He World Food Day It raises an increasingly urgent question: how to nourish a growing population with resources that are not infinite? The answer is not only to produce more, but to produce better, efficiently use what we have and understand the entire supply chain that makes it possible for food to reach our table.
At IFFO we talk about contributing to feeding a growing population in a sustainable and responsible way. In this challenge, fish flour and oil play a role that is often not visible to the consumer. They are key ingredients for aquaculture and contribute to sustaining the world’s food security.
Therefore, their contribution to food security requires looking beyond their immediate destination and considering the role they play in food production throughout the entire chain. Marine ingredients are part of a system that transforms nutrients from the sea into food for millions of consumers.
But that contribution begins before production. It starts in science. Knowing the status of fishing stocks, estimating biomass and understanding how environmental and climatic conditions modify their behavior allows for better decisions about how much, when and where to fish. Scientific progress applied to the management of marine resources is also part of food security.
Added to this are traceability and international standards that allow verification of aspects related to the origin of raw materials, fishery management and production processes. For an industry that participates in global food chains, demonstrating how resources are obtained and transformed is increasingly relevant.
We are also seeing an evolution towards a more efficient use of raw materials, with greater use of by-products and formulations that seek to obtain greater nutritional value from available resources.
From the presidency of IFFO, this conversation transcends companies and countries. The diet of the future will require different sources of protein and ingredients that act in a complementary way. Our challenge is to continue demonstrating, with science, transparency and good practices, how marine ingredients are part of that answer.
For Peru, this debate has special relevance. We are an important player in the global fishing industry and have decades of knowledge and good management of our marine resources. This experience also implies a responsibility: to continue strengthening science and generating value with a long-term view.
The future of food poses great challenges to us and we have a lot to contribute. Marine ingredients are part of that answer, and we should feel proud to contribute, from our industry, to feeding the world responsibly.
*El Comercio opens its pages to the exchange of ideas and reflections. In this plural framework, the Diario does not necessarily agree with the opinions of the columnists who sign them, although it always respects them.
