both healthier Canadians and healthier farms," says Hannam.
This year, for example, Cargill is contracting farmers to
grow 1.5 million acres of specialty canola in Western Canada that will be made
into stable, trans-fat free oil for McDonald's Restaurants. And 10,000
acres of high oleic soybeans will be grown in Ontario that will be used to make
healthy edible oils and in the manufacturing of high quality bio-materials. A
low linolenic soybean is already on the market and other high oil and high
Omega-3 varieties will soon become available. Omega-3 eggs and dairy products
are already widely available.
And although conventional crop production will continue,
Hannam predicts that specialty crops will likely be a major part of the market
in the future, particularly for Canadian agriculture. But as with any new
product, there are still limitations. The processing infrastructure needed to
keep crops separate and preserve their special qualities is still lacking in Canada,
but it's a crucial piece to linking the entire value chain together.
"Farmers can do it and consumers want it, but it's the part
in between that's still missing," says Hannam, adding he could see a flexible
processing plant being built in Ontario that would have the capabilities of
switching between different specialty crops to allow it to be profitable
service the demands of the market.
Hannam believes agriculture needs to keep forging ahead with
new developments, especially in the area of food and health. A lot of new
health traits in food are expected to become available within the next five
years and with them, the role of farmers in the health of our society will
become even more important.
"As farmers, we solve problems for our society, be it
environmental improvements or lessening dependence on fossil fuels by
developing plant-based products," says Hannam. "Healthier foods are also one of
these solutions."
Insights - so what
does this mean for agriculture?
Build partnerships
between food and health - We need to think in terms of health and nutrition
rather than commodities and food products. The links between healthy eating and
healthy living are very clear and agriculture needs to continue to work with
the health sector to develop solutions and raise awareness of the key role that
agriculture can play.
Produce what the
market is asking for - Agriculture must produce what the market needs instead
of following the more traditional model of producing first and then seeking a
market. Monitor current trends and
nutrition needs, and then project out 10 years to set the strategy for
your farm or food business.
Involve the entire
value chain - Processing capacity and infrastructure are key components of
the value chain and need to be in place in order to maximize market
opportunities. Communication and trust are also important in order for a value
chain to function to its best potential. Everyone in the food supply chain
needs to make a profit or the system will not be sustainable.
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Sincerely,
The Synthesis Agri-Food Consulting Team
"Our Passion is Problem Solving"
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