Food, food, food.

Food, food, food.

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Introduction September 2012 We have to eat in order to survive. That’s a fact. But how we do this is another thing. Food and its production are things that have changed a lot in the last decades and generations. Being raised in a society where industrialised food production is a commodity it is interesting to see what food has become. In the Western world, we eat more then ever before and diseases related to obesity are rising. Food has for a long time not only been just about survival. It is a life style decision. What you eat and how you do this not only affects yourself and your body but also the people involved in the food production chain as well as the environment.

This publication is a result of having studied the discussion about food in the media over a few weeks. It presents short introductions to current articles. It discusses problems regarding our current way of eating but also possible solutions for the future. How things can change and perhaps make things better. Several discoveries have been made about previous assumptions, suggesting us to think in new ways. No matter what your standpoint is in this question, this publication invites you to find out more about what food is today, what it represents and issues related to it.

Fanny Wacklin Nilsson

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The articles reviewed and presented here are divided into certain subcategories.

N stands for negative, which is an article that is about a current problem with food or the production of it.

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S stands for solution or initiative and these articles are about suggested solutions/ initiatives that aims to solve certain food related issues.

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Link The arrow symbolises a link that connects you to the article where the information originally was read.

D is an abbreviation for discoveries and categorises articles which are about information that newly has been discovered in the area of food and its production.

And the numbers that are right next to the letter shows you in which order it is presented in the publication.

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N No more peas

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A large scandal happened to a food brand called Findus,well-known in Sweden. It produces a broad range of products from ready meals to frozen vegetables, meat, fish and canned foods. Things started to become fishy when a large amount of fish appeared dead in a lake nearby their factory. Emissions from their pea production containing a large amount of phosphorus and nitrogen leaked out in to the lake and affect the level of oxygen. As a result a large amount of dead fish were found and Findus stopped their pea production until the problem will be solved.

However, a large area has been affected and it can take up to several years until the lake recovers. The situation has even been described as disastrous.

Right next to some old railway tracks in the south of Stockholm an area was granted to be used for urban gardening.

The phenomenon of city and urban gardening has spread widely all over the world over the last few years. As more people move in to the cities initiatives are made to create gardens in the urban environment. The idea is in this case to spread information about cultivating as several different kinds of vegetables are grown in wooden cases. It is supported by the council as it aims to invite people to get involved, not only in the gardening part but also through their cafe and markets.

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Urban gardening in Stockholm

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Directly from the producer Petter Berndalen, a man blogging under the man of the “house father� decided to try, over a year long period, to buy all his food directly from the producer.

Realising that he wasn’t eating as good as he wanted he decided to find out if he, living in Stockholm, could survive without consuming any thing from the food stores.

Being a traveling musician it has not been as hard as you might imagine and as a result, his taste and smell senses have become much better than before. As his blog gained more and more attention he has also received more suggestions of where to find good producers.

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Bee Urban The name might give you an insight into this new inititive happening in the centre of Stockholm. Bee Urban offers sponsorship of beehives to companies in the urban environment. The hives are placed primarily on rooftops around the city, either on the property of the sponsor or locations that Bee Urban has found. Bee Urban takes care of the bees and the honey is delivered to the sponsor in an environmental friendly packaging communicating what Bee Urban does. Bees are crucial for our food, as much as 76% of what we eat within the EU is pollinated. However bees are disappearing, something Bee Urban wants to change, and having their hives in bright colours makes them hard to miss.

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Animals = Meat = food?

Do we have to consider animals in new ways in the future?

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What happens to laying hens?

Have you ever thought about what happens to laying hens after they have stopped producing eggs? As they have reached the end of their, so to say, ‘working life’ they become brutally killed. One of the leading newspapers in Sweden, Svenska Dagbladet, revealed that farmers systamically kill their hens as they no longer are profitable. The hens are locked in their barn as deadly gas is pumped in. After a while a vet is called to make sure they are all dead. As soon as that is established, the hens are dumped on a truck that takes them to a facility where they are burned. Another solution is the mobile facility in which the hens are minced into food for minks or so called ‘chickpulp’. Why this waste? Hens are no longer popular in the main food stores, as chicken has become so cheap and well established.

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Insects, the new bacon?

As the current meat industry has become one of the biggest environmental villains people have started to look for alternatives. If you don’t want to give up meat fully there are other sources of animal produce to be found than the ones we normally consume today; namely insects. The EU-commission has invested in a large project in which insects are promoted as good source of protein and a healthy diet. A large amount of the creatures contain just as much protein as the meat we usually find on our plates,

but the level of fat is much lower. The environmental impact of insects is also much lower, which is partly why it has reached a higher status as food in the western world. They need much less food and water in comparison to livestock.

An organisation called Nordic Food Lab, based in Copenhagen research has been made into how insects can be used in our cuisine and they have come up with some interesting results according to an Independent reporter who went to visit the place.

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Animals = meat = food?

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Everyone is a vegetarian

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Mondays off for cows Meat free Monday is an international initiative and not-for-profit campaign supported by Paul McCartney that encourages people not to eat meat at least once a week. As a vegetarian diet is much more environmentally friendly than meat it is a help for the planet to occasionally exclude meat. The Swedish Green Party, Miljรถpartiet, teamed up with the idea and suggested that Swedish schools also should follow this. A proposal that received a lot of attention from other politicians and the general public. It is a touchy subject to regulate what people are allowed to eat but perhaps necessary as we are facing more environmental difficulties.

Adopting a vegetarian diet might soon be a future reality, whatever you like it or not. According to a report done by the International Water Institute there is not enough water for producing all the food we need in the future. It is already known that producing meat requires a whole lot more water and land than vegetarian cost does. As the world population is growing we need to change our eating habits in order to produce enough food for everyone. There is simply not enough water for everyone to sustain the way we eat and live in the west. Especially not as the population grows and more people around the world adopt our way of living.

Meat Free Monday play video

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Food is becoming more pricey You have probably noticed that the prices for food are rising.

Unfortunately this is not an ending trend, in fact the opposite.

According to a new report done by Oxfam the prices for food are going up even more so in the future. This because of extreme weather and the global warming. Heavy rain, storms and draughts make the conditions for agriculture much harder and pushes the prices high as the supply becomes less. Oxfam’s climate change policy adviser, Tim Gore is negative about the future and urges the British government to take this problem more seriously.

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Sourdough Over the last year sourdough bread has become a massive trend in Stockholm.

Not only a large amount of the bakeries, cafes and restaurants are selling and serving it. It has also become popular to bake for the individual. For the ones not so familiar with the baking procedure it should be known that it is more of an effort to do than the regular bread done with bought yeast. As the sourdough culture is alive it you can have it for several years and bake hundreds of breads from it.

However this means that it needs daily care. Over the summer this might be a problem for Stockholmers going on holiday. The hype around sourdough was complete when a hotel opened in which you can keep your baby meanwhile being away (if you have the money for it...).

Sourdough hotel play video

Food challenge The writer and chef Peter Streijffert started for about two years to challenge a large food producer and company in Sweden called Findus. The challenge was to make from scratch, cheaper and quicker meals than their ready meals. He succeeded in making cheaper food, not only quicker, but also a lot healthier. Recently he made a book about it all alongside recipes of the food that he makes. Peter also has a blog which he regularly updates with his culinary results.

Porridge Porridge, a cheap but nutritious breakfast, has risen in popularity over the last years.

It is commonly seen at breakfast places where you can satisfy your hunger with some warm cooked oats. Two guys in Copenhagen have taken the concept a step further when they opened a “porridge bar� which they of course call porridge.

Here they hope to inspire people to eat porridge not only for breakfast but also at other times of the day. So, porridge for dinner, anyone?

How to make the perfect porridge play video

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you are what you eat

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Swedes: fat & blond The National Food Agency is a Swedish organisation that aims to inform Swedes of what is good to eat and not. A recent report they published reveals that Swedes are eating really poorly and obesity has over the recent years become a real health issue. Now, over more than half of the male population weighs more than what is recommended.

According to the study people eat too much sugar and saturated fat but not enough fruit & veg. Fish and whole grain products are other foods that people lack in their daily diet. The National Food Agency is upset about the development as what we eat hugely affects our health. The problem is also largely connected to social differences. People with low income tend to eat worse and get health related diseases later in life.

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Soda - no more X-large New York will be the first city in the United States to ban large servings of soda.

A restriction of 4.8 dl will be the rule, beginning early next year. The city major is thrilled over the decision as he sees it as a way to fight obesity. Cinema theatres are however not cheering as much as they are scared that it will threaten a large amount of their revenue.

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Walnuts, sperms’ new BFF

Research published by the journal Biology of Reproduction says that if a young male eats two handfuls of walnuts a day they it will improve their sperm health.

The research was carried out amongst 117 different men. It can be a valid and important study for the future as about one in six couples are infertile, with 40% of these due to a male factor.

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You are what you eat

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Eco = healthier?

Ecological food has long been promoted not only to be good for the environment but also better for you to eat. New research shows that food marked with an organic or eco-label doesn’t need to be healthier.

Comparisons have been made with organically grown products as well as conventionally grown food and it shows that the so called health benefits are rather connected to what kind of products you eat rather than how they have been cultivated. A bit of a scandal for the ecological food industry and it can raise questions of whatever this will affect the consumption of organic food. Hopefully not, as health benefits are not the only reason of buying eco-labelled products.

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Milk & dairy falsely advertised In Scandinavia as well as other European countries milk and dairy have promoted as good products to eat. This from being really young up until older age. Schools serve milk for lunch and it’s been said that by drinking it your bones will become stronger.

However, the actual benefits of these products have been discussed over the last couple of years and research shows that it might not be as good to eat as you might think. Of course it all depends on how much you eat over a day. The research tells that you should not over-consume milk and dairy as it harm your body rather than help.

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Enjoy your meal

By Fanny Wacklin Nilsson Published September 2012 UWE Bristol