What’s for dinner? The answer matters, at every level
Globally, food prices have risen in 13 of the past 15 months and are close to their peak of 2011, owing to poor weather, pandemic-related disruption and fallout from a swine-flu outbreak in China in 2018. In the longer term, the food system faces pressure from climate change, population growth and a shift towards more Westernised, meat-heavy diets.that promise to produce food in new ways, in large volumes with less inhumane factory farming and a lower environmental footprint.
At the same time as novel foods are shunned, traditional foods and farming lore are venerated. In California the fanciest restaurants aspire to recreate the humble diet of the Tuscan peasant. Many Western consumers are willing to pay extra for food produced by organic farming, in effect a historical re-enactment of pre-20th-century agriculture, because it avoids “chemicals”.
Yet supposedly timeless food traditions are often shallower than they seem. In the “Columbian exchange” in the 16th century, food crops from the Americas rapidly spread around the world. Tomatoes and polenta, staples of the Italian diet, are American in origin and were unknown to the Romans or to Dante. Potatoes were eventually widely adopted in Europe . It is hard to imagine many Asian cuisines without chili peppers, but they too are American.
The new foods and processes on offer today present opportunities to create delicious and sustainable new traditions. Western consumers should put aside their reservations about eating crickets and give plant-based burgers,printed steaks and vat-grown artificial tuna a try. Regulators, especially in Europe and America, should streamline their processes for approving cultured meat, be more open to gene-editing crops , and speed up approval of edible insects for animal feed and human consumption.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Introducing Cover Story, a New Investigative Podcast From New York MagazinePower Trip — the first season of our newest podcast, Cover Story — will uncover the secrets and expose the darkest corners of the psychedelic revolution through a twisted, deeply personal tale at the intersection of mind, body, and control.
Read more »
Avril Lavigne debuts new locks as she shares new music teaserAvril Lavigne got fans majorly excited as she counted down to the moment she dropped her new single with a special teaser clip
Read more »
Sununu not running for Senate from New Hampshire, likely hurting GOP hopes to gain a seat
Read more »
Schumer scores billions for New York's decaying public housingThe jockeying over the housing funds is one of many emerging sources of political tension surrounding President Joe Biden's bill.
Read more »
Jessica Simpson Seemingly Teases New MusicThe singer last released new music in February 2020 along with the release of her memoir.
Read more »
Naked Elizabeth Hurley screams in the shower in trailer for new Netflix movieActress and model Elizabeth Hurley recently revealed that she has only put on around ten pounds over the last 20 years as she strips off for her latest role
Read more »