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Climate change fuels ingredient innovation

From cocoa that doesn’t grow beyond a certain altitude, to wheat crops threatened by drought, the world’s changing climate presents many serious concerns for the global food supply. Enterprising crop breeders and ingredient suppliers are working on potential solutions.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that wheat provides about a fifth of the calories that people consume, but a recent study in the journal Science Advances suggests 60% of current wheat-producing regions could face droughts by the end of the century, compared to 15% today. Even if global warming is limited to less than 2˚C, as per the Paris Agreement, the study’s authors still predict water shortages to have dire consequences for world wheat production.

Researchers have been working on developing drought-resistant wheat, but drought tolerance is a complex trait controlled by many genes, which in turn are influenced by their specific environment. The existence of more drought-tolerant wild relatives to wheat is cause for optimism, but whether cross-breeding can produce suitable varieties for widespread commercial use within a short enough time frame remains to be seen.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also has warned that yields of other important crops, like rice and maize, are likely to decline, as will the nutritional quality of rice and wheat. And it is not just staples like cereals and oil crops that are under threat. Shortages could also loom for favourite foods like cocoa, coffee, bananas, avocados and tea as a direct result of changing global climate systems.

By 2050, 90% of current cocoa-producing land in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire could be unsuitable for growing cocoa, according to a recent study in the journal Climatic Change. The two countries are responsible for 53% of the world’s cocoa, and researchers suggest reduced yields could be linked to altitude as well as rising temperatures. By 2050, the study’s authors predict the suitable altitude for cocoa production in West Africa will be pushed uphill, from the current 100-250 metres above sea level, to 450-500 metres above sea level. However, as this is expected to happen gradually, there may still be time to adapt.

In cocoa, companies like Barry Callebaut, Blommer and Cargill have joined major chocolate manufacturers in an initiative called CocoaAction, which has set targets for the rapid introduction of more sustainable practices.

In addition, cocoa breeding programmes aim to produce hardier varieties that can better withstand drought. However, plant breeding is a slow process, and a recent study found only about 100 new cocoa varieties have been released since 2000. In the meantime, many West African cocoa farmers have taken another approach, planting shade trees to help protect their cacao trees from wind and soil erosion, while also helping prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Greenwashing still happens, but many food and beverage companies have started to take such risks very seriously, and are investing in the long-term sustainability of their supply chains. According to the latest CDP Global Supply Chain Report, which ranks companies across industries on their sustainable development, several ingredients suppliers – Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF and Symrise – were among the top performers for tackling climate change, while BASF, Symrise and Firmenich were top performers for tackling water use.

As food and beverage companies are switching on to the importance of more sustainable practices, crop breeders and ingredient manufacturers are under growing pressure to deliver, to safeguard the future of an increasingly vulnerable food supply.