Considering the world's growing population and shrinking resources, it is becoming increasingly important not to waste food. However, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2011, one third of the world's food supplies are lost between harvest and consumption. This is why conservation research is more important than ever, says Cornel Adler of the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI). Adler is a member of the International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection (IWCSPP) and organized the 12th International Conference, which took place in Berlin from October 7 to 11. About 500 international experts from research and industry came together at the Hotel Maritim proArte in the centre of Berlin to discuss new research results regarding the protection of food products and their implementation.

Fostering knowledge exchange

The patron of the conference was the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL). Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner opened the scientific part of the event on Monday morning with a video message. "What use is the best harvest if it cannot be stored afterwards," asked the Minister. She expressed her gratitude considering that so many experts had come together in Berlin - after all, the main aim of the conference was knowledge exchange.

Subsequently, JKI President Georg Backhaus addressed the participants and underlined the importance of securing the storage of harvest yields in view of uncertain world markets and extreme weather conditions due to climate change: "This summer has demonstrated how quickly drought and heat can lead to considerable losses in harvest yields. In order to be prepared for these kind of situations, we must be able to store harvest surpluses from good years for the long term."

Lack of innovation in Germany

In his opening remarks, Adler also referred to the shortcomings in the protection of stocks across Europe and in Germany. According to him, German universities have neglected applied research in this field over the past 30 years. "At the same time, no investments were made in storage facilities because of the pressure on farmers to sell their products at ever lower prices. There is a blatant lack of innovation regarding the protection of stored products, which we now urgently need to overcome - at least partly also in cooperation with colleagues from tropical countries," says Adler.

Fighting world hunger with better storage

Following Adler, Isabelle Mballa, Head of Food Safety and Quality at the World Food Programme (WFP), gave a keynote speech where she pointed out the political significance of the protection of stored products. She argued that especially in crisis areas such as parts of Africa or Syria, people depend on stored and durable food. The protection of stocks should therefore not only be researched and optimised for large warehouses, but also for smaller portions, for instance via smart packaging, so that people on the run could carry these with them more easily.

Mballa also referred to the sustainability goals of the United Nations (SDGs) and in particular to the two cornerstones "Zero Hunger" and "Partnerships for the goals". "Only via international and cross-sector cooperation can we combat world hunger. Better methods for storing food more safely and over longer periods of time are an important step to reach that goal," says Mballa.