BUYER BEWARE: Grazing on Chemicals, “Smart Shit” and Staple Products
I recall my Biology professor taking our class outside to walk the grounds of our school and saying that what most people feared was being attacked with a nuclear bomb.
Not so, he said. What’s likely to kill us all is already here, in our backyards and shelves of your local markets or warehouses of e-commerce companies. Returning back to the classroom, professor turned off the lights and an image popped on the projection screen. He asked us to describe it.
It was a grotesque image of what appeared to be a human with deformations and exaggerated features; swollen eyes and mouth on an enlarged head, no neck, attached to an enlarged body with what looked like dangling limbs. This, he said, is what some scientists see the human of the future. Needless, to say, I have been unable to forget it.
Demonstration was a clever stunt to get students’ attention. Well, it worked. He had mine. Yes, but we all got to eat.
Business of Food and Chemicals
Amazon-Whole Foods Got Real Food? Whole Foods customers report finding in store shelves bread products with a label name “365” and a vendor corn chips that reads, “This product may contain a chemical known to cause Cancer.”
If products with chemicals are in the First Life, can we find artificial “real food” in Second Life?
Merger with an e-commerce company, Amazon, seems ideal to cater to customer’s demand for convenience. Shopper, just pull off the shelf or add to cart online.
Green solutions? Consumers have gained knowledge and become more aware of what they’re eating thanks in part to the technology. But, producers have gained a lot more. Tech and food industry are capitalizing on climate’s negative effect on the environment and food industry.
BUYER BEWARE!
“Smart Technology” is a catchy phrase. As a producer, you have to jump on the idea. Think about it. A few decades ago the catch phrase was “good living.” But in the last decade it’s smart this and smart that.
Integral part of the food chain, staple products, may continue to be compromised. Core to our everyday foods, they include rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, lentils, plantains, meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese. And more importantly the imported products like olive oil used for salads and cooking.
Economic crises and disruption of markets is an ideal time for vendors to push their products. However, recent reports of traffic jams of vessels at ports unable to offload cargo because of worker shortage and warehouses full to capacity is a major cause for concern as we approach the holidays.
Negative effects of global warming compromises food storage leading to spoilage and molding. Geopolitical forces hinder transportation impacting supply chains.
Unsustainability of meat products has quickly developed a future in plant based diets. From natural food to green based products full of seed oils (palm, soy, etc). And from regular creamers and milk to almond milk to soybean creamer. Nutritionists reports of long term negative effects of seed oils need to be seriously considered.
Allergies? Think about this next time you drink “whole” milk, cream your coffee with soy or almond, bite into your “whole wheat” cereal, Genetically Modified chocolate bar or muffin laced with peanuts from companies sharing processing plants and who knows what.
Humans, are WE what WE eat? My professor would likely say yes. So, why don’t we question what we eat? Because that would mean taking the time to question ourselves and markets like “Whole Foods” and Amazon’s online vendors.