Finding enough food and energy to sustain the Earth's population is the
greatest technological challenge facing humanity, an expert panel of
chemists and engineers have said.

The world is heading for a food crisis caused by climate change and
competition for land use, according to the working party's report "The Vital
Ingredient - Chemical Science and Engineering for Sustainable Food".

In the long term, only technology could guarantee global food
sustainability, it said.

The report called for the creation of more genetically modified pest and
drought resistant crops, as well as nutritionally enhanced plant foods. It
also recommended a stronger focus on chemical engineering to improve water
supplies, and the development of ways to generate energy from livestock
waste.

By 2030, it was estimated that cereal production must increase by 30% and
meat production by 80% to meet the demands of a global population exceeding
eight billion, said the report.

As many as 60 countries were expected to suffer from water shortages by
2050, according to research by the United Nations.

The report said: "The future worldwide challenge: to match energy and food
demand with declining fossil fuel resources without permanently damaging the
environment, is the greatest technological challenge humanity faces. It will
require all the skill and inventiveness we can muster, and the common
recognition by all societies and individuals that the application of
chemistry and its engineering is a key part of the solution."

The experts said GM regulations must be "based on an evaluation of the risk,
using sound evidence, and not on a socio-political fear of new technology".

They also wanted to see greater scientific understanding among policy
makers, and urged supermarkets to do more to champion sustainability. At the
same time, they warned that a shortage of properly qualified scientists and
engineers was threatening to undermine the UK food industry.

The report was launched at the House of Commons by Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs Secretary Hilary Benn.
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