ABSTRACT
Population growth since mid-century has forced most nations to supplement local food supplies with massive imports of grain. Modern scientific agriculture, despite its vigorous progress, is no longer regarded by many as the "open-ended" producer which will inevitably overcome future food supply uncertainties imposed by burgeoning populations and variable climate. While the increasing impact of variable climate on world food supplies and the nearing limits of conventional agricultural production are compelling reasons, other timely factors support a serious world effort to develop and commercialize synthetic foods. Despite exciting progress in agricultural science, mankind's food security has become increasingly precarious. A synthetic food or a synthetic nutrient is a non-living product made by chemical reaction or a biochemical process from nonliving raw material. In the affluent Western countries, where vitamin-rich foods are abundantly available, many people suffer from vitamin deficiencies because of poor eating habits, dislike of certain foods, or gross misinformation spread by food faddists.
