Over the last few months, it seems like a large percentage of the stories we have written have revolved around the recession, with previously pressing issues such as food security taking a back seat.

But this week’s FPJ contains a plethora of food security stories (p4-5), suggesting that the food industry still has a very firm eye on the future and is not about to let long-term, potentially catastrophic, problems build up, despite economic pressures.

One common-sense argument put forward this week by New Zealand’s minister of agriculture was that we need to give developing nations the tools and know-how to increase their own agricultural productivity and feed themselves.

Absolute food production is rising, according to a recent piece of work carried out by Chatham House, but despite this, food production per capita is not keeping pace. With the global population set to soar, this is a worrying statistic.

The expert who led the Chatham House study has suggested that systemic change is needed for the issue of food security to be tackled in any meaningful way. It is not just a case of finding better production tools that offer better yields - long term, a far wider transition across the world’s political, economic and agricultural systems will be vital if we are to feed a growing population. An incredibly tough proposition, but one that could prove more than vital for our future.