speech on food chain

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Battling Climate Change and Transforming Agri-food Systems - Roberta Casali

Speech | 22 march 2022 read time: 6 mins, share this page.

Opening remarks by Roberta Casali, ADB Vice-President for Finance and Risk Management, at the Asia-Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum 2022, 22 March 2022

Good afternoon, good evening or good morning to our distinguished panelists, colleagues, and guests.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Asia Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum 2022. This Forum is taking place at a time when the world is facing escalated food and nutrition risks, and the hunger and nutrition related achievements of the last two decades or so are showing reversal. We need to protect the current food system from further disintegration and transform it into a climate-smart and green one to meet the future demand for food.

Vulnerabilities of food supply chains

As we all know, the global food supply system is facing unprecedented challenges in recent times. In addition to usual perennial challenges, it has been deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, which have immediate impacts and leave profound scars behind.

Food security becoming increasingly uncertain in DMCs

Most developing countries are facing at least 2 out of 3 key food insecurity risks, namely (i) extreme weather and climate change, (ii) economic shocks, and (iii) political crisis and conflict, as assessed by the World Food Program. Although there were indications of slight improvement towards the end of last year, like a small decrease in Food Price Index, estimated by the FAO, it has begun rising again since the beginning of this year, and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine is very likely to escalate the global food prices even more. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth largest, and together, they make up more than one-third of global cereal exports. Russia is also the global lead producer and supplier of fertilizers. Globally, there are about 50 countries that depend on Russia and Ukraine for 30% or more of their wheat supply. Laos PDR imported more than 98% of its wheat from Ukraine in 2020. Supply chain and logistical disruptions on Ukrainian and Russian grain will have significant global food security repercussions, more so on countries like Laos PDR.

Meeting nutrition target in Asia at bay

High incidence of malnutrition was a matter of concern even before the onset of the pandemic. In 2020, 149 million children were stunted, 45 million wasted, and 39 million overweight globally. According to the Global Nutrition Report 2021, progress to global nutrition targets is slow. Less than two thirds achieved the target on childhood overweight. In case of meeting the targets for male obesity, 100% are off track. In case of women diabetes, only 3 countries, or 6%, are on track.

Agricultural resources on decline

While the temporal challenges are formidable, we cannot forget the old problems that have been constantly affecting food production in developing Asia. According to World Bank statistics, per capita agricultural land in 2018 was only 0.11 hectares in South Asia, and 0.10 hectares in East Asia and Pacific. This compares to 0.54 hectares in North America and 0.28 hectares in OECD countries in the same year.

When it comes to potable water, of which about 70% is used by agriculture, the overall situation is even more alarming. Available per capita water decreased from 40,000 cubic meter in 1800 to 7000 cubic meters in 1997 and is projected to decrease to 4,700 cubic meters by 2025. In some parts of Asia, it is already less than 2000 cubic meters, below which an area is called water stressed. An analysis of the OECD (Water Risk Hotspots for Agriculture) in 2017 concluded that water risks in Northeast China and Northwest India could have significant food security consequences.

Future of agriculture in Asia faces climate change-related challenges

According to a McKinsey report, (Climate Risk and Response in Asia, 2020), by 2050, parts of Asia are likely to see increasing average temperatures, lethal heat waves, extreme precipitation events, drought, and changes in water supply. Asia is also confronted with increased number of mouths to feed and simultaneously decreased number of hands to produce food. Climate warming is already increasingly disrupting natural phenological patterns and the risks, I just mentioned, are already creating immense pressure on the agricultural sector. With constantly decreasing agricultural land available, farmers are forced to produce more. Use of natural and synthetic fertilizer are, however, not a sustainable solution. Their increased use only reinforces the emission of greenhouse gases. We need to break this vicious cycle. Asia will face a huge problem for food production due to phenological shifts in crops due to escalated average temperature.

Way forward: Accelerating food system transformation through diversified investments and knowledge solutions

The most pertinent question for us is how do we build a resilient and sustainable food system withstanding the temporal and perennial problems? Not only that we have to invest more in agriculture, a qualitative change in our investments is also crucial.  The investments must be strategic and science-based; and we need to focus on innovative technologies that offer nature-positive solutions.

I am pleased to share that ADB’s investments in agricultural and rural development increased by five times during the 2011-2021 period. The portfolio mix of our investments is also getting more diversified, covering different aspects of our food system.   According to our 2021 Annual Evaluation Review, the diversified investments in agriculture, natural resources, and rural development, were largely successful in addressing poverty and inequalities and in promoting gender equality.

Importantly, ADB also scaled-up its knowledge work in support of food system transformation. For example, we completed a cross-country analysis to promote the production of fruit and vegetables—and reduce postharvest losses—in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Viet Nam. We also studied the Korean model of rural and agricultural development to devise customized, country-specific, and context-aware policy recommendations for our DMCs.

Experience-sharing and knowledge exchange through this Rural Development and Food Security Forum will promote pragmatic solutions to the evolving challenges faced by the agriculture sector.

Way forward: Towards a novel, natural resource-conscious financing strategy​

Going forward, ADB is in the process of developing an Innovative Natural Capital Financing Facility to attract natural capital investments and offer knowledge solutions to build better food systems and promote a more balanced diet.

The facility has 3 pillars—a Natural Capital Lab, an Agribusiness Service Platform, and a Natural Capital Fund. The lab is a living and virtual platform to incubate, accelerate and expand natural capital investments. It leverages existing accounting tools to quantify the ecosystem service value of green agricultural value chains. It also strengthens eco-compensation for ecological services, which in turn incentivizes farmers to adopt new practices.

To conclude, ADB is committed to working with all partners to step up support for climate-smart agriculture across the entire agriculture and food value chains, including the blue economy, via policy and technological interventions, using nature-based solutions where appropriate.

Let us work together to promote a resilient and sustainable food system for future generations. Thank you for your attention.

• Agriculture and natural resources
• Event: Asia-Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum 2022

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Environment: The food chain

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This lesson plan provides an ideal introduction to the concept of food chains. Students complete a food chain diagram then listen to a clear explanation of each link in the chain from producers to third-level consumers. The listening also includes a clear explanation of why food chains are important. A gap-fill consolidates key vocabulary such as: ‘carnivores’, ‘herbivores’, ‘consume’, ‘destroy’ and ‘produce’. A fun group speaking activity asks students to describe a food chain word to their friends without using that word.

Environment - the food chain

Environment - the food chain - listening exercise.

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• Food Chain and Food Web

Food chain is a linear sequence of organisms which starts from producer organisms and ends with decomposer species . Food web is a connection of multiple food chains. Food chain follows a single path whereas food web follows multiple paths. From the food chain, we get to know how organisms are connected with each other. Food chain and food web form an integral part of this ecosystem. Let us take a look at the food chain and a food web and the difference between them.

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In scientific terms, a food chain is a chronological pathway or an order that shows the flow of energy from one organism to the other. In a community which has producers, consumers , and decomposers, the energy flows in a specific pathway. Energy is not created or destroyed. But it flows from one level to the other, through different organisms.

A food chain shows a single pathway from the producers to the consumers and how the energy flows in this pathway. In the animal kingdom , food travels around different levels. To understand a food chain better, let us take a look at the terrestrial ecosystem.

Food chain in a Terrestrial Ecosystem

The sun is the source of energy, which is the initial energy source. This is used by the producers or plants to create their own food, through photosynthesis and grow. Next in this chain is another organism, which is the consumer that eats this food, taking up that energy.

The primary consumers are the organisms that consume the primary producers.  In a terrestrial ecosystem, it could be a herbivore like a cow or a goat or it could even be a man.  When a goat is consumed by man, he becomes the secondary consumer.

Learn more about Biogeochemical Cycle here in detail.

As the energy goes one level up, the food chain also moves up. Each level in the food chain is called a trophic level. The different trophic levels are Primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers and quaternary consumers.

Example of food chain

Grass (Producer) —–Goat (Primary Consumer) —– Man (Secondary consumer)

When dead organic matter becomes the starting of a food chain, then it is called the detritus food chain (DFC). The decomposers, which are the fungi and bacteria , feed on the organic matter to meet the energy requirements. The digestive enzymes secreted by the decomposers help in the breakdown of the organic matter into inorganic materials.

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Browse more topics under ecosystem.

• Components of Ecosystem
• Ecological Pyramid and Ecological Succession
• Biogeochemical Cycle

Many interconnected food chains make up a food web. When you look at the larger picture, a food web shows a realistic representation of the energy flow through different organisms in an ecosystem.

Learn more about Components of Ecosystem here in detail.

Sometimes, a single organism gets eaten by many predators or it eats many other organisms. This is when a food chain doesn’t represent the energy flow in a proper manner because there are many trophic levels that interconnect. This is where a food web comes into place. It shows the interactions between different organisms in an ecosystem.

The following diagram shows the energy flow between various organisms through a food web.

Solved Questions For You

Q: Name the common detritivores in an ecosystem. Do they play a significant role? Support your answer.

Ans:   Earthworms, dung beetles, and sea cucumbers are some of the common detritivores in an ecosystem. They play a crucial role in the ecosystem, by decomposing the dead organic matter.

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Director-General QU Dongyu

Virtual davos world economic forum: transforming food systems and land use, by dr qu dongyu, fao director-general.

Virtual Davos World Economic Forum

Transforming food systems and land use

SPEECH BY FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL, Dr QU DONGYU

27 January 2021

Thank you, 1. I am pleased to be here and to join talk on how to scale actions to transform agri-food systems – which are even are more complex than pure food systems – to improve the lives of farmers in an inclusive and resilient manner by “Grow, Nourish and Sustain, together”.

2. Agri-food systems are central to all 7.8 billion consumers and more specifically to the livelihoods of 5 billion people around the globe (including over 1.1 billion people in poverty) who are living and working in rural areas.

3. Addressing the future of agri-food systems requires a holistic view covering many topics such as agricultural production, climate change (including natural and man-made disasters), value chain efficiency, demographics, inclusion, consumer demands, land use, biodiversity and the environmental footprint, as well as innovation, food technology, transboundary pests and diseases, nutrition and health.

4. We have to act now and build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for the future.

5. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to speed-up the action. It has caused significant disruptions to agri-food systems and the global economic downturn is expected to make this situation worse and more pressing.

6. More and more millions of people still go hungry during the pandemic. At the same time too much of the food we produce is lost and wasted. It will be threatening to reverse the progress achieved over the last two decades.

7. The transformation of agri-food systems is at the heart of FAO’s mandate to provide safer, more affordable and healthier diets for the world’s rapidly growing population (10 billion at 2050).

8. At FAO, we also see this crisis forcing all Members to step up for green recovery and agri-food systems transformation.

9. FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme harnesses science, technology, data, human enterprise and creativity to build back better. We have just initiated a new Strategic Framework. Moving towards achieving the SDGs, especially SDG1, SDG2 and SDG10, we focus on a new strategy based on the new vision of “4 Betters”: better production, better nutrition, better environment and better lives, by the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. We have 194 Members and we have to build One FAO, taking into consideration all the Members. Each of them has a voice to be heard and an interest in what we have to offer in service to them.

10. Solidarity, urgency, accountability and action are required.

11. As leaders we need to coordinate joint responses and global synergistic action before it is too late.

12. The convening of the UN Food Systems Summit by the Secretary-General, Mr Guterres aims to catalyse and highlight such public, private and civil society engagement.

13. Land is mother for human beings and biodiversity, the basis for economy, society and environment, and vital for productivity and sustainability of agri-food systems.

14. In the face of climate change, effective land use and sustainable land management are urgently needed to maximize agricultural productivity, while minimizing the negative environmental impacts.

15. Innovation on differentiated use of different types of lands, from fertile land to a semi-dry land, combines human creativity, technology, science and entrepreneurship. In that sense, we need the engagement of the private sector. As well as strong support from civil society and academia. We want to build a big partnership.

16. The beauty of innovation is that it is a process which we can accelerate and engineer for any system to adapt to new conditions. The development of COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution at record speed shows how we can innovate in the face of overwhelming global challenges. For us at FAO, innovation is one of the accelerators to achieve SDGs 1, 2 and 10. That’s why at FAO, when I took office, we started the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. From the Hand-in-Hand we launched the Geospatial Data Platform, the Data Lab for Statistical Innovation and the complementary Earth Map developed with Google that will provide Members with valuable real-time data to support strategic decision-making. A Digital FAO has been established at an unprecedented pace.

17. Since the past year, we are now able to operate fully on digital with all six UN languages simultaneously. So, next time we can offer our services to you if CNBC is willing to work with us globally.

18. In just a few months, the COVID-19 crisis has triggered rapid levels of digital transformation across all sectors and geographical regions that would normally take years to achieve.

19. Most of these changes are likely to stick and become structural features in all industries in the long term.

20. We need to go further to harness the power of digital innovation to link rural and small scale producers with consumers by promoting the adoption of digital solutions, such as online platforms for e-commerce, delivery services and marketing, or blockchain technology for better traceability (food safety) and certification schemes, along the value chains and supply chains based cold-chain logistics.

21. Once innovation application to be scaled up will lead to real change.

22. There are digital and e-commerce platforms connecting over 1 million farmers in 10 African countries to essential services, resulting in a 10-12 percent increase in revenues for those farmers. Simple text message services disseminate key market information to farmers in Peru helping to bolster prices for their products by 13-14 percent.

23. Due to the digital gap, for small-scale and family farmers - the most common type of farming in developing countries - poor connectivity, risk aversion, lack of information and money, as well as lack of digital skills and literacy, all contribute to the rural-urban digital divide.

24. Here is that we bring our two other accelerators: the technological innovations are there, like 5G, satellite technologies, and the governance, institutions and human capital needed to ensure that we can help countries and regions facing the digital divide to leapfrog and take advantage of digitalization.

25. Innovation is not only about new technologies, it’s also about financing, networking and new business models to accelerate the transformation process.

26. We need to strengthen rural-urban linkages, increase the capacity of urban and peri-urban producers, improve food cold-chain facilities, upgrade transportation and promote effective food procurement.

27. We also need stronger policies, more and greener investments and strengthened capacities to scale up innovations and achieve the necessary magnitude of impact required to meet the SDGs.

28. Innovative financing models are coming to the fore. For example, FAO supports the EU and Development Finance Institutions investment in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that list inclusivity and sustainability among their goals. Working together to build a blended finance ecosystem.

29. They can potentially unlock massive resources, greatly contributing to the transformation of agri-food systems and setting investors along a path to carbon neutrality from one commodity to another, from one sector to another. Finally, we will be able to aim carbon neutral society.

30. Already, private investors are signalling their willingness to invest sustainably.

31. In 2018, 86 percent of the top 500 listed companies in the US stock market now publish sustainability reports. This was just 20 percent in 2011.

32. But it is clear that the private sector can do much more and better!

33. We at FAO have recently adopted a modern FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement, which enables us to enhance our strategic partnerships, scale up and steer all our efforts to jointly achieve the SDGs.

34. Building green and inclusive agri-food systems is one of the most powerful ways to recover from this crisis, respond to climate change, inequalities (between urban and rural, between man and women, between the rich and the poor) and increase our resilience against future challenges.

35. Transforming our agri-food systems, requires a 360 degrees approach incorporating innovations from multiple sectors (infrastructure, energy, R&D, education etc) and making structural investments that include smallholders who are both the engine of world food production and the most vulnerable components of the system.

36. To do so, we need to bring profitability back into farming and prepare farmers (the millions of women and youth) to become fundamental actors of change.

37. Investing our main actors for physical capital and for human capital will be effectively transforming agri-food system on the ground. Focusing on youth will have a multiple-fold benefit with revitalizing rural development. If we succeed, tomorrow’s farmers will contribute to inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems and those will keep our traditional civilization going on for generations to come.

Ladies and gentlemen,

38. The pandemic has underscored the need for transformed agri-food systems to survive and thrive.

39. Together we must create an enabling environment through better policies, more investment and strengthened institutions, infrastructure and capacities that will allow innovation to flourish. And we must be inclusive, so that all benefit from the results.

40. We need to move from talking together to working together, bringing the public and private sectors together by partnership to a better future for people and planet.

41. FAO stand ready to partner with you in this ambitious ‘Great Reset’ of our agri-food systems!

42. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!

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Food Security is a Global Challenge

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I am honoured to have been invited to mark the opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment.

The challenges you are focussing on could hardly be more important. Nor could your timing better underline their urgency.

Only last week the UN marked the world’s population reaching seven billion. And it was just 13 years earlier, in Sarajevo, where the world celebrated the birth of the six billionth child.

This growth has been driven by great advances in healthcare, higher levels of prosperity, and longer life expectancy.

But these achievements are marred by the knowledge that our successes go hand in hand with a shameful failure.

For almost one in seven people on our planet will today not have enough to eat.

Addressing this failure, urgent as it is, will be made much harder by climate change.

For rising temperatures and more frequent severe weather will have a disastrous impact on the availability and productivity of agricultural land.  Indeed they already are.

It is these two inter-linked global challenges- food security in an era of climate change, and their impact on our ambitions for a fairer and more secure world that I want to talk about today.

I will focus in particular on the challenges and opportunities that currently exist in Africa.

Ladies and gentlemen, we live at a time of great contrasts.

New technologies and the benefits of globalisation have created greater prosperity and more opportunity than ever before.

But this progress has not been shared evenly.

Hundreds of millions of our fellow citizens continue to live in poverty, and without dignity.

At the heart of this global inequality lies food and nutrition insecurity.

The lack of food security for almost one billion people is an unconscionable moral failing.

But it is also a major brake on overall socio-economic development.

It affects everything from the health of an unborn child to economic growth.

But despite the increase in our knowledge and capabilities, instead of seeing a reduction in the number of people going hungry, we are seeing an increase.

According to the World Bank, rapidly rising food prices during 2010 and 2011 pushed an additional 70 million people into extreme poverty.

We also know that we will have to find food to feed many more mouths in the coming decades.

Recent projections warn that the number of people may not stabilize at nine billion, as was forecast only two years ago, but could surpass 10 billion by the end of the century.

At the same time, greater prosperity in developing countries will see three billion people moving up the food chain with a growing appetite for meat and dairy products.

So grain, once used to feed people, is increasingly being switched to feed animals.

And rising oil prices have brought greater competition from heavily subsidized agro or bio fuels.

These factors alone could lead to demand for food increasing by 70 per cent by 2050.

This would be a tough enough challenge. But it is only half of a dangerous equation.

For we are facing new constraints on food production of which the most severe is climate change.

Climate change is an all-encompassing threat to our health, security, and stability.

It will have a major impact on fresh water resources and the productivity of the land.

Some experts warn that we may still be badly under-estimating the damaging long-term impact of climate change on food supply.

What is certain is that rising temperatures and changes to rainfall patterns are already affecting crop yields negatively.

This is a terrible legacy to leave our children. Yet so far, our generation of leaders – including those here in the United States – have failed to find the vision or courage to tackle it.

This is despite the last 12 months seeing record-setting floods and snowstorms, prolonged drought, and devastating wildfires here in the United States.

Worldwide, 20 countries in 2010 experienced new record-high temperatures; a heat wave in Russia proved the deadliest in human history; and the current flooding in Thailand highlights that the threat of extreme weather events driven by man-made climate change is growing.

Yet those arguing, here and elsewhere, for urgent action and a focus on opportunities to green our economies, still find themselves drowned out by those with short-term and vested interests.

This lack of long-term collective vision and leadership is inexcusable. It has global repercussions, and it will be those least responsible for climate change- the poorest and most vulnerable, that will pay the highest price.

Populations in developing regions which are heavily reliant on rain water for crops will immediately feel the impact of rising temperatures and water shortages.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, crop yields from rain-fed farmlands are forecast to fall as much as 50% by the end of this century, while 8% of fertile land is expected to be transformed into dustbowls, useless for cultivation or grazing.

These damaging changes are taking place in a continent where agriculture has already suffered badly from sustained lack of investments.

A lack of investment in research, human resource development and infrastructure means that cereal yields are a quarter of the world’s average, and have barely increased in 30 years.

As a result, Africa – the continent where the biggest future growth in population is projected – is already failing to produce enough food to feed its own peoples.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the deeply worrying backdrop against which the work of this Centre will begin.

It is why no challenge is in greater need of the innovation and intellectual rigour for which this university is internationally renowned.

But there are also signs of hope and opportunities to be seized.

First – and almost counter-intuitively – the rise in food prices may help us find solutions, provided we can find mechanisms to protect the vulnerable and prevent price volatility.

It is not so much the rise in food prices as the speed of the increases which has caused so much hardship.

The price of food has, in fact, fallen in real terms for much of the last three decades.

While this has been good for every consumer, particularly those in the developed world, it has damaged many rural communities and the long-term global supply of food.

If prices are artificially low, farmers are denied a fair return as well as the incentive and means to increase food production.

In contrast, more stable higher prices can encourage investment, stimulate production, and hold down prices in the future.

We urgently need to find ways of dampening extreme volatility in food prices, particularly the excessive speculation in agricultural commodities which causes it.

Maintaining and managing adequate food stocks is, I believe, crucial to managing price fluctuations.

Second, by applying known tools, techniques and support, Africa and its smallholder farmers can make a major contribution to global food security.

It may now be the only continent which can not feed its own people.

But it also contains some 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land.

Even without bringing more land into cultivation, boosting cereal yields to just half the world’s average would turn Africa into a major food surplus region.

So our ability to achieve global food security will rely in no small part on our success in supporting a uniquely African Green Revolution.

What are the elements which will make up this transformation in productivity?

It must be a revolution which draws from the lessons, positive and negative, of what has happened elsewhere including in Asia.

It must also be ‘climate smart’ so the productivity of land, and intensity of farming can be increased, while the negative environmental impacts are diminished.

I hope this is an area where the Centre on Food Security and the Environment can make a major contribution to finding solutions.

They must be solutions which draw from the knowledge of local communities and can be put into practice by small-holder farmers.

Four out of five Africans, many of them women and almost all working on farms of two hectares or less, depend on agriculture to provide for their families.

Even now, small holder farmers continue to produce the majority of Africa’s food.

They must be at the heart of the agricultural revolution we need to see.

This is the approach that informs the work of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa or AGRA – the organisation which I have the honour of chairing.

It is early days yet. But our focus on smallholder farmers, staple crops and key breadbasket areas is helping fight hunger.

It is also supporting farmers to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

In Tanzania, for example, the farmers in the southern highlands now plant early-maturing maize to escape the damage caused by an increasingly short and unreliable rainy season.

In West Africa, over 300,000 farmers are using micro-dosing techniques to boost sorghum yields with only one-third of the recommended fertilizer.

Our programmes are contributing to climate change resilience. But none of us must kid ourselves. Without action at the global level to address climate change we will see farmers across Africa – and in many other parts of the world including here in America – forced to leave their land.

The result will be mass migration, growing food shortages, loss of social cohesion, and even political instability.

So we must hope that the Climate talks in Durban next month move us towards a universal and fair framework to tackle climate change.

We need concerted action to reduce global emissions and protect citizens and countries against the impact of climate change.

Key to such an agreement, of course, will be recapturing the sense of common purpose based on shared values – something we seem to have lost in recent years. This is also necessary to drive the increased co-operation needed to deliver food and nutrition security.

We have to find the courage to redress the unacceptable inequality in the governance of agricultural policies and unfair trade rules.

We have to find the commitment required to reverse, even in these tough financial times, the short-sighted cuts in development assistance.

This has fallen, according to Oxfam, by 70 per cent in real terms over the last two decades.

The amount given now is equivalent to around one dollar for every 80 richer countries spent on supporting their own farmers – often at the expense of those in the developing world.

It is re-assuring that both national governments and international organisations understand this trend has to be reversed.

The US ‘Feed the Future’ initiative is a welcome example of the sort of initiative needed.

It demonstrates an understanding that feeding those most in need is not simply a moral imperative, but a necessary means to global growth, prosperity and international stability.

We need to make sure that all these promises of extra support from richer countries are kept and involve additional funds rather than the repackaging of existing financial commitments.

There is a pressing need for these funds to be invested in research and development – something that is at the heart of this Centre’s work.

Despite improvements in the productivity and efficiency of the global food system brought about by agricultural research, nowhere near enough resources are dedicated to the agricultural challenges of the developing world.

New crops and techniques are critical to boosting harvests and ensuring land stays productive despite climate change.

We need a much greater focus from institutions, such as this Centre, on working with your African counterparts.

Indeed, it is partnerships which hold out the greatest hope of finding solutions to the challenges we face and rolling them out to the farmers in the fields.

Through our work with AGRA, I have been able to see for myself just what effective partnerships and networks can achieve.

We are co-operating closely with governments, UN agencies, financial institutions, foundations, and members of the private sector to develop Africa’s breadbaskets and support smallholder farmers.

In collaboration with national and international research systems, for example, we are providing better seeds for farmers.

With the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, we are working to double Africa’s rice production by 2018.

And together with local commercial banks, AGRA and its partners have already mobilized significant amounts in affordable loans through credit guarantees.

But there is much, much more to be done.

Reshaping the global agricultural system in ways that alleviate hunger, end poverty, and promote sustainable development, requires us to work together more effectively.

The survival of one billion people – the weakest and most vulnerable on the planet – depends upon us finding answers to hunger now.

The future of nine billion plus people depends on us putting in place the right policies and systems to deliver food security in an environmentally sustainable manner within a few decades.

And the fate of our global community, our hopes for a just and peaceful world in which we work together to achieve shared goals, depends on us finding the courage to work for the benefit of all.

With the inauguration of this Centre you have placed yourselves at the forefront of these efforts.

With this facility, and the creative thinkers and inquisitive minds for which Stanford is famous, you are well equipped to undertake research which advances our knowledge, and helps to shape our response to the many global challenges we face.

And with the resources at your disposal, you also have the capacity to actively engage to influence policy, implement solutions, and make a tangible and significant contribution to the lives of the most vulnerable people on the planet.

So I wish you courage and vision, and above all, success, in all your future endeavours.

Your Article Library

Food chain: useful essay on food chain (463 words).

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Food Chain: Useful Essay on Food Chain!

In nature, we generally distinguish two general types of food chains: of razing food chain and detritus food chain. The Grazing food chain starts from the living green plants, goes to grazing herbivores (that feed on living plant materials with their predators), and on to carnivores (animal eaters).

Ecosystems with such type of food chain are directly dependent on an influx of solar radiation. This type of chain thus depends on autotrophic energy capture and the movement of this captured energy to herbivores.

Most of the ecosystems in nature follow this type of food chain. From energy standpoint, these chains are very important. The phytoplankton’s – zooplanktons – fish sequence or the grasses – rabbit- fox sequence are the examples of grazing food chain.

The Detritus Food chain goes from dead organic matter into microorganisms and then to organisms feeding on detritus (detritivores) and their predators. Such ecosystems are thus less dependent on direct solar energy. These depend chiefly on the influx of organic matter produced in another system. A good example of a detritus food chain is based on mangrove leaves.

All the animals are detritus consumers. These detritivores are the key group of small animals, comprising only a few species but very large number of individuals. They ingest large amounts of the vascular plant detritus. These animals are in turn eaten by some minnows and small game fish etc. that is the small carnivores, which in turn serve as the main food for larger game fish and fish eating birds which are the large (top) carnivores.

The mangroves considered generally as of less economic value make a substantial contribution to the food chain that supports the fisheries, an important economy in that region. Similarly detritus from sea grasses, salt marsh grasses and seaweeds support fisheries in many estuarine areas.

Thus the detritus food chain ends up in a manner similar to the grazing food chain (big fish eat little fish), but the way in which the two chains begin is quite different. In detritus chain, the detritus consumers, in contrast to grazing herbivores, are a mixed group in terms of trophic levels.

These include herbivores, omnivores and primary carnivores. As a group, the detritus feeders obtain some of their energy directly from plant material, most of it secondarily from microorganisms, and some territorially through carnivores (for example by eating protozoa or other small invertebrates that have fed or bacteria that have digested plant material).

But under natural situations, system must always be self sufficient. In fact this type of food chain (detritus type) is simply a sub-component of another ecosystem. And, the above said two types of food chain in nature are indeed linked together belonging to the same ecosystem.

Related Articles:

• Food Chains: Useful notes on Food Chains (explained with diagram) | Ecology
• Food Chain: Short Notes on Concept and Types of Food Chain

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World Food Programme: Nobel Peace Prize lecture

Watch the Nobel lecture here (starting at 23:00 mins)

On April 10th, 1815, 6,000 miles away from here, on an island in Indonesia, a volcano erupted. It sent a massive plume of ash into the air that eventually encircled the globe. A year later, 1816 became “the year without a summer.” 

Incessant rains fell here in Norway, Britain, China and the US It snowed 20 inches in July in Boston. Crops failed. Livestock died. People starved. Food riots. Looting. Burning of cities. Floods of refugees. Epidemics of typhus. And it took decades to recover. Millions died in places just like this — the worst famine of the 19th century. 

No one saw it coming. With famine, no one ever does, until it’s too late. I’m here to say: This time we see it coming, as clear as day, and it will affect us all. Unless we act.

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and friends around the world, thank you. As you said in your announcement, we do ‘combat hunger’. We do improve “conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas”. And most of all, we are “a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.” That’s the World Food Programme: saving lives, changing lives.

Please imagine if you would, that standing with me on this platform are the 20,000 peacemakers of the World Food Programme, who lay down their lives every day for this mission. We remember in our hearts at this moment all those who have died for the mission of making peace with food. On the behalf of all of us, and all of our UN partners, thank you, Norwegian Nobel Committee, for this great honour.

Together we believe food is the pathway to peace. What is the greatest problem facing humankind? What is our greatest threat to peace?

Working with 115 million people in 80 countries, day-in and day-out, the women and men of WFP have gained a unique perspective. We have learned that there is great richness in those who are seen, in the eyes of the world, as 'the poor'. And many of us who are considered “rich” are actually poor in the things that matter most.

Division is the greatest problem. It is known by many names: brokenness; polarization; alienation; discrimination; hatred; and war. Division’s most stark expression right now is the divide between the wealth of billionaires, who earned an additional US$1.8 trillion during this pandemic, and the hundreds of millions of people who go to bed hungry every night.

Allow me to break down the facts of hunger as they stand right now. 811 million people are chronically hungry. 283 million are in hunger crises – they are marching toward starvation.

And within that, 45 million in 43 countries across the globe are in hunger emergencies – in other words, famine is knocking on their door.

Places like Afghanistan. Madagascar. Myanmar. Guatemala. Ethiopia. Sudan. South Sudan. Mozambique. Niger. Syria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Haiti and on and on and on. The world has often experienced famine. But when has it ever been so widespread, in so many places, at the same time?

Why? Three reasons. First, man-made conflict. Dozens of civil wars and regional conflicts are raging, and hunger has been weaponized to achieve military and political objectives.

Second, climate shocks/climate change. Floods, droughts, locusts and rapidly changing weather patterns have created severe crop failures around the world. Third, COVID-19. The viral pandemic has created a secondary hunger pandemic, which is far worse than the first. Shutdowns destroyed livelihoods. Shutdowns stopped the movement of food. Shutdowns inflated prices. The net result is the poor of the world are priced out of survival.

The ripple effect of COVID has been devastating on the global economy. During the pandemic, US$3.7 trillion in incomes – mostly among the poor – have been wiped out, while food prices are spiking. The cost of shipping food, for example, has increased 300-400 per cent. But in places of conflict and low-income countries, it is even worse.  For example, in Aleppo, Syria – a war zone, where I just returned from – food is now seven times more expensive than it was two years ago. The combined effect of these three – conflict, climate and COVID – has created an unprecedented perfect storm. 

What do we do about it? The first thing we need to do is restore our moral compass. The highest standard of humanity has always been the Golden Rule. It is part of all religions and cultures – and it is the foundation of the culture of the World Food Programme every day. 

I learned it growing up as a child as it was articulated by Jesus of Nazareth: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” or “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

I have learned that a more accurate way to translate that from the ancient Hebrew would be: “Love your neighbour as your equal.” Seeing my neighbour as my equal changes everything.

If I love my neighbour as my equal, racism, sexism and every other divisive “ism” disappears. And to my way of thinking, we are equals because we are all created in the image of God. Each and every one of us is very special and yet we are equals.

Regardless of your religious views or your views of creation, we can all agree on the practical significance of every single person being equal and most importantly: being treated equally. 

It had been a very long day in the rubble of war-stricken Yemen. We were visiting a children’s hospital. In one room, I spotted a pair of little feet, sticking out from under the covers. And I thought about my two daughters when they were little and I said to myself, “I’m going to tickle those little feet.”

I did. But she didn’t giggle, she didn’t smile, she didn’t even move. She just stared with empty eyes. It was like tickling a ghost.  I went out of the room and I wept. Too late. We got there too late.

Our failure to see this little girl as our neighbour, our sister, our equal has created all the consequences of her tragic life: war, starvation and … those empty eyes. On her behalf, I must express the urgency of this hour: the global threat of famine for millions and millions of our brothers and sisters, our neighbours, our equals.

You heard this fact from me earlier: 45 million people in 43 countries, knocking on famine’s door – and it is within our power to save them. They are already desperately hungry and are just one weather system, one military manouevre, one price spike or one supply chain blockage away from being plunged into catastrophe. 

This is why I have made a one-time, emergency appeal for $6.6 billion from the billionaires of the world. Is that too much to ask from those who reaped $1.8 trillion more during the pandemic?

The good news is that we have proven systems in place at the World Food Programme to feed them. Last year we reached 115 million children, women and men and we averted famine.  But the bad news now is with COVID recycling, with devastating ripple effects, we are over US$6 billion short of the funds we need to reach everyone who is knocking on famine’s door. We just need the funds to scale up our programs to meet this greater need.

If you won’t help your neighbour, your equal, out of the goodness of your heart, then do it out of your national security interest and your financial self-interest. Case in point: we can support the hungry in Syria with food for less than 50 cents a day. The total support cost of that same person in Germany is around U$70 a day. The five-year cost of supporting one million Syrian refugees in Germany has been U$125 billion; U$70 dollars a day versus 50 cents. Which makes better sense?

If we don’t avert famine now, there will be destabilization of nations, and mass migration, and it will cost us a thousand times more. On this platform 42 years ago, Mother Teresa said, “The poor are very wonderful people… The poor are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things… The poor give us much more than we give them… They’re such strong people, living day to day with no food…We have much to learn from them.”

That is why our motivation to help the poor should go much deeper than self-interest. The poor can teach those of us who live in the wealthy world things that we can’t learn any other way.

A couple years ago, I was being interviewed for a television programme and after we finished, the reporter said, “You’ve the greatest job in the world, saving the lives of those millions of people.”

I said, “I do. I really do. But I’m going to tell you something that you haven’t thought of, that is going to bother you. I don’t go to bed thinking about the children we saved. I go to bed weeping over the children that we could not save. And, when we don’t have enough money and the access we need, we have to decide which children eat and which children do not eat – which children live, and which children die? How would you like that job?”

Please don’t ask us to choose who eats and who doesn’t eat, who lives who and who dies. So, let me close with four Golden Rule action steps on how we can love our neighbours.

1. Leaders of the world, in America, in China, in Russia, in India, the Gulf states, the EU, the UK and elsewhere: We need you to assert your power and stop all these horrible wars. The global cost of violence and conflict is $15 trillion every year. We could solve every problem on earth with that money. 2. Billionaires of the world , give us the $6.6 billion we need to prevent famine now and save 45 million lives now. 3 . And then, billionaires, give us your creative genius to reinvent food security all over the world. Charity is important, but it will never be enough. You know how to revolutionize phones, cars, rockets, and retail. Help us revolutionize how the planet eats. And 4. Let’s break down all the divisions of the world the old-fashioned way – by sitting down together and breaking bread. If you’re black, with a white person. If you’re white with a black person, or an Asian or a Latino. If you’re rich, with a poor person. If you’re a liberal, with a conservative. You get my point.  That’s the very best way to learn how to be equals and to realize how special and wonderful and beautiful everybody on this planet is.  In the spirit of Alfred Nobel, as inscribed on this medal… “Peace and Brotherhood.”  For the love of the children of the world – let’s feed them all.

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Now is the time to act, related stories.

World Food Programme chief lauds front line staff and partners after Nobel Peace Prize win

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Shifting the burden of food loss and waste

Our food systems and consumption practices are major contributors to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. This reality resonated at the UN Food Systems Summit held last week, where we heard more than 100 member states, companies and foundations commit to addressing the critical need for a complete overhaul of our food systems. There is now significant political will at the country-level to work on food systems. And an immediate to-do item for us is to begin with addressing food loss and waste.

Food loss and waste account for up to ten per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. They use up precious land and water resources for, essentially, nothing. Look, we will never eliminate food waste and loss. But putting a serious dent in them will help us to slow climate change, protect nature and increase food security – at a time when we desperately need these things to happen.

The challenge we face is that consumer food waste is a far bigger problem than previously thought, and one that affects middle-income countries as well as high-income countries. UNEP’s Food Waste Index report found that households, food services and retail wasted 931 million tonnes of food in 2019, around 17 per cent of all food available for human consumption. Households generate an average 74kg per person per year, more than the body weight of an average person.

But while these findings are disturbing, they are a necessary step in the right direction. We cannot address a problem correctly unless we know it’s full scale and character. Measuring food waste is key to create a case for action, target hotspots, evaluate the impact of interventions and track progress to 2030.

So, the Food Waste Index Report is a direct contribution towards achieving, SDG12.3 which aims at halving per capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels. And, to accelerate action, UNEP is launching Regional Food Waste Working Groups, in Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and West Asia. These groups will provide technical support and peer-to-peer learning, helping countries measure baselines using a globally applicable methodology and develop national food waste prevention strategies.

Friends, f ood waste reduction offers multiple benefits .

Food security. Cost savings at all levels. Climate mitigation. A reduced burden on, and pollution of, land and water. Protection for biodiversity by using existing agricultural land more efficiently and so reducing the push for expansion. Countries must be bold and seize these benefits by measuring food waste, integrating food waste into their national climate plans and acting on sustainable cold chains.

In particular, sustainable cold chain is a transformational opportunity to reduce food loss, improve food security and boost farmers’ livelihoods. Efforts like the Cool Coalition and Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), led by UNEP, can accelerate the uptake of sustainable cold chain solutions in the agriculture and health sectors, throughout Africa and beyond.

Equally, the new Food is Never Waste Coalition presents an opportunity for countries, cities, the private sector and others to signal their commitment to meeting SDG 12.3. This Coalition was launched last week at the the UN Food Systems Summit. Twelve countries and the C40 Cities group have already joined. I call on other partners to join the fight.

We must also never forget that we have a personal and professional responsibility to reduce food waste. Pretty much every person listening here today has, I am sure, wasted food in the last week. Perhaps some leftovers that got shoved behind the milk, or ingredients for that culinary masterpiece we ran out of time to cook. Every organization represented, I am sure, could do more to reduce food waste in their cafeterias when staff start to return in numbers. We need to do everything we can: not just for the direct impact, but to set the example and show it can be done.

So, yes, the burden of food waste and loss is heavy. But if we all get our shoulders beneath this burden, we can shift it.

Inger Andersen

Executive Director

Further Resources

• UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021

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Food Chaining 101: Expanding Your Picky Eater’s Food Variety

What is Food Chaining?

Food chaining is a method that helps a child feel safe with a wider variety of foods. There could be many reasons that your child has developed aversions to certain foods including stomach pain from an undiagnosed allergy, an inability to physically swallow certain consistencies, early experiences with feeding tubes, or a sensory processing disorder. Whatever their trigger is, your child feels threatened by these unfamiliar foods. Food chaining allows your child to move foods out of the scary mental box and into the safe mental box.  

A food chain is a gradation of similar foods. For example, a child who eats only orange Cheetos may accept white cheddar Cheetos, then veggie sticks, then carrot sticks, then actual carrots. Each food must be similar to the preferred food in texture, taste, or color. Another example might be for a child who does not enjoy wet foods, but tolerates apples. He begins with apple bites, then moves to apples dipped in applesauce, to applesauce with large apple chunks, to applesauce alone. The progression takes place over several sessions, and each step on that progression involves a sensory chain of touching to fingers, touching to lips, taking a bite and spitting it out, chewing a bite and spitting out, and finally taking a bite and swallowing it.  

How Can I Use It?

Please do not attempt to start a food chain by yourself! If you have a picky eater, a Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist or Feeding Therapist) can help you determine the cause of your child’s aversion, screen for swallowing disorders, and identify the food chain progression that would be best for your child. Pushing a child to eat foods that he/she physically cannot handle without professional consultation could lead to food going into the lungs instead of the stomach resulting in pneumonia and hospitalization.  

What Can I Do?

Before the Evaluation:  

• Take note of what your child is willing to eat, and how much they eat. 
• Offer new foods and notice how they refuse (do they gag? Push away? Cry? Choke? Get down from table?)
• If your mealtimes are consistent already, be prepared to tell your therapist what is normal in your home. If not, try to have meals around the same time each day with a routine that lets your child know it is time to eat. (See  https://www.mysidekicktherapy.com/importance-mealtime-routine-children-feeding-difficulties/ ).
• Provide choices for your child when offering new foods. Choices give your child a sense of control and decreases their stress even though you are still controlling what those choices are. 
• Reward your child for good behavior even if there is a large amount of negative behavior. Change will not happen overnight, and feeding will be much more enjoyable for you and your child if you celebrate the baby steps on the way there. 

During the therapy session:

• Communicate with your therapist about your observations at home about what your child will accept and their behaviors when they refuse. 
• Have foods with a variety of textures on hand: applesauce, crackers, bread, fruit cups, oatmeal, yogurt, meat. 
• Talk to your therapist about goal foods that you want your child to eat. 
• Observe your child’s response to the structure and prompts of the therapist. 

  During your mealtimes:  

• Be consistent with the routine and structure your therapist recommends for mealtimes. Structure can eliminate a stress around mealtime so your child has more emotional bandwidth to try foods he/she thinks are unsafe. 
• Watch your child for obvious signs of aspiration such as coughing and choking, but also watch for increased eye watering, nose running, and a gurgly voice quality. 
• Introduce at least one new food each day. Even if your child refuses, you are setting the tone that picky eating is not the norm in your home. 

A feeding disorder can present in many ways including an inability to drink enough milk, difficulty transitioning from milk to solid foods, choking and gagging at mealtime, refusal to eat all but certain foods, and more. If you have concerns about your child’s feeding development, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (865) 693-5622 . Whether your child is having physical difficulty swallowing or you are having negative behavioral situations, a feeding therapist can benefit both your child and your entire family by reducing stress for you and your child at mealtime.

-Brianna Teague Scanlan M.S. CCC-SLP

Tags: Feeding Food Chaining

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7 Steps To Food Chaining For Picky Eaters

Time to read.

If you’re a parent of a picky eater , you might wonder “how do I get from Point A ( what they eat now ) to Point B ( what I want them to eat )?”

For example, I know they love chicken nuggets and french fries, but how do I get them to eat grilled chicken and roasted sweet potatoes? 

This is where a concept called “food chaining” comes in. Food chaining is essentially just creating stepping stones between point A and point B. Instead of just going straight to the goal, we create baby steps all the way there. Slow and steady wins the race!

In the picture below we have a chicken nugget on one side and grilled chicken on the other. They are connected by a chain. In this visual each link would be a food that is a just noticeable step towards our goal. 

We use concepts from our previous posts to both connect and progress. 

Each step (link) should include a change in preferably just one of the following:

• Color or other visual
• Temperature

Each step (link) should ALSO be similar to the previous step in at least one of the following:

7 Steps To Food Chaining

Let’s go through the process of creating a food chain for our example above.

Link 1: Chicken nuggets

• Qualities: round, crunchy and chewy, salty, warm, uniform color (tan)

Link 2: Chicken nuggets cut in half

• Why: changes the shape and exposes small amount of inside (similar to what grilled chicken looks like)
• Similar to previous in: Flavor, Texture, Temperature, Smell

Link 3: Chicken nuggets cut in half and reheated in microwave (instead of oven).

• Why: maintains progress from the previous link and changes the texture to be less crunchy. Grilled chicken does not have a crunchy coating, so we are leaving the flavor but changing the texture to be more similar. 
• Similar to previous link in: flavor, temperature, smell, shape, color

Link 4: Chicken nuggets with breading removed

• Why: we change the visual appearance and texture by removing the outer coating, which creates a presentation more similar to grilled chicken.
• Similar to previous link in: Flavor, Temperature, Shape, Smell

Link 5: Ground chicken formed into similar shape and baked (add seasoning)

• Why: This changes the texture mainly, as well as flavor and visual slightly. 
• Similar to previous link in: temperature, shape, and somewhat in flavor/visual

Link 6: Chicken breast/thighs cut into similar size and baked/ sauteed

• Why: baking or sautéing will hopefully allow for a more uniform golden brown color. It will introduce a new texture bringing us closer to our target food.
• Similar to previous link in: temperature, shape, flavor, smell

Link 7: Grill chicken and cut into similar size pieces

• Why: grilling will slightly change the flavor, as well as visual (if grill marks are present)
• Similar to previous link in: temperature, shape, smell, texture

WE MADE IT!

Here are a few things to consider when going through this food chaining process:

• Each link takes time! It won’t necessarily happen overnight, you might need to stay on one step for a while until they become comfortable interacting and eating that food.
• Sometimes a step is too large, and you get to add an additional step in between. What we think is a baby step may turn out to be a giant leap.
• Be sure to keep these exposures and steps lighthearted and fun! PLAY PLAY PLAY!
• Sometimes it can be helpful to offer the previous step food with the new step food, to emphasize similarities and create comfort with the next step. For example offering a whole chicken nugget with the nuggets cut in half.

Experiment and have fun! Trust yourself to think of new ideas and create your own little stepping stones for your child. It is a marathon, not a race–so we encourage you to have fun and enjoy the journey. As always, when in doubt, play with your food!!

Need more help with your picky eater? Schedule a free consult today!

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• Remarks by Frank Yiannas on World Food Safety Day 2021 at National Environmental Health Association/Environmental Health Australia Event - 06/07/2021

Speech | Virtual

Event Title Remarks by Frank Yiannas on World Food Safety Day 2021 at National Environmental Health Association/Environmental Health Australia Event June 7, 2021

(Remarks as prepared for delivery)

Every year, June 7 is World Food Safety Day and, every year, it becomes even clearer that all nations must stand together to help keep people all over the world safe and healthy.

As we’ve learned from COVID-19, infectious diseases know no borders. The same is true of foodborne illness. In a global food system, if foodborne disease exists somewhere in the world, it can exist anywhere in the world. 

The theme of this day – “Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow” – speaks volumes. It conveys that how we produce food today affects the health and safety of people, animals, and even the planet tomorrow.   For each and every one of you who work to protect consumers from unsafe food, your legacy is the preservation of health and of life itself.  You will never know how many lives are saved, how you’ve improved the quality of life for others, or how our world is more vital and sustainable because of your efforts, but your impact is real and lasting.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization launched the first World Food Safety Day in 2019 and they’ve taken this stand: Food Safety is Everyone’s Business. They’re right. In a large, global food system, no single country, no single food producer, regardless of their size, can ensure food safety alone.

Food safety requires collaboration.  It’s a shared responsibility and we’ve all got a stake in this. Therefore, the calls to action on this day go out to governments, food producers, business operators, and consumers – all over the world - to do their part to help ensure that the foods that we buy, sell, eat, and serve to our customers, friends and families are safe and wholesome. .

As nations continue to combat the danger that is COVID-19, the hope and commitment embodied in World Food Safety Day are more needed now than ever. Not just today, but every day. Not just in my country, but in all of our countries.

From FDA’s Perspective

I’d like to share with you what the U.S. FDA is doing to meet this call to action through our implementation of the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the goals we’ve set for a New Era of Smarter Food Safety  that builds on our FSMA achievements. The commitment embodied in both FSMA and the New Era initiative is to protect consumers from unsafe foods, no matter where in the world that food is produced. The vision embodied in both is that consumers must be secure in the knowledge that everything that can be done is being done to keep the global food supply safe. 

We passed an important milestone this year – the 10th anniversary of the signing of FSMA into law on January 4, 2011. There’s still work to be done, but we’ve accomplished a lot over the past decade. Because of FSMA, those who grow, produce, pack, hold, import and transport our food are now taking concrete steps every day to reduce the risk of contamination. 

Importantly, and as a result of FSMA, there has been a bigger conversation about the importance of food safety over the past decade. This call to action emanated from the halls of  Congress and has traveled to farms, food facilities, corporations, and consumers all over the world. 

We are building on what we have achieved through FSMA with the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative by using new technologies and approaches to build a more digital, traceable and safer food system. We also learned during the pandemic that the New Era is an approach whose time has come.

Striving for Transparency

The virus that causes COVID-19 is not known to be transmitted via food or food packaging, but the pandemic has raised complex food issues for all nations. Early in the pandemic, there were  food system imbalances in the marketplace and temporary shortages of certain commodities. 

In March of last year, we were days away from releasing a blueprint outlining a 10-year plan to implement the New Era initiative when FDA’s attention rightfully shifted to pandemic response. By the time we released the blueprint in July, it was clear that there is an accelerated need for these goals.

For example, both FSMA and the New Era priorities include enhanced traceability of foods to rapidly identify the source of a contaminated food to solve outbreaks sooner and prevent additional illnesses. We learned during the pandemic that enhancing traceability may help create the type of food system transparency needed to anticipate and help manage supply chain disruptions and market imbalances in a public health emergency. 

Focusing on Imports

Another goal of our New Era approach is to evaluate the feasibility of using new regulatory compliance assessment tools, such as remote inspections of foreign and domestic firms with a demonstrated history of compliance. The pandemic hastened the need for alternatives when routine surveillance inspections were temporarily suspended last year before being resumed in July 2020. 

In April 2020 we began remote inspections of importers subject to the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) requirements. The FSVP rule established by FSMA allows FDA to request records electronically from importers to help ensure that their foreign food suppliers are meeting U.S. safety standards. By doing this, we not only didn’t miss a beat in FSVP inspections, we have conducted a record number since March 2020  – more than 1,600. 

We also want to explore the preventive value of new prediction tools that can help make sense of large data streams. We have been conducting a pilot that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to strengthen our ability to predict which shipments of imported goods pose the greatest risk of violation and use that information to better target import review resources.

In August 2020, we announced the findings of a proof of concept application of AI and machine learning models to two years of historical shipment data of seafood. Imagine having a tool that almost triples our ability to know which of millions of shipping containers to examine because they’re more likely to have violative products. The second phase of this pilot was launched this February, applying the AI/ML model to real-world field conditions.

Ordering Safe Foods Online 

FDA also wants to help ensure the safety of foods ordered online and delivered directly to consumers. The way consumers access food continues to evolve from around the corner to around the world and with an ever-changing last mile. Before the pandemic, research indicated that online grocery shopping would have a 20 percent share of consumer food spending within the next few years. But the pandemic has rapidly accelerated this trend, with one study reporting that food retailers saw online sales jump more than 300 percent in the first several months of the pandemic. 

We are planning a New Business Model Summit later this year to gain a greater understanding of evolving direct-to-consumer business models and explore the best ways to address potential food safety vulnerabilities. Here again, the need for best practices has been reinforced and accelerated by COVID-19. 

A New Light on Food Safety Culture

We gained a new perspective during the pandemic on our plans to support the establishment of strong food safety cultures on farms, in food facilities, and even in homes around the world. We will not make dramatic improvements in reducing the burden of foodborne disease without doing more to influence human behavior, especially among social groups whether it be in a business, a country, or a home.  

But embracing a food safety culture also means keeping food workers safe, a priority that has become clear during the pandemic. FDA has worked with our federal regulatory partners to provide the food industry with resources on safe practices to help reduce the risk of infection. We are also using a data analysis tool, called 21 Forward, that we developed last year to monitor the food supply chain to help with vaccination planning by providing states with key information about the location of food and agriculture workers in their counties. 

And with more people cooking at home when restaurants temporarily closed, we recognized – and have responded to -- the need to support consumers with information on best food safety practices in their kitchen.

Taking responsibility and protecting each other is not just the foundation of a food safety culture; it is the belief inherent in both FSMA and the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. It mirrors the underlying theme of World Food Safety Day, that we – government, industry, and consumers – must all work together to help keep each other safe.

The Burden of Foodborne Illness

Too many people are dying from foodborne disease, with an estimated 600 million illnesses –almost 1 in 10 people in the world – and 420,000 deaths annually. In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million get sick and 3,000 people die each year from foodborne illnesses. 

Again, this is not just the responsibility of a single nation. We are all increasingly eating foods from all over the world.  In the U.S., about 15 percent of the food supply is imported from more than 200 countries or territories, including 32 percent of the fresh vegetables, 55 percent of the fresh fruit and at least 94 percent of the seafood that Americans eat each year.  

Food safety is indeed everyone’s business. A World Food Safety Day page at fda.gov has valuable information about how to participate in spreading the word about food safety and what you can do to avoid foodborne illnesses.

World Food Safety Day is a recognition that when it comes to food safety, we all win or lose together.  It’s a commitment that we can win -- no, that we MUST win --  together.

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Opening Speech at WHO/FAO/AU International Food Safety Conference

Your Excellency Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Your Excellency Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture,

Mister José Graziano de Silva, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,

Mister Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo, Director General of the World Trade Organization,

Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer, New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Conference Chairperson

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Like air and water, food is fundamental to life itself. We need it to survive and thrive.

But food is so much more. It’s a source of enjoyment. It’s an expression of culture and faith. It’s an art form. And it brings families, friends and communities together.

Food is an essential part of what it means to be human.

Which is why unsafe food is so unacceptable.

It turns what should be a source of nourishment and enjoyment into a source of disease and death.

Unsafe food is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

And yet food safety has not received the political attention it deserves.

How many people who have diarrhea will consult a doctor? Very few.

If they do, what are the chances the symptom will be linked to contaminated food? Very low.

If food poisoning is diagnosed, will the case be reported to health authorities? Rarely.

Because of massive under-reporting, the global burden of foodborne disease remained unknown until WHO published the first estimates in 2015.

Today, we know that foodborne diseases caused by chemicals, viruses, bacteria and parasites kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.

Those most affected are children under five in Africa and South Asia.

What can we do about this unacceptable situation?

Improving food safety in countries requires sustained investments in several areas, from stronger regulation, to better laboratories, more stringent surveillance and better training and education.

Historically, upgrades to food safety systems have been triggered by large-scale outbreaks of foodborne diseases.

Food safety systems in Europe and other parts of the world were modernized in the 1990s after the emergence of variant CJD, which is associated with eating contaminated beef.

Fortunately, food safety crises like that are rare.

But many outbreaks of foodborne disease are quickly forgotten by policy makers and the public.

Lessons are not learned, the same mistakes are repeated, and people continue to suffer.

Although its effects are felt by individuals, families and communities, food safety is not an issue that can be addressed only with local solutions.

Food markets and food supply chains are now massive global industries.

For example, food grown in country A may be exported to country B for processing. It is then incorporated into a final product in country C, along with other ingredients manufactured in countries D, E, and F. Then it is sold in country G.

If there is a safety problem, recalling food products can be extremely complex – and even more difficult when they are sold over the internet.

All of this means that food safety is everyone’s issue.

We are only as strong as the weakest link.

To connect national food safety systems, WHO and FAO created the International Network of Food Safety Authorities, INFOSAN, more than 10 years ago.

INFOSAN supports countries to manage food safety risks by sharing information, experiences and solutions.

But the level of commitment to this network remains uneven.

I invite you to visit the INFOSAN exhibition booth outside this room and consider how much more your country can contribute to and benefit from this network.

In our globalized world, we must work together.

Food safety is not an issue for one country. It is an issue for every country and every region.

That’s why WHO supports the development of an African food safety agency, to strengthen continent-wide standards and regulations.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Food safety is not only important for fighting hunger and promoting health.

It’s critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Food safety is intimately linked to many other SDGS, including economic growth, innovation, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

As part of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, many countries have made commitments on nutrition, but very few have made commitments on food safety.

But there is no food security without food safety.

One area countries must address is combating antimicrobial resistance in the food chain.

The inappropriate use of antibiotics in food-producing animals is contributing to the emergence of drug resistance in human pathogens.

Another issue is the impact of climate change on food safety. We need to understand the adverse interactions between these two issues and start acting now to fight them.

Both of these issues highlight that food safety is not an issue for one agency, or one ministry.

I am delighted that this meeting is bringing together representatives from the public and private sectors, agriculture, fisheries, environment, trade, and the food industry.

Without this kind of collaboration, we cannot reduce the burden of foodborne diseases.

We can only make progress with a “One Health” approach that addresses food safety holistically.

Thank you for your commitment to this issue.

Let me leave you with three requests.

First, learn from our mistakes. Use this meeting to share experiences, understand problems and identify solutions. Every outbreak of foodborne disease is an opportunity to ensure the same thing never happens again.

Second, build bridges. This meeting is an opportunity to create strong networks within and between countries, and within and between sectors.

Finally, innovate for investment. The world needs a mechanism for investing in food safety in a sustainable way, adapted to national and regional circumstances. This gathering is an opportunity to lay the foundations for that mechanism.

Learn. Build. Innovate.

I thank you. 

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0.3  ASHA CEUs

Treatment of picky and problem eaters using food chaining therapy #e161.

Presenters: Cheri Fraker, CCC-SLP, CLC & Laura Walbert, CCC-SLP, CLC

Description

Learn analysis of core diet, flavor mapping and flavor masking, and use of transitional flavors..

– J.B., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

This course instructs professionals in the treatment of children with complex feeding aversion. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based information will be presented with emphasis on Food Chaining as a treatment technique for aversive feeding disorders. Participants will learn the Food Chaining rating scales to rate children's reactions to foods and group similar foods by taste, texture and temperature. Learn analysis of core diet, flavor mapping and flavor masking, and use of transitional flavors. Interventions discussed also apply to the adult population. This course is offered for 0.3 ASHA CEUs – 3 Contact Hours.

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this course for 3 hours of EI credential credit.

also see course #e313 “Food Chaining Therapy – New Without No”

Course Overview & Run Time

Course Overview – Run Time: 3:17:28

• The Evaluation Process
• Nutritional Considerations
• Food Chaining - The Concepts and Program Development
• Case Studies

– K.W., prior course participant

Content Disclosures

This presentation will focus on the technique of PreChaining and Food Chaining© developed by the course presenters. Other treatment approaches will receive limited coverage during this lecture. Presenter financial and non-financial disclosures may be found in the Presenter & Disclosures area.

Course Format

Video PowerPoint presentation with author narration & downloadable handout. Stop and re-start the course at any point. Learners retain access to course content after completion for ongoing reference and review.

Comments From Prior Course Participants

"This course gives very clear, specific strategies for therapists to implement." S.H. (Sep. 2024)

"The ten steps of food chaining were helpful to discuss. I enjoyed the expertise of the presenters." A.P. (Sep. 2024)

"Food chaining and sensory input were beneficial topics." M.P. (Sep. 2024)

"The case studies were very helpful, and honestly, everything was important from the beginning to the end! I liked the specific food-chaining examples. Information about needing to assess the 5 other areas before moving into food chaining." L.G. (Aug. 2024)

"Beneficial review of medical issues to look at more closely prior to trying new foods. I liked all the food examples that were tried in the case studies." J.B. (Aug. 2024)

"Discussing how to expand child's food repertoire but keeping it child-led was beneficial. I liked the organization and progression of the course." R.K. (Jul. 2024)

"Steps to modification of currently tolerated foods was beneficial to discuss. I enjoyed the detailed explanations...from start to finish." H.C. (Jul. 2024)

"Everything was beneficial especially the masking and ideas for how to food chain." A.H. (Jun. 2024)

"I liked all of the information. The rating scales and breaking down case studies were helpful." M.S. (Jun. 2024)

"Addressing sensory needs for food chaining was helpful to discuss. The course was quick and easy to navigate." M.T. (Jun. 2024)

"Sensory modification was a helpful topic. I liked the ease of following the information." N.W. (Jun. 2024)

"Learning about food chaining was beneficial and I enjoyed the examples." M.A. (Jun. 2024)

"The use of rating scales and modifications to accepted foods was helpful." J.B. (Jun. 2024)

"Discussing food chaining was beneficial." S.D. (May 2024)

"The Rating Scale was helpful. The course was easy to follow along with." L.S. (May 2024)

"I loved this training! It was filled with so much useful information. It’s hard to choose which bit of information was most helpful. If I had to choose, I’d say the examples of how to chain different foods. I loved the examples, the questions asked at the end of each section, and just all of the information presented. It all was so helpful!" J.G. (Apr. 2024)

"Use of the Rating Scale was helpful. A very thorough discussion of the topic." W.D. (Apr. 2024)

"Steps for Food Chaining were beneficial. The course gave in-depth and detailed case studies." J.S. (Apr. 2024)

"Food chaining techniques were helpful. Very informative and practical." S.D. (Mar. 2024)

"The rating scale and case studies were the most helpful. Content I can immediately apply to practice." M.S. (Mar. 2024)

"The information in each section was important to know. I believe that the first section about all the medical issues that could interfere with feeding was really important. I really liked the food chaining part of the presentation because it will help myself and my parents look at feeding in different way. I liked learning about the different products and what they're best used for. I liked learning about the different medical issues that can interfere with feeding." L.M. (Mar. 2024)

"Discussing how to chain a specific food and how you can gather similarities in a child's diet to understand their sensory preferences was helpful. I liked how informative this course was and also how it was self-paced and I could do it on my own time. I am a mom and work full time so this was very helpful for me." L.P. (Mar. 2024)

"The 6 steps of the food chaining program were well explained in this course. The case studies certainly helped with my learning." X.J. (Mar. 2024)

"It was beneficial learning about everything that needs to be assessed and all the different professionals that may need to be involved before considering any dietary changes. Learning how to implement a food chaining program. I liked how the rating scales and strategies were broken down and applied to specific clients." D.K. (Feb. 2024)

"Learning how to use a scale with food chaining was helpful. I enjoyed the detailed information on food chaining and how it is incorporated into the treatment of this pt population." M.D. (Feb. 2024)

"The examples of expanding foods were beneficial. I liked the general information regarding food chaining." H.L. (Feb. 2024)

"Discussing portion size and rating scale was helpful." K.C. (Feb. 2024)

"It was beneficial to discuss that evaluation of a child's reaction to a new food should be rated to determine progress, and that food chaining is not linear. I enjoyed the case study and example of food chaining used with actual clients." N.H. (Feb. 2024)

"Food chaining concept was helpful. I liked that I was able to repeat parts that I couldn’t catch well and able to view the course according to my time." O.K. (Jan. 2024)

"All of the course was beneficial, especially the chaining process. Very knowledgeable speakers." M.G. (Jan. 2024)

"The specific examples, like the case studies, were helpful. Kept to the topic at hand and gave several examples." K.M. (Jan. 2024)

"Discussing general guidelines on how to establish a chain was beneficial. I liked the examples of food chains." L.R. (Jan. 2024)

"Loved the rating scale. I liked the presentation organization of: Introduction of what would be discussed, delivery of new information, summary of new information discussed in each section, and short assessment with explanation. Excellent course." J.B. (Jan. 2024)

"I enjoyed the case studies and the overall layout of the course." C.Y. (Jan. 2024)

"All the clinical implications were beneficial. Many feeding CEUs are hospital-based or focus on infants, while this course pertained more to my caseload of toddlers and school-aged children. I liked the pace of the course and the way in which it was broken up. In addition, I thought the case studies were helpful and a good way to apply learning." M.K. (Jan. 2024)

"The Evaluation and Food Chaining sections were helpful. All of the examples!" B.N. (Jan. 2024)

"I get a lot of kids who are on a liquid diet. Info about reducing liquid consumption to increase hunger sensation was beneficial. Easy course to understand and follow. I like how the presentation was divided into sections." T.J. (Jan. 2024)

"The examples of food-chaining foods were beneficial. I liked how the course was broken into sections. The third section was most beneficial to me." M.C. (Dec. 2023)

"The case studies with videos were very helpful. I liked the photo comparisons and case studies." L.H. (Dec. 2023)

"Helpful information regarding the negative effects that mouth breathing has on all aspects of feeding. Implementing a chewing program and using specific feeding utensils to facilitate chewing. I enjoyed the case studies and the food progression examples." A.R. (Dec. 2023)

"Beneficial topics included breathing considerations; taking preferred foods and making slight modifications (to texture / flavor / presentation); ideas for modifying pasta / rice; and reasons why a child might accept food in one situation and refuse it in the next (e.g., due to pressure). I liked that there were many practical examples of children similar to the ones I treat." K.K. (Dec. 2023)

"I liked the examples and case studies and rating scale. I use a sensory hierarchy scale to get to items in mouth and this will be the next level of data that I can collect. Thank you. I liked examples of how to modify the different groups (bread, cheese, etc)." S.F. (Dec. 2023)

"I liked the breakdown of all aspects of picky eating as well as the examples of the scale. It made course easy to understand. I liked the facts and how everything was on a PowerPoint to follow along and take notes." E.L. (Dec. 2023)

"Helpful case studies to see examples of using the food chaining program. I liked that there was information about the whole process (eval, caregiver training, developing treatment)." C.C. (Nov. 2023)

"All of the topics were overall very helpful and beneficial to my daily practice. I enjoyed learning about food chaining." K.H. (Nov. 2023)

"I loved this course. It kept me engaged and gave me TONS of useful information. I especially loved the case histories where I could see the chaining therapy being implemented." F.J. (Nov. 2023)

"The rating scale and methods of diet expansion techniques were helpful. I enjoyed the presentation of the material." T.C. (Nov. 2023)

"The process of food chaining was beneficial to discuss. I liked the range of examples provided." P.L. (Nov. 2023)

"I liked the details provided for the implementation of a food chaining system. Great examples of how to implement it." K.B. (Nov. 2023)

"Provided specific examples of food chaining and explanation of how physiological deficits impact munching/chewing patterns. I liked the clarity of presenters and how they explained how liquid intake (water and milk) impacts intake of solids." S.Y. (Oct. 2023)

"The examples of real clients were beneficial. This course helped me relate to my current clients. I liked the multiple examples of food chain sequences." T.K. (Oct. 2023)

"I loved all the strategies mentioned to expand food choice. Liked how the rating scale helps to track progress." C.L. (Oct. 2023)

"The case studies regarding medically complex food chaining were helpful." M.P. (Sep. 2023)

"I liked all of the suggestions for which foods to go to next given a child's current preference and the emphasis on looking at the whole child. The discussion on different bottles/considerations for each and the difference between the parent and child rating scale was beneficial." S.M. (Sep. 2023)

"This course was informative and provided examples from real cases. I liked discussing the importance of using rating scale." M.S. (Sep. 2023)

"The information about recommended intake for toddlers and strategies to increase eating at meal time was helpful (e.g., reduce amount of milk, reduce grazing, etc). I liked the product recommendations and the rating system." A.K. (Sep. 2023)

"I loved the real life examples and case studies. It really helps put things together. I liked the flexibility to pause and resume when needed." K.S. (Aug. 2023)

"I found the topic of food chaining and how to implement it to be most helpful. I enjoyed the rating scale examples and case studies." G.D. (Aug. 2023)

"Concrete examples and case studies. I liked the rating scale." S.B. (Aug. 2023)

"I thought the rating scale was helpful to use consistently with a child, and it's easy to use with caregivers. I liked the explanation of how to refer and complex needs vs. children with less needs. The case studies brought the program to life, giving real problems/concerns and solutions that happen over time." M.E. (Jul. 2023)

"Framework to consider/organize food and their experiences were beneficial. I liked the case studies." I.L. (Jul. 2023)

"The case studies were helpful! I loved that there was a variety in the severity. This course was very easy to follow along with!" H.N. (Jul. 2023)

"I found the case studies helpful as well as talking through how to food chain. I liked the real life examples." A.A. (Jul. 2023)

"The whole approach seems like it will be an effective way to help expand upon a child’s limited food repertoire. I liked how course was divided into sections, had lots of helpful information in addition to the slides, and had practical information that can be used immediately." K.S. (Jul. 2023)

"Explanation of the food chaining steps was beneficial. I liked the case studies." K.P. (Jun. 2023)

"I plan to encourage my staff to take this course. The evaluation portion of the presentation was a very complete overview and very concise. Personally, I really liked the specific recommendations for spoons, bottles, and cups. I liked the pace and how thorough course was - the case studies were really great." L.H. (Jun. 2023)

"Food Chaining 101, including the specific 6 steps (food chaining is the last step!)" N.E. (Jun. 2023)

"Presenters provided an abundant amount of examples to help relate to clients. Learning what foods can be chained together based on textures was beneficial." C.S. (Jun. 2023)

"I liked the food chaining rating scale and the case studies at the end." M.C. (Jun. 2023)

"I enjoyed the thorough breakdown, examples, and ideas. I liked the case studies and seeing real life examples." M.M. (Jun. 2023)

"The case studies were particularly helpful." S.I. (Jun. 2023)

"This can be immediately applied to therapy. I liked the depth of knowledge presented. Milk-protein allergy was a beneficial topic." M.M. (Jun. 2023)

"I liked all aspects r/t the Food Chaining to assist with the feeding therapy with my clients." S.P. (Jun. 2023)

"The case studies were the most helpful part of the training! They showed real life examples of food chains that could be models for current clients." G.S. (Jun. 2023)

"Rating scales were beneficial (and the recommendation to make one with the child). I liked the practical examples." C.A. (May 2023)

"Discussing the 5 steps to consider before changing foods was beneficial. This course was concise, informative, and visual." S.W. (May 2023)

"This course is clear and to the point. I liked the recommended eating tools/products, and all the examples of food and how it can be modified or expanded as one progressed through therapy." J.C. (Apr. 2023)

"Discussing methods of food training with parents. Easy to comprehend course, good pace." N.L. (Apr. 2023)

"I appreciated the examples of how to chain the food together. I liked the examples." B.B. (Apr. 2023)

"Medical and nutritional considerations, equipment to trial, and case studies to understand examples of chaining were beneficial. I liked the case studies, and being online allowed me to pause and re-listen to ensure my understanding." A.M. (Apr. 2023)

"The feeding strategies to try in therapy were the most beneficial. I enjoyed hearing the case study information." B.M. (Mar. 2023)

"The integration of the child's sensory preferences when determining what food to chain was beneficial. I liked the case history section." R.M. (Mar. 2023)

"Simple food chaining ideas: pulling apart pop tarts, adding 1 tbsp sauce to another sauce, and using flavored broth for rice. I liked the practical pieces and examples, and the rating scale." D.L. (Mar. 2023)

"Learning importance of food education - how effective it can be in daily practice with families of children with picky eating to understand their children better and moreover make mealtime fun rather than stress." C.M. (Mar. 2023)

"Each topic was well explained. I liked the case studies." E.P. (Feb. 2023)

"All the information presented in this workshop was very beneficial. I loved the way presenters linked the red flags in aspects of health history. These are a key piece to implementing the appropriate technique; not just observed feeding skills. The steps to use the therapeutic approach were beneficial." I.V. (Feb. 2023)

"I liked the food chaining technique itself and rating scale." B.M. (Feb. 2023)

"Good overview of expanding food choices. I liked the rating scale." J.H. (Feb. 2023)

"It was a new concept to me so overall course was very helpful. The instructors were clear and concise." M.S. (Feb. 2023)

"The medical and oral motor factors to consider prior to food chaining and the practical examples of food chaining were beneficial." C.M. (Jan. 2023)

"Absolutely everything!! Seriously, the best course I've ever taken! Thank you!" D.E. (Jan. 2023)

"All six steps were helpful. Learning the specific ways to modify foods in the chaining program." H.R. (Jan. 2023)

"The oral motor ideas, such as using tools like the duo spoon, crumbing, and cutting food into rectangles to work on chewing were beneficial. I liked all the examples." J.S. (Jan. 2023)

"I liked the rating scale. Handouts, sectioned material were beneficial." M.R. (Jan. 2023)

"I liked the examples of food chaining specific foods. And the ease of course access." E.O. (Jan. 2023)

"I liked the discussion of food chaining and mapping. And the specific case studies that shared real ideas on how to modify preferred foods." M.D. (Dec. 2022)

"All of this was beneficial. Our dysphagia class in grad school did not offer an in-depth section for treating feeding disorders, especially in the pediatric population. The amount of information given, and the recommendations for treatment were great." A.W. (Dec. 2022)

"I liked the Meal Modification Plan. The topics covered were relevant and everything was explained in a simple way." Z.R. (Dec. 2022)

"The rating scales for food chaining and specific examples of food chains were very informative. Vast amount of information and specific examples given to supplement the information." A.L. (Dec. 2022)

"There were excellent ideas for ways that children can interact with food. Also, the rating scale will be a great way to monitor my kiddos. The presenters were clear and concise. The knowledge checks were great." C.P. (Dec. 2022)

"The structure and information was presented clearly and in an organized way. I liked the ideas presented for chaining different foods." M.R. (Dec. 2022)

"The presentation was simple and easy to follow. The rating scale is helpful. And learning medical reasons a child will not accept foods." M.V. (Dec. 2022)

"I liked the case studies." A.D. (Dec. 2022)

"Course was very specific and explained in detail the concepts." Y.R. (Nov. 2022)

"Understanding how medical problems such as congestion and breathing problems impact feeding. I liked learning how Food Chaining works and the use of the rating system." V.N. (Nov. 2022)

"There are practical suggestions of where to start and how to chain specific foods." S.H. (Nov. 2022)

"Easy to understand course." M.S. (Nov. 2022)

"The case studies were very helpful. Great examples." A.B. (Nov. 2022)

"Food chaining examples, recommendations, tips and tricks, as well as visuals, were very informative. Handouts were easy to follow along with the presentation. Presenters were very knowledgeable and provided fantastic resources, recommendations for actual treatment practice, and case studies/example situations to better achieve learner outcomes." K.W. (Nov. 2022)

"Feeding for craniofacial children under 3 - how to encourage parents in early intervention was good." B.B. (Nov. 2022)

"I found the examples of how to initiate food chaining extremely helpful. I liked that course gave a descriptive overview of food chaining as well as example case studies." K.B. (Nov. 2022)

"The content was easily integrated into clientele examples." D.J. (Nov. 2022)

"I did not know much about food prechaining or chaining. I liked all of the topics. The information was excellent. I liked that I could stop and go and come back where I left off. I liked how I could re-listen as needed." K.H. (Nov. 2022)

"There was a good amount of quality information." A.F. (Nov. 2022)

"A lot of practical usable suggestions! Love the ongoing offering of examples. Just what I need to liven up and change my current sessions." P.B. (Oct. 2022)

"Everything discussed is very important to know when you are working with children that have feeding problems. I liked how the modifications in the foods are helping the kids to expand diet core." R.P. (Oct. 2022)

"Everything was beneficial. Comprehensive and extremely practical course." J.B. (Sept. 2022)

"The presentation was clear." N.U. (Sept. 2022)

"The format was helpful for understanding the material." S.P. (Sept. 2022)

"I liked the clear info that i can use in my cases." J.N. (Sept. 2022)

"The course was very informative." A.B. (Aug. 2022)

"How to practice this feeding chain and step by step, and the videos helped a lot."  M.R. (Aug. 2022)

"I liked all of it. New ideas on chaining methods."  A.L. (June 2022)

"The order of presentation of information and topics addressed were good. I liked the specific examples of food chaining." C.F. (June 2022)

"I found that the evaluation process as well as changing the flavor rather than the texture of foods will be very beneficial." W.B. (June 2022)

"I liked the layout and the video presentation. Learning the food chaining process and food rating." K.M. (June 2022)

"I liked the direction it provided for completing a proper case history and learning the detailed technique for food chaining." H.L. (June 2022)

"I work with a lot of kiddos in Early Intervention with feeding/swallowing issues. I read the book by the presenters in my first year as an SLP and loved it. I think they have some great ideas that work with the kiddos I serve. I think the rating scale will be most beneficial, especially for some of my older 6-8 year old outpatients who come just for feeding. The presenters explained everything so well. I enjoyed the pictures and hearing the case studies." T.N. (May 2022)

"Everything was great. I'm very interested in feeding therapy and have a child with ASD. Their use of examples helped a lot." (May 2022)

"Information was very clinically based with a lot of good takeaways to use right away." S.B. (May 2022)

"Helped me to know when to refer patients for feeding consultation." P.B. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked the discussion of food chaining and how to implement strategies." S.S. (Apr. 2022)

"I believe the deep specifics on the steps of food chaining and the examples of different foods and liquids that could be incorporated was beneficial" J.T. (Mar. 2022)

"The explanation of food chaining and case studies were helpful for my understanding. Course expanded my knowledge and understanding of what food chaining is and what foods to try with my feeding patients." J.V. (Mar. 2022)

"The case studies combined with the in-depth explanation of food chaining (by food groups) was helpful in understanding the general concepts and how to put them into practice. I enjoyed the pace and real-world examples presented in the course." K.O. (Mar. 2022)

"I liked the hands on examples of how to chain."  D.D. (Mar. 2022)

"Rating scales and how to modify foods was beneficial. The case studies helped me piece things together." J.P. (Mar. 2022)

"Course provided good information on how to assess and begin a food chaining program, and also provided examples." J.R. (Feb. 2022)

"EVERYTHING!!! I'm an SLP and I'm new to feeding therapy. New student on my caseload has feeding goals, however, he's 12!" A.A. (Jan. 2022)

"The rating scale will be most helpful in my daily practice when treating children with feeding disorders. The scale will be helpful in creating goals and monitoring progress. I liked how the course was broken up into different segments. It helped me stay focused on the topic and helped me better retain information when I had to pause the course after each section." D.O. (Jan. 2022)

"The presentation was easy to follow, and there were many practical examples of therapy for a variety of infants and children with different feeding needs." J.B. (Jan. 2022)

"I liked the background information about health issues causing picky eating. I'm wondering when EOE came on the radar. My son, now 16, was an extremely picky eater with the associated health issues. We went to so many doctors (pediatricians, allergists, 3 ENTs, immune system doctors). Nobody caught the EOE, despite what I know now to be classic symptoms. We finally figured it out at age 12. We tried more testing, diets, and medications to no avail. At age 14, he went on Neocate and no food for 6 weeks and finally saw remission. At age 14, he was 4'11" and 90 pounds. 18 months later, he was 5'7" and 135 pounds. We still struggle with picky/slow eating. This will be helpful." (Dec. 2021)

" I really enjoyed this course. It really helped me understand how to expand children's diets using their current food preferences. The entire content was wonderful, as well as the case studies and examples. So helpful!"  A.C. (Dec. 2021)

" How to modify existing food preferences with other flavors or textures to improve variety was helpful for my daily practice. The course was very specific and had lots of practical recommendations that will be useful."   T.J. (Nov. 2021)

" I liked the resources and ideas on how to present new foods, and expand. The rating form is very helpful."   L.B. (Oct. 2021)

"I liked that the course was broken down into sections." A.E. (Oct. 2021)

" How to address the evaluation when we have a picky eater. The great strategies, tools and examples about how we can modify a child's diet." J.S. (Oct. 2021)

“I liked that it discussed Food Chaining from infancy through childhood. Many other courses focus on infants and toddlers, and this course incorporated school-age.” R.R. (Oct. 2021)

"The use of rating scales and importance of prechaining process was beneficial for my daily practice." G.L. (Sept. 2021)

" The case studies. It helped to synthesize all the information given and show how the information could be used in the "real world" with "real children". I liked the handouts because I can use them for quick reference." C.D. (Aug. 2021)

“I enjoyed food chaining, the case studies, and examples. I think the instructor was very thorough and detailed with her presentations. I like how I was able to learn at my own pace.” L.H. (Aug. 2021)

" The examples of food chains that were shared will be beneficial to my practice.  I liked how in depth the case studies were." L.S. (Aug. 2021)

“I enjoyed the breakdown of treatment planning of food chaining and an explanation of the rating scale. I also liked that it was broken down in a way that you can use it in your practice immediately.” J.C. (Jul. 2021)

“How to initiate a food chaining program, and using the rating scale to determine which new foods to incorporate or modify was very insightful. I liked how the food chaining method follows a sensory approach to feeding, respecting the child's sensory profile without forcing new foods on them.” Y.D. (Jun. 2021)

" Learning how to modify foods to expand preferences was great!" M.I. (Jun. 2021)

" Learning how to implement Food Chaining and the importance of rating will be beneficial for my daily practice." K.B. (Jun. 2021)

"I loved hearing the thought process for analyzing a new client and then the various ways of altering foods to make them chain off a preferred food. My favorite aspect of this course was learning tidbits like grilled peanut butter and jelly can be easier to tolerate than regular peanut butter and jelly... little nuggets of knowledge that expand my repertoire of chaining knowledge. It was a fabulous course." F.A. (May 2021)

" The specific food groups discussed for food chaining, as well as, how to mask new foods introduced were beneficial. I found the two case studies and monthly updates beneficial to my daily practice with my pediatric feeding patients. Learning about the 6 steps, as well as, specific ways to assist children with oral-motor and sensory needs. I felt that this course covered all of the areas about food chaining (which I wanted to review). However, would have liked to see more videos of food chaining strategies." J.B. (Apr. 2021)

" It was fantastic to have a course on specifics to address the oral stage for swallowing disorders and a plan to help the child expand their palate. I liked the q uality of content. Excellent course!!" L.G. (Mar. 2021)

“I enjoyed the in-depth discussion on treatment procedures including the use of rating scales, food chaining examples, and how to approach expanding from a currently accepted food.”   H.G. (Mar. 2021)

“I found the food chaining examples were helpful and increased my understanding.” K.E. (Feb. 2021)

"I liked that it went through anatomy and then went into food chaining for a very complete look. The food chaining rating scale was most helpful." M.H. (Feb. 2021)

“I liked how they presented a few case studies so I could see how to implement the food chaining program.” T.P. (Jan. 2021)

Course Objectives

• List the six steps of program development prior to implementation of a Food Chaining therapy.
• Describe the treatment techniques of Food Chaining: analysis of core diet, flavor mapping and flavor masking, and use of transitional flavors.
• Utilize the Food Chaining rating scales to rate children's reactions to foods and group similar foods by taste, texture and temperature.

Northern Speech Services is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval #25672. This eCourse is offered at 0.3 CEUs, educational level Intermediate, 1. Domain of OT: Areas of Occupation: ADL; Activity Demands: Objects used and their properties, required actions, required body functions and structures; Performance Skills: Sensory perceptural skills, motor and praxis skills 2. OT Process: Evaluation: analysis of occupational performance;  Intervention: Develop intervention plan and approaches, implementation of intervention; Outcomes: Occupational performance. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Presenter & Disclosures

Cheri Fraker, CCC-SLP, CLC, is an ASHA certified pediatric speech pathologist who earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Speech Pathology from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, 1986. Cheri's work in feeding is recognized internationally. She has published articles on Food Chaining in international medical periodicals, The Nest and Nutrition and the MD.

Cheri has worked in pediatrics for 28 years. She developed the techniques of Pre-Chaining and Food Chaining. Cheri has lectured on pediatric feeding disorders at ASHA, the UCLA/UMH Nutrition Leadership Conference, The American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, The North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the 2004 World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in Paris, France.

She is the co-author of the books "Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders: From NICU to Childhood” and "Food Chaining: The Six Step Solution to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems and Expand Your Child's Diet." Cheri specializes in evaluation and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders and is the lead therapist for the pediatric feeding team clinic at The Center for Selective Eating and Pediatric Feeding Disorders and the SIU-Koke Mill Pediatric Swallowing Clinic in Springfield, Illinois.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Cheri Fraker is a presenter of online CE courses offered by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.

Financial — Cheri Fraker is the co-author of "Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders: From NICU to Childhood" and "Food Chaining: The Six Step Solution to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems and Expand Your Child's Diet"; receives royalty payments.

Nonfinancial — Cheri Fraker has no relevant nonfinancial disclosures.

Laura Walbert, CCC-SLP, CLC, is an ASHA certified pediatric speech pathologist who earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, 1996. Laura’s work in feeding is recognized internationally in medical journal periodicals and conference presentations on pediatric feeding disorders. Laura has also presented on evaluation and treatment of athlete’s with vocal cord dysfunction. She is the co-author of the books “Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders: From NICU to Childhood” and “Food Chaining: The Six Step Solution to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems and Expand Your Child's Diet."

Financial — Laura Walbert is a presenter of online CE courses offered by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.

Financial — Laura Walbert is the co-author of "Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders: From NICU to Childhood" and "Food Chaining: The Six Step Solution to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems and Expand Your Child's Diet"; receives royalty payments.

Nonfinancial — Laura Walbert has no relevant nonfinancial relationship to disclose.

Intended Audience / Accreditation

This program is offered for 0.3 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area).

Intended Audience

• Speech-Language Pathologists

ASHA CEUs: NSS online courses are registered with ASHA and are offered for ASHA CEUs. The number of ASHA CEUs is noted above. Note that 0.1 ASHA CEU = 1 contact hour = equals 1 CEE.

ASHA CE Registry: During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

ASHA CEUs: Attendees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to be eligible to earn ASHA CEUs:

• Current ASHA Member
• ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) Holder
• Licensed by a state or provincial regulatory agency to practice speech-language pathology (SLP) or audiology
• Credentialed by a state regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology
• Credentialed by a national regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology
• Engaged in a Clinical Fellowship under the supervision of an individual with their ASHA CCC
• Currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in SLP or audiology

If an attendee is not an ASHA member or CCC holder but meets any of the above criteria, they may inform the ASHA CE Registry of their eligibility by visiting this site .

Licensing Boards: Most state licensing boards DO accept CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some state boards do, however, place a limit to the number of credits that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any credit limits related to home-study courses prior to registering for this course.

Additional accrediting agencies by which Northern Speech is an approved CE provider:

• California: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board. Provider #PDP4. Online CEU limits may apply; please contact SLPAHADB for current online CEU acceptance policies.
• Iowa: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Iowa Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology Examiners. Provider #169.
• Kansas: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Provider #LTS-S0005.
• Florida: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Florida Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board. Provider #SPA-026.
• New Jersey: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the New Jersey Department of Education. Provider #1654.

Frequently Asked Questions

Online course faq — click here, customer support: please phone 888.337.3866 or email [email protected] ..

Course Completion Timeframe:

You have unlimited time to complete our online courses. You may log off and log on as often as you’d like to in order to complete all sections of a course.

However, completion dates are based on Eastern Standard Time. Therefore, if you need your CEUs by a certain date, be sure to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on that date. For example, if you need CEUs before January 1st, you will need to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Content Access:

Access to course materials and content does not expire, even after completing the post test. You may continue to review course material by logging into your NSS account, clicking the My Online Courses tab, and then viewing your desired course.

Certificate of Completion:

On successful completion of the post test (80%), a certificate will be immediately available for download and/or printing. This certificate will include your name, date of completion (based on Eastern Time Zone, USA/Canada), and number of contact hours (CEUs / CEEs). Please note that CEUs are awarded on the date of successful test completion, not the date of course enrollment. Please ensure that you successfully complete the post test prior to any licensure renewal dates.

ASHA CE Registry Submission:

During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

Purchase Orders:

Purchase orders are currently not accepted for online orders, if you wish to submit a purchase order please do so at [email protected]  or fax to 888-696-9655.

What is an Online Course?

Our Online Courses consist of video, audio, and/or text content and are offered for ASHA CEUs. Unlike a webinar, which requires participants to be logged on and at a computer at specific times, our Online Courses are available to you at any time, from any device, via your NorthernSpeech.com online account. You may work at your own pace and start and stop your course as you wish. Your course will conclude with a short post test. On successful completion of the post test (>80%), a printable certificate of completion is presented to you.

Receiving CEUs:

Northern Speech is an ASHA CE Provider and our online courses are registered with ASHA and offered for ASHA CEUs. Please note that successful completion of the online post test is required prior to the awarding of CEUs. Please contact your state licensing board for acceptance policies related to CEUs earned online. Please note that courses offered for university students are not applicable for CEUs.

Registering for an online course:

You may browse all online courses by clicking the Continuing Education tab above, then Online Courses. Once you find a course, click Enroll Now, and you will be asked to either log into your existing Northern Speech account or create a new online account. Once you’ve entered your account information and provided your credit card payment, your course will be immediately available to you.

Accessing your purchased course or returning to a purchased course:

You will be able to access your online course by logging into your Northern Speech account and then clicking the My Online Courses tab on your profile screen. Click the course you would like to start or to resume. From there, proceed through the course sections until you are ready to complete the post test. You do not have to complete your course all at once. You may log on and off as you wish.

Testing requirements:

Each online course concludes with a post test consisting of multiple choice or true & false questions. Scores of 80% or greater are required for successful course completion and awarding of CEUs. You may revisit course materials and retest as needed to achieve a passing score.

Number of CEUs offered:

We offer courses from 1 to 21 contact hours. Each course will note the number of CEUs offered. Please note that 0.1 CEU = 1 contact hour = 1 CEE.

State licensing boards and online CEUs:

NSS is an ASHA CE Provider and most state licensing boards DO accept ASHA CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some boards do, however, place a limit to the number of CEUs that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any CEU limits related to home-study courses prior to enrolling in an online course.

Course formats:

Our course formats include: text, audio, video, and PowerPoint with author narration. Each course will note the format on the course description page. Most courses include closed captioning.

Course handouts:

Most of our online courses provide a link to download the accompanying handout as a PDF file. 

Group discounts:

Groups of 3 or more are eligible for a 20% discount on each registration on most of our online courses. To receive this discount, registrations need to be processed together via the "Group Rates" tab on the Online Course of your choice.

Computer requirements:

For our online courses to function best, we recommend that you update your computer to include the newest version of your Internet browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.) and newest version of your computer's operating system. Also a high-speed Internet connection is recommended (cable or DSL). Speakers or headphones will be required for many of our courses as many contain audio components.

Course Cancellation Policy:

A purchased online course can be exchanged, refunded, or transferred to another individual if contact is made with NSS (via phone or email) within 30 days of purchase and the course materials have not been viewed or downloaded. 

Special Needs:

Please click here for any special needs requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. 

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More Offerings by: Cheri Fraker

#e313 food chaining therapy “new without no” – overcoming aversion, sensory challenges and fear.

This treatment course demonstrates the how-to’s of PreChaining and Food Chaining over time. Learn fun and creative strategies for successfully implementing PreChaining and/or Food Chaining therapy for the child with severe to extreme feeding aversion. Detailed case studies are used to demonstrate from week to week how to help the child and their family make rapid and lasting gains, eat safely, lower anxiety, expand the diet, improve nutritional status, and eat with joy.

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More Offerings by: Laura Walbert

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Northern Speech Services 325 Meecher Rd. Gaylord, MI 49735

888-337-3866 or 989-732-3866 888-696-9655 or 989-732-6164 Our Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9am - 5pm Eastern Time USA