Environmental and Biotechnology

Food Supply ChainFactors Affecting Food Supply and

Production

Biotechnology in Food Production

Biotechnology

i) Bovine Growth Hormone

Can be injected into cows to have them increase mile production by 8-17%

Biotechnology

rBGH is banned in Canada, Japan, and Australia

Biotechnology

Concerns

Cancer risk: Colon, Prostate, Breast

Antibiotic Resistance

A tool for factory farms: in the US 22% of cows injected with rBGH

Biotechnology

ii) Packaging to produce spoiling

Plastic wrap and other food packing can help prevent food from spoiling

Biotechnology

Natural antibiotic substances combine with biodegradable polymers to create food wraps that prevent biofilm formation

Some are even edible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVYpmXRHu00

Biotechnology

iii) Golden Rice

Engineered in 2005, produced 23 times the B-carotene of original rice

Can be used to combat vitamin A deficiency

Environmental Factors and Food Supply

Environmental

i) Pesticides

The industrial age introduced manufactured pesticides and fertilizers

Environmental

Pros:

Control Disease

Can lead to increased food production

Saves 8% of crops annually

Cons:

Can kill beneficial insects

Runoff chemicals can run into streams/lakes

1-5 million people affected by poisoning

Environmental

ii) Irradiation: Process of treating food with radiation, process slowly halts spoilage

Environmental

iii) Fertilizer: Added to soil to supply one o more nutrient (P,N, K)

Conservative estimations guess that 30-50% of crop yields are due to commercial fertilizer

GMOs