—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2,1978 66 New food technologies reviewed in Washington WASHINGTON, D.C. - American housewives may get more nutritious food faster and more con veniently with the aid of technologies that are or will soon be adopted. These emerging technologies may also help stem rising food prices by reducing the cost of marketing food products, according to a report released recently by the Office of Tehnology Assessment (OTA). In cluded on the Board of OTA are Senators Edward M. Kennedy, chairman; Gif ford Case, Adlai Stevenson, Morris Udall, Orrin Hatch, and Ernest Rollings. As with all technological change, new technologies may have undesirable or unanticipated consequences, OTA warns. Examining those technologies now will help ensure that we properly plan for dealing with their impacts. “While there are many benefits to be derived for farmers, marketers, and housewives from achievements in food technologies,” OTA Director Dr. Russel W. Peterson said, “This report shows how important it is to examine, early and closely, possible unforeseen consequences of these advances.” OTA identified seven emerging technologies likely to be adopted in the near future which need further study. The seven are: • Texturing, binding, and flavoring processes that modify existing foods or produce new ones, (such as ' meat and dairy substitutes). • Improved means of transporting food to ensure its quality, such as freight cars designed for food shipment only. • New packages capable of keeping food safe and * nutritious longer, such as die retortable puch, a multilayered plastic bag in which food can be stored without refrigeration and in which the food can be cooked prior to opening. •. Electronic checkout in retail food stores, including the use of universal product codes currently printed on about 80 percent of food packages in grocery stores. • Technologies to reduce food loss in transportation, packaging, and retailing. • Electronic food shopping systems such as warehouse to-door delivery,* automated minimarkets, and mobile automated markets. • Recyclable and retur nable food , containers that would' extend current technology from beverages to other food products. While these technologies may save money, produce more nutritious foods, and provide more food by cutting losses, their impacts need further study, according to tile OTA report. For in stance, electronic checkout may improve labor productivity and inventory control, but could cost many workers their jobs. Also, with a cost of $200,000 to install, electronic checkout may make it more difficult for small grocery stores to compete with larger chains. The delivery of safe and wholesome foods to con sumers requires improved transportation technologies. Now, food may be spoiled or contaminated by being shipped in railroad cars infested with rats or bisect pests, or that have previously carried toxic or otherwise dangerous sub stances. ' ' _• . “There are documented BUY NOW & SAVE MONEY! WAIVER OF INTEREST UNTIL 3/1/79 ON ALL 70 SERIES TRACTORS AND 4 WHEELERS AND SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE - CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CASE DEALER FOR DETAILS. ALSO.... ASK FOR THE “FARM TAX SAVER” FORM AND WE WILL HELP YOU TO DETERMINE POSSIBLE TAX SAVINGS BY MAKING A TRACTOR PURCHASE NOW. ★ WAIVER OF INTEREST, SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AND POSSIBLE TAX SAVINGS ADDS UP TO sss IN YOUR POCKET! • PARTS • SERVICE • RECONDITIONED TRACTORS doing something about it. ® «-> DEPENDABLE MOTOR CO. East Mam Street Honey Brook, PA (215)273-3131 STOUFFER BROS. INC. PAUL SHAVER’S INC. N o V JL N Q ¥1 ER 1066 Lincoln Way West 35 East Willow St * OUno, InU. Chambersburg, PA Carlisle PA RDI, Chester Springs, PA (717)263-8424 (717)243-2686 (215)827-7414 C. H. WALTZ SONS, INC. C. H. RINEHIMER 8 SDKS I& T SUPPLY, INC. RDI, Cogan Station, PA (717)435-2921 cases of pets dying from pet foods whose ingredients were contaminated with toxic substances during shipment,’’ the report states. Further, “food ingredients are frequently rejected by the processor because they have become contaminated during shipment.” Specific improvement Retirement course available UNIVERSITY PARK - Since the nature - of retirement forces major readjustment in lifestyles, education for this read justment cannot be effective at, or after, retirement. Specialists say that most people tend to conisder financial arrangements and where-to-live options just before retirement This is too late because retirement planning must take place as yougrow older, not when you have grown old- Critical for many people is a drastic drop in retirement income. This makes income preparation vitally im portant since financial arrangements must be adequate for an extended period for nonwork. Available from The Pennsylvania State University is a new coirespondence course to aid you in making plans for your nonworking years. Titled, Planning Your Retirement, the course discusses: ; financial plan ning, including new worth, inflation factor, health care CLAIR J. MYERS Lake Road R 1 Thomasville, PA (717)259-0453 RDI, Berwick, PA (717)752-7131 could include railroad cars designed to carry food ex clusively, new techniques for cleaning freight cars, and better tracking systems capable of identifying cars by what freight they have