Antibiotics aren’t just vital for keeping people healthy – they also play a role in producing food. Dr. Keiji Fukuda, an American physician who serves as the World Health Organization’s Special Representative for Antimicrobial Resistance, said of the importance of having effective antibiotics for food animal production, “If we lose that ability [to treat animals when they are sick], we perhaps begin to lose the ability to have adequate food supplies in the world.”

To learn more about the issue, we went to Dr. John Prescott, professor emeritus in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.

What are your thoughts on the United Nations choosing to address the antibiotic resistance issue?

Dr. Prescott: The issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has now generated unprecedented international interest, at the highest political levels nationally and internationally. AMR is regarded as a threat to humanity on a par with climate change. It’s reassuring and rewarding to see movement on this issue.

What is animal agriculture’s role in the issue of antibiotic resistance?

Dr. Prescott: How much is agriculture contributing to antibiotic resistance? No one really knows. There’s a finite contribution but it’s probably relatively selective, and perhaps rather hidden. It’s been a complex issue to sort out, but all the evidence points to some contribution. I hate to put numbers on it because it’s so complex but perhaps 4-to-8 percent overall.

What would be the consequences of overly-restricting antibiotic use in food animals?

Dr. Prescott: Depends on what you mean by overly-constricting. There are different types of antibiotics which are very important for animals but unimportant for people, such as the ionophores used to control coccidiosis, a disease in chickens that chiefly affects the intestines. Removal of ALL antibiotics would make intensive agriculture difficult and would considerably raise the price of animal protein. I don’t think the intention is to do this, just to use antibiotics where their benefits are clear and substantial and not associated with adverse resistance effects in humans.

What do you think is the biggest misconception among consumers on antibiotic use in agriculture?

Dr. Prescott: The biggest misconception is that agricultural use of antibiotics is responsible for most resistance in human bacterial pathogens. There is no evidence for this conception.

Is the food animal sector responding appropriately on the antibiotic resistance issue?  

Dr. Prescott: I think so, generally yes, they are very concerned, knowledgeable and able to act. It’s a work in progress, since they will respond to consumer demand and regulation. Government and regulation is playing catch up in North America, and this governance aspect is more chaotic and needs far more work.

The use of antibiotics, resistance and the impact on health and the food supply are important issues that will continue to be researched and analyzed.

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Ever wonder why some crops only grow in certain areas of the country? Have any advances in technology made it possible for these growing regions to expand? We asked experts Wayne Parrot, PhD, Crop and Soil Scientist at the University of Georgia, and Stephen Baenziger, PhD, Agronomy and Horticulture Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for some thoughts on how technology has helped agriculture production.

Have there been any advances in food/crop technologies that could make new crops available to be grown in different regions?

Dr. Baenziger:

Farmers, scientists and agricultural companies are always looking for new traits. When you look at corn, technologies allow it to be more tolerant of freezes and farmers have tillage practices now that allow it to be grown in different areas. You take advantage of everything given to you, plant corn earlier and now it can recover from frost. Genetics can change the growing season, too. Some of that is by cultural practices and a lot of the advances are from biotechnology.

Dr. Parrott:

Extremes always limit crop growth – too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, as well as soil that is too acidic or too salty. Thus, tolerance to all these conditions is important. Already, there are corn hybrids that can still grow under dry conditions. The eucalyptus tree is one of the best sources of pulpwood for paper, but it’s a tropical tree that would not normally survive in the U.S. But a eucalyptus modified to survive in cold weather is being tested in the U.S. As such, it’s a great example of the type of crop we could see at some future date.

Have any advances in technology – food or crops, preservation or transportation – helped get food from one region to another?

Dr. Parrott:

Refrigeration and other technologies that keep fruit from ripening have made it possible to grow crops in the places that have the best growing conditions for them and ship them to consumers at very low cost. This has been accompanied by the development of varieties that can hold up to shipping. However, the old adage that it’s hard to get somethiing for nothing comes to bear here. Modern fruits and vegetables survive shipping, but at the expense of taste. The choice boils down to having great taste a few weeks of the year, or OK taste year ’round. With time, it will be possible to develop new varieties that ship well and preserve their taste.

Dr. Baenziger:

The biggest thing on that is that we have our technologies and supply chain very refined now. The food that the King of England ate long ago was not that different from the food we may have on our table, but the spoilage factor would have been extreme. That’s a huge difference. How much less food is wasted to get to us is extraordinary. Also, the technology to find and detect pathogens makes our food so much safer than it was in the past, and that’s all due to technology.

Do these improvements in technology affect food safety?

Dr. Baenziger:

Our food has never been safer. If we do have problems, we can find them and resolve them more quickly.

Dr. Parrott:

There are two technologies here. The ones used to improve plants and the ones used to produce and distribute food. Humans have developed hundreds of thousands of new varieties, with no more than a handful of issues, which makes plant variety development one of the safest technologies in history. Production and distribution technology have also contributed to keeping food safe for consumption. So in general, modern technology either has no effect or improves food safety.

What will the future look like regarding crops and growing areas? Any shifts or trends?

Dr. Baenziger:

It will continue to be market driven. Right now, they’re bringing out drought-tolerant corn. There has been a massive investment in corn, so naturally those crops will continue to expand. There is more private investment coming into wheat, so that’s probably good for wheat. Growers have to respond to the market and if they can get a better return per acre by growing a crop that’s heavily resourced over one that is not, the only way the secondary crop can compete is if the market pays a premium. As we become wealthier, you will see more diversity, but at the same time you will be paying for that diversity.

Dr. Parrott:

Ideally, food production technology needs to mazimize yields per area, while it minimizes the inputs and the environmental footprint of doing so. If past trends are any indication, we are on a good trend. Food production in the U.S. increased 50 percent in the past 30 years, while using slightly less land. However, future improvements cannot be taken for granted. What the future will look like depends on how much innovation is permitted. Globally, the legal and regulatory restrictions on agricultural innovation are at an all-time high and research investment is at a low period.

Have any other technologies helped improve foods?

Dr. Baenziger:

Technology has improved some foods by removing the anti-quality factors. Canola is a great example – the erucic acid, which has been linked with heart issues and other problems in animals, was removed. We’re making things that were industrial crops into human crops. That’s good for diversity in growing and for consumers who would like to buy their food locally. Agriculture has a long history of developing things to fit market need.

Has technology affected the environmental footprint of crops?

Dr. Parrott:

Economies of scale come into play when food is produced in the best area for it. Most people would be surprised to see how the agricultural environmental footprint is minimized when that is done – even if the food is then shipped long distance. When food is grown locally, people tend to forget that the inputs (seeds, fertilizer, protectants, and even water in some cases) for that crop are still shipped in from elsewhere!

Ultimately though, what genetic and agronomic technologies have in common is that they contribute to sustainability by increasing the yields that can be obtained in any given amount of land, while at the same time not using more inputs such as water, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemicals.

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Orchard Excursion
Our trip started with a venture to K&J Orchards where we experienced taste-testing privileges as well as a tour given by orchard manager and daughter of the orchard founders, Aomboon Deasy. Here’s what we learned:

• There are benefits to both organic and conventional methods of growing food and this orchard uses both.
• Pesticides are used in both organic and conventional methods. Organic production can use only pesticides that are naturally-occurring, whereas conventional can use pesticides that are synthetic.
• There aren’t nutritional differences between organic and conventional foods, so both are great options.
• The health benefits of consuming all fruits and vegetables – no matter how they are grown/produced – far outweigh any risks of pesticide exposure.

Dinner with Dr. Denneal Jamison-McClung
We closed the first night of our California adventure with amazing eats and discussion with Denneal Jamison-McClung, PhD, Associate Director of the Biotechnology Program and faculty member at UC Davis. Here’s what we learned:

• There is extensive research in the area of biotechnology and genetic modification (GM) under way at University of California-Davis and other universities around the world – and has been for decades!
• GM foods are safe. The FDA works with companies developing biotech crops through a consultation process that begins in the early stages of crop improvement and proceeds through final approval (10-15 years).
• GM technology can prevent unintended consequences that can occur with other types of plant breeding.
• There are only eight GM crops: alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya*, soybeans, squash, and sugar beets (these crops also have non-GM varieties, except for Hawaiian papaya)

Napa Adventure
Day two kicked off with a trip to Napa, CA to learn about wine making at Black Stallion Winery. Here’s what we learned:

• Yeast is a tool (also a fungus!) that vintners use to transform grapes into wine. Yeast starts the fermentation process – breaking down sugars in the grapes into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
• The white matter you see on grapes growing in orchards is actually a naturally occurring yeast.

• Yeast can impact flavor and it’s easily manipulated, so vintners use it to create exactly the type of wine they want to make.
• No wine is sulfite-free. Sulfites are naturally-occuring in grapes and are an antibacterial and antioxidant.

Lunch with Mitch Harkenrider
We had lunch with Mitch Harkenrider, senior doctoral student and researcher in the Plant Biology Graduate Group at UC Davis. Here’s what we learned:

• Harkenrider loves gardening and has a passion for efficiency in crop production, which led him to focus his career on plant biotechnology.
• He studies under world-renowned Dr. Pamela Ronald. Dr. Pamela and her husband Raoul are a dynamic duo, with Dr. Pamela focusing her research on GM plants and her husband focusing on organic production. They co-authored Tomorrow’s Table and live in harmony, realizing we need every tool in the toolbox to meet the food needs of our diverse and growing world.

Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Sciences
Located on the UC Davis campus, the Robert Mondavi Institute houses the departments of Viticulture and Enology, and Food Science and Technology. In addition to touring the Institute’s LEED Platinum-certified building, we learned about the food science behind olive oil and honey processing, brewing and winemaking. We met:

• Amina Harris, Executive Director of the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis
• Sue Langstaff, owner of Applied Sensory, LLC and member of the UC Davis Olive Oil Taste Panel and the UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County Olive Oil Taste Panel
• Roger Boulton, PhD, professor and Stephen Sinclair Scott Endowed Chair in Enology in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

Here’s what we learned:

• There is a science to the sensory experience associated with the tastes of both honey and olive oil.
• There is no organic honey produced in the continental United States.
• The fridge test for olive oil is not a reliable test for purity or quality.
• The Robert Mondavi Institute facilities are water- and energy-positive.
• The Institute has a private collection of wine with some bottles being worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Dinner with Drs. Elizabeth A. Maga and James D. Murray
We joined Elizabeth A. Maga, PhD, adjunct professor in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis, and James D. Murray, PhD, professor of Animal Science and Department of Population Health and Reproduction at UC Davis, to talk about their recent research on goat’s milk. Here’s what we learned:

• Maga and Murray bred transgenic (GM) goats to produce milk that can protect children in developing countries from diarrhea – a common cause of death.
• The milk contains enzymes that strengthen the stomach and fight off harmful bacteria, therefore, making or keeping children healthy.

The Amazing Tomato Trek
Our last adventure included following a tomato on its journey from the farm to your table. The trek started with a tour of the Rominger Brothers Farm followed by a tour of a Campbell Soup Company processing facility. Along the way, we met Rick Rominger, a fifth-generation farmer and owner of Rominger Brothers Farms; Daniel Sonke, PhD, manager of sustainable agriculture programs at Campbell Soup Company; David Kiehn, Campbell Soup Company processing facility manager; and more.

Here’s what we learned:

• The kinds of tomatoes grown for tomato paste and sauce are very different than the ones you buy fresh at the market. These tomatoes have a much harder skin and far lower water content and are sweeter.
• California is the number one area in the world for tomato production – 95 percent of all tomatoes in the United States and 30 percent of all the tomatoes in the world are grown in California.
• Tomatoes are picked and processed within hours to preserve nutrients and reduce the potential for spoilage.
• Because of its focus on sustainability, Campbells has rigorous goals to reduce their environmental impact, yet still produce the same amount of food – they aim to reduce water use in fields by 20 percent and by 50 percent in their facilities over the next 10 years.

Our power-packed TASTE Tour showed us that technology and science improves many aspects of our lives including the way our food is produced. And technology, as it relates to food, can mean greater accessibility, enriched nutrition, better flavor, improved safety and more. Stay tuned for more posts about the tour.

Image: “First Harvest” by Mike McCune is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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