BRUSSELS, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

A new regulatory framework is needed for the food commodity market, according to a new study presented in Brussels today by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN).

The study was unveiled at an open debate at the European Parliament, organised by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition and hosted by Mairead McGuinness, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, Ireland). A large number of participants from European Union institutions, trade associations, businesses, and civil society gathered to discuss about food security in relation to continued volatility of food commodities.

The workshop focused on the economic and political conditions impacting food commodities. Participants discussed how the EU can help find ways to support the development of food markets and political governance instruments that would guarantee the accessibility, sustainability and quality of food.

"Food security is at the heart of food supply chain issues. In the current global economic climate, access to affordable, safe and nutritional food is critical for communities," said Guido Barilla, Chairman of the BCFN.

According to MEP Mairead McGuinness, "A world where many are hungry and others well-fed is a world threatened by instability. By 2050 the world population will have grown by over 2 billion, with many of these born into poverty in the developing world. The challenge to our land base is enormous; we will need to increase production by 70% by 2050 to provide us with food, fuel and fibre,"

"Those of us in political life who have a deep understanding of agricultural production, new technologies and tried and tested methods have a duty to give strong political leadership and to keep the food security challenge to the fore," she added.

Commenting on the economic and geopolitical aspects of food security, Mario Monti, economist and member of the Advisory Board of the BCFN, said: "Recent years have been marked by a sequence of crises worldwide: a global financial crisis and serious economic downturn, and social and political crises in a number of countries that rightly received the attention of the international community. However the food crisis, even as a less visible emergency, also drives social unrest, inequality and global conflicts. The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition believes that governments and policy makers globally need to keep food high the agenda as one of the most pressing challenges that the world is facing."

Note to Editors

The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition is a multidisciplinary think tank focusing on issues of food and nutrition and their relations to economics, medicine, diet, sociology and the environment. The work of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition is backed by an authoritative Advisory Board composed of Barbara Buchner, Director of the Climate Policy Initiative in Venice, Mario Monti and John M. Reilly, economists, Gabriele Riccardi, endocrinologist, Camillo Ricordi, surgeon and scientist, Claude Fischler, sociologist  and Umberto Veronesi, oncologist.

You may watch the event at http://www.barillacfn.com

SOURCE Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition