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Show pge 6 July' 1969 UTAH FARM BUREAU NEWS Food, Food Everywhere . . . . The Seas Promise Scientists tell us the oceans every year grow more than enough food to feed everybody in the world. This is a comforting fact when we consider the millions of hungry people. But it underscores the tragedy that we don't know how to harvest all that food efficiently. Tremendous strides have been made in conventional land harvesting methods, according to New Holland, the farm equipment division of Sperry Rand Corporation. But, says New Holland, harvesting the ocean profitably is a tremendous challenge facing industries and governments throughout the world. Many developing nations desperately need food, especially high protein food for which the sea is an excellent source. Today, only 1 of all food comes from the sea, but that 1 is so protein-ric- h that it accounts for 12 of the protein consumed by people the world over. The methods we use today for getting food from the sea haven't changed much since the days fishermen first cast nets into the water. If we're going to do better, new methods, practically a whole new body of technology, will have to be develop- industries and universities are working right now to meet the challenges of the sea, to channel its potential. They're working on ed. Governments, new tools, developing ways of living underwater and trying to learn how to select and grow the most productive plants and animals. Backed by these resources and the efforts of a growing body of dedicated men, tremendous strides are being made. One example is fish proFPC. FPC is a high protein tein concentrate foodstuff made from whole fish with a process developed by the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. It could prove a mighty weapon in the battle against world hunger because less than one cent's worth of FPC can supply a child with his minimum daily protein needs. Though its potential is great, the history of FPC is filled with controversy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was hesitant to clear the product for human consumption, mainly for two reasons. One, FPC is made from whole fish bones, scales, heads everything. Two, the fish used for raw material are "trash" fish, which people in the U. S. do not ordinarily eat Eating whole fish is presumably no more repulsive than eating whole clams or oysters. And trash fish are no less nutritious than other fish; they're simply less tasty. In its final form, FPC made from whole trash fish is a white powder, very pure, odorless and tasteless. Adding it to foods like bread is a cheap way to greatly enhance their nutritional value. Objections to its use were eventually overcome and the FDA approved FPC for consumption at home and abroad. That it did so is important, not only for the future of FPC, but also because it clears the way for the development of foodstuffs from other unorthodox sources. The sea will be one of these sources, but there will be others. Crude oil, for instance, can be converted into protein by a certain type of bacteria. The promise of filling the world's pantries is not the only force pulling men toward the sea. It's filled with other possibilities. By expanding our knowledge of the ocean, we'll know more the weather and perhaps be a step closer to controlling it We'll be able to locate and mine the vast mineral deposits on and under the ocean floor. There are thousands of salvageable shipwrecks that can't be reached with today's technology. And as time goes on, new areas of profit will be found under the waves. But none will be as rewarding as the ability to feed millions and millions of hungry people. a-bo- ut |