Total Food

Book excerpt: This Proceedings Volume provides an overview of current research and development presented at the Total Food 2009 International Conference in Norwich, April 2009. The Total Food series of biennial, international conferences was initiated in 2004 by the Royal Society of Chemistry Food Group and the Institute of Food Research, Norwich. The aim of Total Food is to debate global research and development relevant to exploiting the whole food crop rather than the limited proportion that is consumed at present. For example, many vegetables are subjected to a high degree of trimming during post-harvest processing, and many parts including the outer leaves and stems are often disposed of by landfill. Much of the 'wasted' material is potentially food grade and may also contain important ingredients for further exploitation and the volumes involved are considerable. In the EC, over 500,000 tonnes of onion waste are disposed of per year. In some cases, up to 65% of food-grade material may be discarded during processing, and the EC-funded "AWARENET" report (2004) indicated that up to 222 million tonnes of food chain waste from all food processing sectors are produced annually across the EU. The book is multidisciplinary and international in nature, presenting the latest expertise and covers a broad spectrum of R&D which is being brought to bear in the quest for sustainability. Areas covered include the minimisation of waste through water recycling and energy recovery, value added products from plants and food chain wastes, and the exploitation of low value residues for the production of biofuels. Since the Total Food series began, the issue of food security has become prominent. The increasing global population in conjunction with the use of crops for biofuel production mean that the more efficient exploitation of biomass will be required. The Total Food conferences are well placed to provide regular forums to highlight recent developments and to facilitate knowledge transfer between representatives of the agri-food (and increasingly non-food) industries, scientific research community, legal experts on food-related legislation and waste management, and consumer organisations.