The Rural Voice, 2005-06, Page 43The leading edge
Immigration alters milk consumption
Although total milk consumption
in Canada is stable, the decline in per -
capita milk product consumption can
be linked to changing immigration
patterns, say University of Guelph
researchers.
"We are a nation built on
immigration," says Prof. Elliott
Currie, who along with post -doctoral
researcher Craig Martin studied the
effects immigration has on milk
consumption. "The complexion of
Canada is changing, and the dairy
industry will have to adapt to new
consumer demands."
Using 2001 census data from
Statistics Canada, the researchers
studied ethnicities in Canada's
population. They found that among
new Canadians, Chinese now top the
list of immigrants, followed by people
from India, Pakistan and the Philipp-
ines. Each population introduces
unique cultural attitudes and beliefs to
their new Canadian home.
In particular, nutritional habits
reflect ethnic origin. Currie says
eating habits are determined by
factors such as genetic predisposition
to certain foods, the types of animals
domesticated for food production and
the eating habits of the primary
caregiver. A mother's eating habits
will determine what her children eat
as much as 90 per cent of the time.
As a result, an individual's milk
consumption can be linked with great
accuracy to consumption in his or her
nation or origin, the researches say.
They've used world milk
consumption statistics to calculate a
weighted average for each ethnic
group in Canada.
They found that Europeans were
among the biggest consumers of milk
products and Asians had the lowest
consumption records. In fact, Dutch
consumers top the list by consuming
368 kg. of milk products per capita
per year, whereas Chinese consumers
rank last with fewer than 10 kg. The
average consumption rate among all
Canadians was 214 kg. per year —
much higher than the weighted world
average of 78 kg. Still, with the
influences from immigrating
populations, Canadian per -capita
consumption is declining.
While milk from cows
predominates with western European
consumers. milk in India and Pakistan
is more likely to come from buffalo
while people from southern European
countries like Spain and Portugal are
more likely to consume milk products
from goats.
In future, Currie sees markets for
other dairy animals — including
sheep, goats and buffalo — expanding
in Canada. Niche markets for
specialty and value-added products
such as buffalo milk could surface to
satisfy the demand in larger urban
centres where populations
traditionally consumed milk products
other than those derived from cattle.
Marketing efforts may reflect the
growing diversity in milk products.0
— Source: University of Guelph
Research Magazine
Creating prion free cattle thwarts BSE
Scientists with American biotech company Hematech LLC and the pharm-
aceutical division of a Japanese brewery are trying to wipe out BSE by creating
cows that don't have prions. the mysterious proteins responsible for the hrain-
wasting disease in cattle and its human equivalent. Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.
The researchers have produced a line of calf embryos w ithout prions. using a
technique developed during research on another project. Sequential gene
targeting was developed while scientists were working on rapidly producing
unlimited quantities of fully -human antibodies in cows to treat immune
deficiency, infectious disease. cancer and autoimmune diseases. Researchers
then used this technique to remove both copies of the prion -production gene in
other fertilized eggs. Preliminary research results were published in the journal
Nature Genetics. The Holstein embryos were implanted in Angus and Angus -
cross surrogate mothers.0
- Source: Western Producer
Asian farmers sucking
continent drb
Asian farmers drilling millions
of pump -operated wells in an ever -
deeper search for water are
threatening to suck the continent's
underground reserves dry. the
London-based science magazine
New Scientist reports.
"This little -heralded crisis is
repeating itself across Asia and
could cause widespread famine in
the decades to come." the
magazine said in a report on a
water conference in Sweden Iasi
summer.
The worst -affected country is
India where small farmers have
abandoned traditional shallow
wells. instead drilling 21 million
tube wells hundreds of meters
below the surface using technol-
ogy adapted from the oil industry
A million wells a year are
coming into operation in India to
irrigate rice. sugar cane and alfalfa
around the clock. While 5600
(U.S.) pumps hay e brought shon-
term prosperity to many and
helped make India a major rice
exporter in less than a generation.
future implications are dire. the
magazine said
"So much water is heing draw ii
from underground reser% es that
they. and the pumps they teed. are
running dry. turning fields that
have been fecund for generations
into desert... the magazine said.
"When the halloos bursts.
untold anarchy w ill he the lot oI
rural India.- said fushaar Shah.
head oI the International Watei
Management Institute's _round
water in (,ularat. He said Indian
farmers are taking '(N)
kilometers ot water out ot the
earth each year and only .i fraction
is replaced by the monsoon runs
The same resolution is being
replicated in Pakistan. \ ietn.i. 1
and northern China. In ( h;i,.i s
breadbasket. 30 cubic kiloin,4eis
more water is pumped to the
surface each year than is repl.i.e,i
by ram.:'
Shure r- Reuter%.\en 1
JUNE 200.
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