Food Industry: An Introduction

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International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)
Volume: 3 | Issue: 4 | May-Jun 2019 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 - 6470
@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID - IJTSRD23638 | Volume – 3 | Issue – 4 | May-Jun 2019 Page: 128
Food Industry: An Introduction
Matthew N. O. Sadiku
1
, Sarhan M. Musa
1
, Tolulope J. Ashaolu
2
1
Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, United States
2
College of Food Science Southwest University, Tiansheng Road Beibei, Chongqing, China
How to cite this paper: Matthew N. O.
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ABSTRACT
The food industry comprises a complex network of activities related to the
supply, consumption, and catering of food products and services. It plays a
significant role in the economic development of any nation. It is one of the
world’s most dynamic economic sectors. This paper provides a brief
introduction to food industry
KEYWORDS: food industry
INTRODUCTION
Food is an essential part of our lives. The food industry is the basic and important
to every nation. It is one of the seventeen national critical sectors of US economy.
It plays a crucial role in public health, food safety, food security, social
development, and nutrition. Product quality, health, and sanitation issues are
major concerns in the food industry. Figure 1 shows the double pyramid which
suggests a virtuous model to promote sustainable food choices for health and the
environment [1].
The food industry covers diverse activities including food supply, production,
harvesting, processing, packaging, transportation, distribution, consumption, and
disposal. The development of the food industry began in the early 1900s.
The most lucrative areas of food industry are meat
processing, vegetable and fruit processing, confectionery,
dairy, sausages, wine, and bakery. The food industry is
dominated by multinational corporations such as Krafts
Foods, Cadbury, Heinz, Nestlé, Food World, DuPont,
McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
COMPONENTS OF FOOD INDUSTRY
The food industry in its entirety is not one industry but a
collection of several types of industry producing a diverse
range of food products. It covers farming, food production,
food processing, preservation, packaging, distribution, retail,
and catering. The food industry comprises comprise of the
following components [2].
 Agriculture: This is the process of producing food, feed,
fiber ,and other desired products. It includes crop
farming, livestock raising, and fish farming. It also
entails manufacturing of farm equipment, fertilizers,
farm machinery and hybrid seeds to facilitate
agricultural production.
 Food Processing: The majority of agricultural products
is seasonal and perishable. Food processing is used to
transform raw ingredients into marketable food
products. It makes some food available all year round.
Packaging protects food from the surrounding, extends
food shelf life, and increases the quality of food.
 Food Distribution: This includes transporting, storing,
and marketing food products to consumers. The food
industry needs a transportation network to connect its
numerous parts. Figure 2 shows how local foods can
reduce transportation distances [3]. A wholesaler
would purchase local produce and distribute it to a
range of customers and clients.
 Regulation: There are regulations on food production
and distribution to ensure quality and safety. These are
restrictions imposed by government authority. There
are some regulatory requirements that a food business
must meet in order to operate. FDA is responsible for
enforcing food laws and regulations.
 Financial Services: These include insurance and credit
to facilitate food production and distribution. Insurance
policies cover costly business disruptions commonly
seen in the industry. Food accounting professionals
work closely with all aspects of food industry to evaluate
ideas and opportunities.
 Research & Development: Research on any aspect of
food industry produces relevant information about that
sector. The food serving sector has the largest potential
of research and development. Research reflections may
be on factors influencing consumer behavior, customers’
buying choices, formation of attitude, and opinions.
Companies need to have a deep understanding of how
consumers behave [4].
 Marketing: Marketing is the primary vehicle for
promoting information about food. Food marketing
describes any form of advertising used to promote the
purchase and/or consumption of a food or beverage. It
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International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID - IJTSRD23638 | Volume – 3 | Issue – 4 | May-Jun 2019 Page: 129
can influence food behaviors by moderating socio
cultural elements of the food environment
FOOD INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGIES
Modern food industry uses a wide variety of sophisticated
technologies. Agricultural machinery (such as tractor) has
practically eliminated human labor in many areas of
production. Robots have the potential to transform food
processing, food handling, food packaging, and food serving.
They have incredibly increased the productivity as
compared to the manual production [5]. A typical example
of how automation is used in food industry is shown in
Figure 3 [6]. Block chain can be used to see where delays
and waste occur in the supply chain for food products.
Microwave heating or infra-red energy from a hot surface is
widely used in food preparation. Evaporators are used in a
number of food processing industries.
Metabolic engineering has been used for the production of
carotenoids by different yeast cells. Ultrasound is another
technique which offers the potential of non-invasive,
hygienic measurement for the food industry.
Nanotechnology has been used in food processing, food
packaging, and food preservation. It has the potential to
revolutionize agriculture and food systems [7]. Ozone has
been used to disinfect water for various purposes such as
drinking and swimming pools. Enzymes, the natural catalysts
for chemical reactions, are produced by all living cells. They
are used in food processing and the food industry,
Computer simulation is used in R&D in the food industry. It
plays a key role in solving complex operational problems.
For example, through the use of simulation, production and
service aspects of Pizza Hut restaurant and delivery unit
operations can be examined [8]. Computer networks (such
as the Internet) provide the support infrastructure to allow
global movement of food. The food industry is getting into
the e-commerce game slowly. As consumers are shifting to a
preference for online shopping, the food industry are finding
ways to adopt e-commerce as part of their marketing
strategies.
CHALLENGES
The food industry faces several challenges. Various areas of
the industry have been criticized and the food industry
works hard to discredit its critics. Challenges associated
with the current food system such as climate change,
pollution, manure disposal, soil and water damage,
deforestation, environmental degradation, and strain on
natural resources are forcing every country to create a more
sustainable food system.
The food industry needs to deal with new legislation and
increased regulation on environmental issues. The excessive
use of fertilizers, pesticides, and food additives may
adversely affect the environment and human health.
Compliance with regulatory standards is an issue for many
food manufacturers. As public shifts toward a greener planet,
the food industry should implement green policies.
Bringing to market new products in a timely manner is
difficult for many food companies. The process of creating
new, relevant products and moving them through R&D,
testing, and marketing to retail takes time. Consumers' tastes
are fickle and targeting them is increasingly more crucial [9].
A big challenge facing the food is transparency. Consumers
are reading the back of packages now more ever. They want
to know what ingredients are going into their products.
Their interest for transparency continues to hold food
companies accountable. They are becoming more educated
on the benefits of healthier choices [10].
Enterprises in the food industry are operating in a highly
competitive, global environment and they must constantly
engage in product development. They are in a state of
change driven by cost of operations. This change is heading
for automation solutions that can enable the industry to
become more lean and agile [11].
The food industry is widely known as having strong
economic and political power. It is creative in both its
technological innovation and desire to satisfy the
requirements of consumers, health professionals, and its
critics. It is striving to economically and efficiently produce
high quality products. It has also begun to take responsibility
for healthy eating issues.
CONCLUSION
Food industry plays an important role in providing food for
human consumption. It satisfies community needs with
respect to availability, distribution and quality of food.
It is one of the world’s most dynamic economic sectors as it
changes rapidly. Most problems in the food industry can be
solved with technology. More information about food
industry can be obtained from the books in [12-15] and also
from the journal: British Food Journal and Food Industry
Review
REFERENCES
[1]. A. A. Alsaffar, “Sustainable diets: The interaction
between food industry, nutrition, health and the
environment,” Food Science and Technology
International, vol. 22, no. 2, 2016, pp. 102–111.
[2]. “Food industry, food Sector, food trade,” June 2010,
http://www.economywatch.com/world-
industries/food-industry.html
[3]. Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, “Chapter 3. Food
distribution and processing,”
http://oaklandfoodsystem.pbworks.com/f/OFSA_Distr
ibProcess.pdf
[4]. G. B. P. Recordati, “The food industry: History,
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https://tesi.luiss.it/15698/1/177941.pdf
[5]. J. Iqbal, Z. H. Khan, and A. Khalid, “Prospects of
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International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID - IJTSRD23638 | Volume – 3 | Issue – 4 | May-Jun 2019 Page: 130
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AUTHORS PROFILE
Matthew N.O. Sadiku is a professor in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M
University, Prairie View, Texas. He is the author of several
books and papers. His areas of research interests include
computational electromagnetic and computer networks. He
is a fellow of IEEE.
Tolulope J. Ashaolu is a research fellow at Southwest
University, Chongqing, China. He is the author of several
papers and a book. His research interests include functional
foods and food microbiology.
Sarhan M. Musa is a professor in the Department of
Engineering Technology at Prairie View A&M University,
Texas. He has been the director of Prairie View Networking
Academy, Texas, since 2004. He is an LTD Sprint and Boeing
Welliver Fellow.
Figure 1 The double pyramid suggest a virtuous model to
promote sustainable food choices for health and the
environment [1].
Figure 2 Distribution matrix [3].
Figure 3 Automation in food industry [6].