"Smarter" Food Systems Required to Improve Safety and Availability of World's Food Supplies, Says IBM

ARMONK, NY - 08 Dec 2008: As the world has become more globally connected, the systems to produce, transport and process food have become complex and inefficient, according to IBM (NYSE: IBM). The result is a host of inefficiencies that impact the scarcity, safety, sustainability and cost of food. These challenges, and possible solutions to address the problems, are the focus of discussion this week on the blog, "Building a smarter planet."

Consider these facts:

• In developed countries, up to 30 percent of the food purchased goes to waste.
• In the U.S. alone, food wastage totals more than $48 billion annually.
• The U.S. experiences 76 million cases of food borne illness each year.
• Seventy-five percent of the apples sold in New York City come from the West Coast or overseas, even though the state produces more apples than city residents consume.

The following light hearted video portrays some of the issues facing world food systems: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DAR5wW19Eg&fmt=18

The opportunity to improve the safety and sustainability of the world's food systems requires a combination of technology innovation, policy changes and behavioral adjustments. To find out more about this issue, what IBM and others are doing to help address it, and to discuss your views on how to build a smarter food system, visit http://www.ibm.com/think. For more background, visit the smarter planet press room on ibm.com: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/uk/en/presskit/26094.wss.

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