Cultivating a sustainable response to market diversity

According to Bord Bia’s Performance and Prospects – Irish Food, Drink & Horticulture 2016-2017 report, Irish Food and drink exports reached €11.15 billion in 2016, representing the seventh consecutive year of growth. For the year, Bord Bia estimate the value of Irish Food and drink exports rose by 2per cent, meaning output from the sector has grown by more than 41per cent since 2010.

These are pretty impressive figures and lend a certain amount of credibility to the Irish government’s continued drive to make Ireland a globally recognized producer of the highest quality. But growth doesn’t always mean better. Quality versus quantity and all that.

The global food industry is one of the most competitive in the world today. Therefore continuous investment in market relevant innovation is necessary for Irish food companies to be able to compete successfully in markets abroad going forward. "Product lifetimes in export markets are only 1-3 years on average," explains Dorothy Timmons, Senior Technologist – Dairy, Functional Foods/Ingredients and Beverages at Enterprise Ireland. "The overall investment in R&D by food and drinks companies is low by international standards (0.65 per cent of turnover). On comparative index, the UK food industry invests 2.5 per cent of turnover in R&D."

Innovation in Ireland’s agri food sector has tended to focus on a number of key areas. Everything from transparent quality systems, food safety and traceability, and health-focused packaging, to nutritional and dietary advice, as well as food security, organic food systems and responsible farming are all challenges being addressed.

Catering for a more discerning consumer

We may think that some of the more fashionable food production approaches of today are just fads that will diminish in popularity as new consumer trends emerge and take their place. However, there is significant investment by Irish food producers into areas deemed unsatisfactory by consumers and food producers concerned with food safety, health, and reducing waste.

“We have seen the implementation of a number of new approaches in the building of a more resilient food system in Ireland,” says Declan J Troy, Assistant Director of Research & Director of Food Technology Transfer at Teagac, as well as President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology Ireland. “There is a lot more interest in what’s known as smart farming, which refers to new agricultural approaches such as mapping plant growth and nutrient requirements, individual livestock mapping, increased machine guidance, robotics and remote sensing.”

Alternative feeds (insects, seaweed, lab based bacteria), are also being introduced to Irish farms, as well as new sustainability standard that use science-based metrics, assessment procedures and robust traceabilty and labelling claims.

There are also efforts to up-skill the food system work-force, and encourage more farm & food entrepreneurship within the sector.

Greater consumer empowerment

“The reduction and valorizing of waste is another big area of research for food experts, as well as looking at how a changing retail sector – with more emphasis on shopping online and drone delivery – might impact food producers in this country and beyond,” says Troy.

Ireland’s agri-food sector needs to increase collaborations, partnerships and connections with others in their market so that data-based decision making on a macro level can be achieved. If we want to make smart food processing factories that allow for smarter packaging and greater alignment between public health, the food system and the environment a reality, the sector must start thinking more like a cohesive unit rather than a disparate community of small producers.

Managing risks to food supply

The focus cannot simply be on improving conditions in Ireland though. "As a food producing nation, Ireland has a responsibility to ensure that the issue of food security features at EU level," says Dr Lance O'Brien, Head of Strategy and International Relations at Teagasc. It won't be enough, however, for Ireland's EU representatives to simply raise the issue. "We must also ensure the growing risks to the security of our food supply are addressed in a way that ensures Europe's own population has access to a secure supply of safe and healthy food without compromising on its responsibilities under the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty and hunger and maintain its international leadership in food security and food aid," he adds.

Ireland's Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Teagasc, is uniquely placed to contribute to finding solutions to the curse of food insecurity. "The knowledge deficit of many smallholder farmers is a direct result of the disconnect between research and extension services," stresses O'Brien. "This disconnect has emerged not only in developing regions, but also in most developed countries. In fact, Ireland is one of the few remaining countries with integrated research, education and advisory services. In this light, it is not surprising that Teagasc is now increasingly approached by its sister organisations, as well as from governments around the world, for guidance on the resurrection of these links, and to assist in the translation of yield potential into actual yield increases by farmers."

Food security – a global problem that must be tackled locally

Over the last two decades, the global population has witnessed sharp decreases in hunger, under-nutrition and extreme poverty, with corresponding improvements in food security and nutrition. Greater agricultural productivity coupled with effective technological innovations have led to more efficient resource use and overall improved food safety standards. Food prices have gone back to more stable levels, last seen before food price spikes in 2007 and 2008, which had dire consequences for much of the world’s poor at the time.

Despite all this, experts believe big problems still face us in the near future. “The so-called ‘triple burden’ of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity, affects large proportions of the population worldwide,” says Dr Lance O’Brien, Head of Strategy and International Relations at Teagasc. “While the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that the number of undernourished people has fallen by 176m over the past 10 years, almost 800m people – approximately one in nine – still remain hungry. Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than two billion people worldwide while overweight and obesity levels are increasing, now affecting men and women of all ages, due principally to the increased consumption of foods high in calories and fat, and with added sugar or salt. Accordingly, food security continues to be one of the major global challenges for the future.”