by Clifford
Spencer, Goodwill Ambassador, NEPAD and Chairman, Milling4Life
With 2017’s arrival both current and fresh challenges arising in the world of milling and nutrition will be identified and tackled
The inexorable link between sound nutrition and sound health becomes more and
more evident.
The old adage ‘we are what we eat’ is being transformed by modern science from an old wives’ tale into scientific fact.
Grain forms the cornerstone of the human diet in most parts of the world and in developing countries the safe and efficient primary processing of grain is one of the great hurdles for these societies to overcome.
Outbreaks of aflatoxin poisoning from badly grown, harvested, stored and processed maize is a regular occurrence and bread and pastries devoid of the necessary vitamins can reap havoc particularly to the developing young.
Aflatoxin is a potent human carcinogen and a naturally occurring toxic metabolite produced by certain fungi (Aspergillus flavis), a mould found on food products such as corn and peanuts, peanut butter and acts as a potent liver carcinogen.
Indeed food safety has become a national problem even in countries like China where regular reports of fatalities and bad practice are too common and also this has stimulated a resultant craving and demand for western sourced food in an effort to overcome these risks.
When I was a young aspirational farmer and actively producing grain in prize winning quality and record breaking yields, I presumed industry leaders such as NABIM in my home country were the norm for the rest of the world.
The availability of valuable, versatile and nutritious flour I also thought was a global norm and I presumed that most countries had access to flour packed with vitamins and minerals as an essential part of daily diet.
I was largely unaware of the sheer scale of the global problem in this key area of diet and the enormous challenges to many countries and societies this represented. Only through events such as the ‘Arab Spring’ that the sheer scale of the problem has hit home in the West.
This is because just like on-demand instant access electricity we all enjoy their supply and yet largely take for granted these industry high standards and full access to an enormous range of high quality grain products.
Read the full article HERE.
With 2017’s arrival both current and fresh challenges arising in the world of milling and nutrition will be identified and tackled
 |
| Clifford Spencer |
The old adage ‘we are what we eat’ is being transformed by modern science from an old wives’ tale into scientific fact.
Grain forms the cornerstone of the human diet in most parts of the world and in developing countries the safe and efficient primary processing of grain is one of the great hurdles for these societies to overcome.
Outbreaks of aflatoxin poisoning from badly grown, harvested, stored and processed maize is a regular occurrence and bread and pastries devoid of the necessary vitamins can reap havoc particularly to the developing young.
Aflatoxin is a potent human carcinogen and a naturally occurring toxic metabolite produced by certain fungi (Aspergillus flavis), a mould found on food products such as corn and peanuts, peanut butter and acts as a potent liver carcinogen.
Indeed food safety has become a national problem even in countries like China where regular reports of fatalities and bad practice are too common and also this has stimulated a resultant craving and demand for western sourced food in an effort to overcome these risks.
When I was a young aspirational farmer and actively producing grain in prize winning quality and record breaking yields, I presumed industry leaders such as NABIM in my home country were the norm for the rest of the world.
The availability of valuable, versatile and nutritious flour I also thought was a global norm and I presumed that most countries had access to flour packed with vitamins and minerals as an essential part of daily diet.
I was largely unaware of the sheer scale of the global problem in this key area of diet and the enormous challenges to many countries and societies this represented. Only through events such as the ‘Arab Spring’ that the sheer scale of the problem has hit home in the West.
This is because just like on-demand instant access electricity we all enjoy their supply and yet largely take for granted these industry high standards and full access to an enormous range of high quality grain products.
Read the full article HERE.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com
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