worldwide problem of animal protein deficiencies 

 need not be emphasized in this panel report. In 

 his State of the Union message for 1967 the 

 President directed the Agency for International 

 Development and the Department of the Interior 

 to: 



—Perfect low cost commercial processes for the 

 production of fish protein concentrate. 



—Develop new protein rich products that will fit 

 into a variety of local diets. 



—Encourage private investment in fish protein 

 concentrate production and marketing as well as 

 better fishing methods. 



—Use this new product in our Food for Freedom ' 

 program to fortify the diets of children and 

 nursing mothers. 



There are, however, a number of serious mis- 

 understandings about the nature of the program, 

 and in addition, a number of discouraging obsta- 

 cles to large scale production despite repeated 

 assurances that full success is just around the 

 corner. 



The panel cannot emphasize too strongly that 

 "fish protein concentrate" is actually a large 

 family of products, some of which are already 

 intensively used and purchased in large quantities, 

 while others remain in the embryonic stage. The 

 fishmeal that accounts for much of the spectacular 

 growth in markets and production of fishery 

 products since 1950 is, in fact, a form of fish 

 protein concentrate. It has been used very success- 

 fully to supplement formulated foods for various 

 types of animals, the end result being both food 

 and non-food products for human utilization. In 

 this form, fish protein concentrate has grown from 

 a world production of about 500,000 tons in 1964 

 to more than 4 million tons in 1 966. 



Production of what is normally referred to as 

 "fish protein concentrate" involves a series of 

 additional steps designed to produce a tasteless 

 product that can be used as a protein supplement 

 in foods directly consumed by humans such as 

 soups, breads, and beverages. This requires a 

 substantially larger reduction in oil content and 

 certain other types of undesired physical elements, 

 together with more rigid standards of sanitation at 

 every stage in the production process. 



Even this is too simple a view of the product, 

 however. The degree to which taste and odor are 

 removed, the degree to which grittiness must be 

 reduced, the keeping qualities of the product over 

 time, and even the form in which it is to be 

 consumed are all variables rather than fixed 

 elements. Thus far, research and development 

 efforts by both private industry and the Federal 

 Government have concentrated on achieving a 

 tasteless, odorless product that can be stored over 

 long periods of time and transported cheaply. In 

 so doing, both have emphasized (correctly, in the 

 panel's opinion), development of a product that 

 would meet any possible objections on grounds of 

 esthetic considerations and with the widest possi- 

 ble range of uses as a dietary supplement. In the 

 interests of simpUcity, the research effort has also 

 concentrated on processes using lean fish, such as 

 hake, that are readily available and lend themselves 

 most easily to the production of the desired kinds 

 of concentrate. 



It is obvious, however, that tastes vary through- 

 out the world, and that it is not only possible but 

 certain that many different kinds of protein 

 concentrate derived from fish should be developed 

 to meet these demands. It is also far from certain 

 that the very high standards initially established as 

 a research goal need necessarily be followed in the 

 production of all kinds of fish protein concentrate 

 for all purposes. 



The processes now being explored most inten- 

 sively by private industry and by the BCF have not 

 been established unequivocally as the only ones to 

 be investigated or even the best. Variations of the 

 types of solvent methods now under investigation 

 and biological processing techniques both offer 

 real promise, not only in terms of cost reduction 

 but also in terms of the range of fish that can be 

 handled and the number of different end products 

 with different characteristics that may be forth- 

 coming. 



In the United States, progress has proceeded 

 along two general lines. First, a private firm has 

 developed a process for producing fish protein 

 concentrate for animal feeding which was subse- 

 quently altered to derive a product suitable for 

 direct human consumption. During the same 

 period, the BCF undertook a rather substantial 

 research program to pull together information on 

 studies that had been made or were being made in 

 various parts of the world. The program was aimed 



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