charts. Includes 12 references

Peer-review: Yes - Open Access: Yes|http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&ISSN=0036-8075

The contrast in lifestyles between rich and poor nations is particularly evident in the relative nutritive quality of their diets, to which food science has contributed greatly for the richer nations and quite little for the poorer. Food science in developed countries is discussed, as well as malnutrition in developing countries. Food productivity can be enhanced by: increasing product yield per unit of land (through applications of food science); expanding the amount of land under cultivation; and improving efficiency in food conservation and distribution. In contrast to developing nations, people in developed natins are protected from food contamination, have access to a broad variety of foods, and spend little time preparing foods. In most tropical countries, food losses between the time of harvest (or slaughter) and the time of eventual consumption are inestimable. Efforts to enhance post-harvest food systems in developing nations need attention and creativity from many scientific disciplines in international support. While a nutritionally-adequate diet for all people over the next 20 years cannot be assured, universal food sufficiency can be attained if politicians, policy-makers, and the international community of food scientists share a world-wide concern for meeting the nutritive needs of all peoples. (wz)

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