Barilla Launches the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By the end of October, it is estimated that the world's population will reach seven billion people, growing to nine billion by 2050. In order to satisfy the world's food needs, production will need to increase between 70 and 100 percent in the face of environmental changes, a destabilized agrifoods market and continued global economic turmoil. The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN), launched in the U.S. today, is working to address these topics through the development of concrete research and findings for government leaders and policymakers around the world to use as a relevant and meaningful resource.

"While we cannot stop the continuing evolution of the planet, we have the moral duty to suggest courses of action and propose policies that encourage responsible interaction with it. Food and nutrition will be an increasingly important focus in dialogues among governments, corporations and civil society, all of which are working to address the immediate and future challenges we face in meeting nutritional needs of a growing population while ensuring the health of our planet," stated Guido Barilla, President of the BCFN. "We understand what it takes to bring food from the farm to the table in an efficient and sustainable way, as well as the importance of developing environmentally sustainable production models. We are committed to bringing the world's best and brightest minds together to provide guidance on how to effectively navigate these complex topics."

The BCFN takes a multi-disciplinary approach in which economic, scientific, social and environmental factors are analysed in terms of their cause-and-effect relationship with the global food supply. This perspective has led the BCFN to develop forward-thinking theories including the recent study, Double Pyramid: Healthy Food for People, Sustainable Food for the Planet, which found that foods with higher recommended consumption levels are also those with lower environmental impact.

A discussion on the future of food in the world with the National Journal marks the U.S. launch of the BCFN, which was initially founded in 2009 in Italy, with an international identity. This discussion, taking place today at the Newseum in Washington D.C., brings together experts from the food policy, environment, and sustainable food industries.

"This event, and the goal of the BCFN, is to increase understanding of the complex interactions between society and our planet, particularly in the area of food production and consumption," said John Reilly, a BCFN advisory board member and senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. "Through discussions like this, we can support the design of policies that limit negative environmental impacts and establish large-scale food systems that meet the needs of people around the world."

The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition is a think tank with a multidisciplinary approach to the world of food and nutrition, connecting these to other related issues: economy, medicine, nutrition, sociology and the environment.  The body which oversees the work of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition is the Advisory Board, which comprises Barbara Buchner, Director of the Climate Policy Initiative in Venice; Mario Monti, economist; John Reilly, economist; Gabriele Riccardi, endocrinologist; Camillo Ricordi, scientist, University of Miami; Claude Fischler, sociologist; and Umberto Veronesi, oncologist. www.barillacfn.com.

SOURCE The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition