RAY A. MATULKA
Director of Toxicology, Burdock Group Consultants, Orlando, USA

Analysis of the human population underscores the fact that the net world population is rapidly increasing, from nearly 7.5 billion today (1) to an estimated to reach 8.5 billion in 2030 (2) and a projected 9.2 billion by 2050 (3). The rapidly growing population inherently raises questions concerning innovative methods to increase crop output and manufacturing efficiency to meet the inevitable increased food requirements to sustain a nourished, healthy population. However, current health concerns in the most of the industrialized world surround the increasing percentage of overweight and obese people, with obesity defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (4). The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that in 2013 over 50% of the European population were overweight or obese and over 20% of that same population were obese (5). In 2017, the Oganisation of Economic Community Development (OECD) reported that obesity rates are rising, with obesity at 22.3% in Turkey, 23.6% in Germany and 26.9% in the United Kingdom. The United States fared much worse, with an obesity rate of 38.2% (6).

Physicians, nutritionists and government health agencie ...