By Eric De Muylder,CreveTec
Since the COVID-19 crisis, many countries have realised that they should focus more on food security. The recent developments in the Middle East and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz have only increased this awareness. This does not only apply to countries in the Global South, but also to Europe.
But how can we stimulate food production if importing food – especially seafood – is so much cheaper?
Much of the world’s aquaculture production is based on tropical species, because they grow faster in warmer water, while the market for more expensive seafood is more concentrated in temperate climate countries. So how can we increase production?
We have all seen the hype around AI. The possibilities seem endless, and it will surely change our way of living. It will also create a lot of advanced technology to assist farmers in optimising their production, understanding better what is happening in the water, and preventing problems with water treatment and disease. But will it help the small farmer in the South who is trying to make a living for their family?
We all see promising startups with fantastic ideas, whether for disease prevention, water quality management, precision feeding or behaviour monitoring. But will these technologies increase production in the short term?
Or do we need to use our existing resources better by reducing waste dramatically?
I once had to destroy four tonnes of good shrimp feed because it contained traces of ruminant DNA, which came from gelatin – a product that can be used for human consumption. If humans can eat it, why is it a problem to feed it to shrimp? I really wonder what the true CO₂ damage is from food waste and the difficulties we face in utilising these resources.
As a student, I did research on the utilisation of bacterial proteins from a water treatment plant at a brewery and got really amazing results. However, current legislation makes it impossible to use such products. I fully agree that there should be some restrictions, but we sometimes need to be reasonable and look at what happens in nature. If you take a wild fish, it has eaten many things you cannot account for – yet somehow, this is accepted.
Insect production is certainly a valuable technology for reusing waste. But as long as insect producers in Europe cannot use real waste – such as manure, which is what these insects eat in nature – the products will remain too expensive to create a valuable alternative to fishmeal. Meanwhile, we import fish and shrimp that may have been fed with insects produced in a cheaper and more ecological way elsewhere.
Food security is not only about ensuring food quality to the point of absurdity. It is also about having enough food for everyone.
We do not have the right to buy food and resources from all over the world, and then waste a portion of it, simply because we have more money.
