John Etzcorn
Breakfast Cereals and How They are Made, Second Edition
Pages 507-523
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/1891127152.014
ISBN: 1-891127-15-2
Abstract
Throughout the last half of the 20th century, the universe of environmental issues and regulations grew dramatically. This was particularly true for manufacturers and other traditional sources of pollution, on which much of the regulatory effort was focused. However, the environmental spectrum has broadened and become significantly more complex in relation to scientific and social developments. Most environmental regulations and standards applied to developed countries were not well suited for use elsewhere, nor were they designed to address the complexities of a global environment. At the same time, many developing countries have only begun to consider conservation and environmental protection as important issues.
We have witnessed the development of a much more global approach to environmental protection through the use of international standards and treaties. The European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement both address basic environmental protections. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) developed a series of voluntary environmental management criteria known as ISO 14000, which rapidly became the preferred international system.
So where does the food industry fit in? Food manufacturers tend to lag behind manufacturers of “durable” goods, electronics, chemicals, and petroleum products in the development of environmental compliance programs and pollution control technology investments. This is not to say, however, that food manufacturers in general (or breakfast cereal manufacturers in particular) have no stake in environmental programs. Food manufacturers may have a larger stake as a practical matter, in that most of them market products directly to consumers who have a keen awareness of the environment and of those accused of harming it.
