Emerging Food Marketing Technologies: a Preliminary Analysis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Emerging Food Marketing Technologies: A Preliminary Analysis October 1978 NTIS order #PB-291039 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-600131 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock No. 052-003-00612-0 ii —- Foreword Food marketing technologies in the United States are undergoing major changes with a number of global implications. The purpose of this preliminary analysis was to gain a better perspective of these changes. It has helped to define the need for a major assessment of alternative global food futures. The staff of the OTA Food Group conducted the preliminary analysis with the assistance of the OTA Food Advisory Committee and a 22-member Food Market- ing Technologies Working Group. The analysis is a synthesis of many inputs and does not necessarily reflect the position of any individual. We thank the Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service of the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture for permitting Dr. William Gallimore to be detailed to the OTA Food Group to assist us with this analysis. RUSSELL W. PETERSON Director Office of Technology Assessment OTA Food Group Staff J.B. Cordaro, Food Group Manager Michael J. Phillips, Marketing Cluster Leader William W. Gallimore, Project Leader ● Robert L. Smith, Jr., Research Associate Ann Woodbridge, Achnim”strative Assistant Phyllis Balan, Administrative Secretary Jane Mason, Secretary* Debra Mears, Secretary4 Elizabeth Galloway, Secretary Contractor Thomas L. Sporleder Professor of Agricultural Economics Texas A&M University OTA Publishing Staff John C. Holmes, Publishing O~~icer Kathie S. Boss Joanne Heming *Resigned iv OTA Food Advisory Committee Martin E. Abel, Chairman Senior Vice President, Schnittker Associates Johama Dwyer, Vice Chairman Director, Frances Stern Nutrition Center David Call Laura Heuser Kathleen O’Reilly Dean, College of Agricultural Member, Board of Directors Director and Life Sciences Agricdtural Council of America Consumer Federation of America Cornell University Arnold Mayer R. Dennis Rouse Cy Carpenter Legislative Representative Dean, School of Agriculture President Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Auburn University Minnesota Farmers Union Butcher Workmen of North Lauren Seth America Eliot Coleman Agricultural Consultant Director Max Milner Thomas Sporleder Coolidge Center for the Associate Director Professor of Agricultural Studv. of Agriculture International Nutrition Planning Economics Program Texas A&M University Almeta Edwards Fleming Massachusetts Institute of Social Program Coordinator Technology Sylvan Wittwer Florence County, S.C. Director and Assistant Dean Robert O. Nesheim College of Agriculture and Lorne Greene Vice President, Science and Chairman of the Board Natural Resources Technology Michigan State University American Freedom From The Quaker Oats Company Hunger Foundation Richard L. Hall Vice President, Science and Technology McCormick & Company, Inc. Working Group on New Food Marketing Technologies Processing and Packaging Subgroup William Gallimore, chairman OTA Project Leader Robert Angelotti Herbert A. Hollender Romeo T. Toledo Administrator Chief, Food Technology Associate Professor of Food Science Food Safety and Quality Service Division University of Georgia U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Engineering Lab James Wishart Robert Beverly U.S. Army, Natick Research Director Manager James J. Solomon Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Food Research Department Market Analyst Butcher Workmen of North FMA Corporation Corporate Planning Division America Mahlon A. Burnette, III Aluminum Company of America Jane Wyatt Director, Scientific Affairs Dwayne A, Suter Associate Professor of Food Science Grocery Manufacturers of America Associate Dean and Technology Inc. College of Agriculture Oregon State University G. Robert DiMarco Texas A&M University Group Director James Turner Basic and Health Sciences Partner General Foods Corporation Swankin and Turner Wholesaling, Retailing, Transportation, and Food Service Subgroup Michael J. Phillips, Chairman OTA Food Marketing Cluster Leader Peter Allstrom Timothy Hammonds Ernie Renaud Food and Beverage Trades Vice President for Research Executive Vice President Department Food Marketing Institute Jerrico, Inc. AFL-CIO Lew Norwood Harold Ricker E. A. Atchley Director of Affiliate Relations Chairman General Transportation Manager National Association of Retail Agriculture Marketing Research General Mills, Inc. Grocers Institute Gordon Bloom Daniel Padberg U.S. Department of Agriculture Senior Lecturer Chairman Don Rothenberg Sloan School of Management Department of Agricultural Consultant Massachusetts Institute of Economics Technology University of Illinois Ellen Haas Gerald Peck Consumer Coordinator President Community Nutrition Institute National-American Wholesale Grocers’ Association vi Contents Chapter Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. 3 I INTRODUCTION . 7 Objectives and Procedures . 8 II. PRIORITIES FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT . .......11 Priority Selection. 11 Fabricated Foods. .......13 Food Sanitation in Distribution. .......13 Retortable Pouch. 14 Electronic Checkout . 15 Technologies To Reduce Food Loss. ...16 Electronic Food Shopping . ....16 Returnable and Recyclable Containers . .....17 Technologies Needing More Research . 18 III. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS . .......21 Scenarios for the Future. .......21 Energy and Other Raw Materials . .......23 Pollution, ,. .......24 Demand for Food. .......24 Supply of Food. .......25 Food Safety and Nutrition. .......25 Regulations . .......26 Changing Lifestyles. .......27 Industry Structure . 28 Other Institutions . .......28 FoodWaste . .......29 IV. PROCESSING AND PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR ASSESSMENT . .......33 Preservation . 0 . 0 . .......34 New and Improved Equipment and Processing Techniques . .......37 New and Modified Food Products. .......42 New Sources of Ingredients . .......44 Packaging . .......45 V. DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR ASSESSMENT . .......51 Wholesaling. .......52 Transportation . .......53 Retailing and FoodService . .......56 Technologies Involving the Total Distribution System. .......61 Contents—continued Chapter Page APPENDIXES A. The Food Marketing System. .......65 B. Procedures Followed in the Planning Assessment. ...69 C, Agenda, Objectives, and Procedures for the Working Group. 78 D. References . .....86 LIST OF TABLES TableNo. Page 1. Issue Areas of Food Marketing Technologies With High Priority for Assessment. ...I2 2. Socioeconomic Factors Influencing New Technologies as Indicated in Questionnaire Responses . .......22 3. Processing and Packaging Technologies With High Priority for Assessment. .., ....34 4. Number of Plants and Employees for Food Processing . .......34 5. Distribution Technologies With High PriorityforAssessment . ....5I A-1. Establishments, Sales, and Employees for Food MarketingFirms, 1967 and 1972.... 68 El. Number of Responses to Letter by Type of Respondent. .......70 LIST OF FIGURES Figure No. Page A-1. Major Components of theDomestic Food System. .......66 A-2. Farm Value,Marketing Bill,and Consumer Expenditures for Food, 1977..........67 A-3. Components of Bill for Marketing Farm Foods,1976. .......68 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The identification of new or emerging food marketing technologies that will have significant long-range impacts on society and the U.S. food system was the objective of this preliminary analysis. Food marketing is defined as the activities that take place within the food sys- tem from the farm gate to the consumer. These activities include processing, wholesaling, retailing, transportation, and food service. In 1977 consumers spent $180 billion on domestically produced food. The marketing bill was $123.5 billion, or 68.6 percent of this total, which represents more than twice the farm value of that food. Using a mail survey, a working group, and collateral staff work, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) has identified the social and economic factors that interact with and may be expected to influence the emergence and adoption of marketing technologies. The availability and cost of energy, supply of and demand for food (domestically and worldwide), environmental concerns, food safety, nutrition and health, and consumer attitudes are the major factors identified. Other elements include the availability and use of raw materials, importance of preventing spoilage and waste in the marketing system, and the effect of changing lifestyles on consumer preferences and attitudes. These socioeconomic elements and the marketing technologies are outlined and analyzed using two differing scenarios. The first scenario assumes that only minor changes will occur in the socioeconomic climate through the year 2000 and that trends will continue basically the same as they are today. The second, which is felt to be the more realistic and applicable, assumes changes from the current situation that will effect concomitant changes in the food marketing system. Each technology is examined from the following points of view: . Its current state of development; . The extent to which it will be used; . Expected impacts, both negative and positive, of the technology and where these impacts may be felt; and ● Significant policy issues that may be explored in connection with a given technology and the effect it may have on society. On the basis of the foregoing, seven technologies were judged by OTA as highest priority. ● Texturing, binding, flavoring, and associated technologies that will pr~ duce engineered or fabricated