By Dr. Mercola
Modern-day food practices are reliant on a series of unsustainable
methods — including fossil fuels and chemical-dependent genetically
engineered (GE) organisms — that pollute Earth's valuable resources such
as our air, soil and water, as well as damage public health.
Our current food system,
heavily treated with crop chemicals, is linked to myriad health
problems including food allergies, gluten intolerance, gut and
neurological dysfunction, immunodeficiency disorders and more.
Making healthy food choices is incredibly important, but can be a
daunting task due to the extreme disconnect many of us have with the
food we eat, as illustrated in the featured documentary "Digital Food."
'Food has Become a Black Box'
Food journalist Michael Pollan, who's authored many books and
articles explaining how nature and culture intersect on our plates and
in our farms and gardens,1
says not knowing where our food comes from creates a vicious cycle of
unhealthy choices that results in sickness and disease not only for
humans, but our planet too.
"Food has become a black box," says Pollan. "When you're buying a
pound of hamburger, you know very little. You don't even know what kind
of animal it is."
Most of the time, consumers have little to no details about the food
they eat, including how the animal lived, where it came from, what it
ate or how long ago it was slaughtered, says Pollan, who through his
many thought-provoking books has educated millions about the downfalls
of our current food system.
"It's always been my conviction that the more people know about how
their food is produced, the better choices they will make," says Pollan.
"That can be very disruptive to the food industry," he adds while
being interviewed in the featured film, which explores the potential new
technologies have in bringing transparency to our food system.
Two Children in Every US Classroom Have Food Allergies
About 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes to buy processed food.
What's worse, new research shows that, astonishingly, more than half —
nearly 60 percent, in fact — of the food Americans eat is
ULTRA-processed meaning the food could be purchased at a gas station.
The implications of this, in terms of public health, stretch far and
wide. Researchers estimate that about 15 million Americans now have food allergies.2
This condition, which can be deadly, affects 1 in every 13 children
in the U.S. or two in every classroom, resulting in an economic burden
of roughly $25 billion per year, according to Food Allergy Research
& Education.3
Food allergies among children increased about 50 percent between 1997
and 2011, according to a 2013 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.4
This steep increase in food-related illness has caused consumers to
lose faith in the food system and, as a result, to grow very fearful,
says Julian Baggini, author of "The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and
Think."
"They're worried about being poisoned and about their health," says
Baggini in the film, adding that there's this interesting tension
between the desire for cheap and plentiful food and at the same time,
also a desire for clean, healthy food that's produced sustainably.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Eyes on Food Technology
In an attempt to help consumers regain their trust in food, companies
such as San Francisco-based Nima Labs, featured in the documentary, are
working to develop new technologies that allow consumers to avoid foods
or key ingredients such as gluten that may trigger an allergic
reaction.
Shireen Yates and Scott Sundvor, both of whom suffered food allergies
and sensitivities for years, founded Nima Labs in 2013. Tired of
wondering whether a food was safe to eat, Yates and Sundvor created a
portable device that allows consumers to test liquid and solid foods for
gluten in about two minutes.5
The Nima Starter Kit, costing around $300, allows users to insert a
tiny sample of food into a capsule that uses chemical measurements to
determine if there is 20 parts per million (ppm) or more of gluten in
your food sample.
"The sensor combines an electronic sensor with antibody-based
detection in a disposable capsule. This process turns a complicated
eight-step laboratory food testing process into an easy three steps," according to the company's website.6
"Nima also syncs to an app that will record test results and restaurant reviews for future reference and community sharing."
Please note that this is merely a review of technology featured in the documentary, and I have not investigated its validity.
The device is one of many new technologies aimed at empowering
consumers to make healthier and more confident food choices. Other
emerging technologies include devices that measure anything from
calories to pesticides to antibiotics, notes the film.
The Preference for Health Food Isn't Just a Trend; It's a Lifestyle
More than ever before, consumers have a heightened awareness
regarding the food they eat, as well as an increased preference for
organics and grass fed beef and dairy.
In the U.S., the organic sector
grew 11.5 percent in 2016, while grass fed increased about 50 percent.
As a result, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the amount of GE
crops grown around the world has decreased in terms of acreage.
This preference for health food isn't just a trend; it's a lifestyle —
and for good reason. Studies suggest that organic fruits and
vegetables may contain as much as 18 percent to 69 percent more
antioxidants than pesticide-treated produce.
As antioxidants play a critical role in the prevention of diseases
and illnesses, these higher levels of nutrients, in combination with a
lower toxicity level, make organically grown foods a superior choice.
One of the strongest selling points for eating organic foods had been
to reduce your exposure to pesticides and insecticides. Now, a recent
study demonstrates that organic foods hold more benefits for your future
health and the health of your children.
The study conducted by the European Parliamentary Research Service reviewed existing research and made several determinations.7
From their analysis they concluded that eating organic foods reduces pesticide exposure, improves the nutritional value of the food, lessens disease risk and improves early childhood development.8
They also found those who ate organic foods tended to have healthier
dietary patterns than those who ate foods treated with chemicals.
Conventional Food Production Accounts for Up to 30 Percent of Manmade Greenhouse Gases
Organic and grass fed beef and dairy products aren't only better for human health, but for the planet too. Organic and regenerative agriculture
involves holistic land management practices that improve soil health,
biodiversity and water scarcity, while also mitigating the effects of
climate change.
"Regenerative agriculture keeps the natural cycles healthy — like
water and carbon — so that land can keep growing food and keep carbon
and the climate in balance," said Tim LaSalle, Ph.D., former head of the
Rodale Institute and co-director of the Regenerative Agriculture
Initiative at California State University, Chico.9
Put another way, organic food keeps people healthy, and regenerative
agriculture keeps the planet healthy, said Ronnie Cummins, founder of
the Organic Consumers Association.10
Moving toward a system where 100 percent of food is produced using
organic and regenerative agriculture practices is imperative for
regenerating our planet's precious resources, on which human survival
depends. Unfortunately, our current food system remains largely
dependent on nonrenewable resources that, when used, have adverse
effects on human health and the environment.
"The food system is responsible for somewhere between 20 and 30
percent of the greenhouse gases we produce," says Pollan in the featured
film.11
Consumers are aware of the environmental impacts of the burning of
fossil fuels when it comes to the cars they drive and the homes they
heat, but are much less aware about the role fossil fuels play in food
production, he adds.
Sustainable Food Production Relies on Human Innovations, Not Chemicals
"We turn fossil fuels into food in many ways. The main ingredient
in fertilizer — ammonium nitrate — is a fossil fuel product that's
spread all over the world. The process of making it consumes a lot of
fossil fuels and then when it leaches into the atmosphere, it is a very
potent greenhouse gas itself," says Pollan.
Our modern-day food system also relies on nonrenewable energy inputs
to ship products around the world, but the most damaging aspect is
fossil fuel fertilizer, he adds. "It takes 26 ounces of oil to produce
that one hamburger — an astonishing amount of oil," says Pollan.
Sustainable agriculture, such as organic and regenerative agriculture,
requires far less inputs.
"The most sustainable farms buy the least amount of stuff," says Pollan. "Are the solutions in your head or in a bottle?" he asks. "The most important solutions are in the farmer's head."
Producing Food Without Fossil Fuels
One way to produce food without fossil fuels includes gardening
indoors through the use of LED lighting. Based in the Netherlands,
Deliscious produces food using LED lighting in a greenhouse equipped
with seven layers, one on top of the other, of various types of lettuce.
Started by twin brothers Roy and Mark Delissen, the company is the
first in the gardening business to move a part of their cultivation to a
completely closed space.12
The brothers, who together share a background in logistics and plant
cultivation, say their seven-layer design (area-wise) is seven times
more efficient than a traditional greenhouse. In nature during the
winter, it can take plants up to 100 days to reach 4 inches tall from
the moment they are sown. But in the LED cells at Deliscious, the plants
never need more than 30 days to go from a seed to 4 inches, expressed
Mark Delissen in the film "Digital Food."
Together, the brothers have perfected the right light recipe to
support optimal growth. "In the end you need red, blue and far-red for
photosynthesis," says Mark Delissen, adding that the right combination
of colors — which took the brothers four years to identify — optimizes
growth. "You can even manipulate the flavor by using more blue or red.
But it's only just now that people are starting to research this," he
adds.
"Every color has its own effect — and the plants are very
sensitive to this. So we use blue, red and far-red. The combination of
these three makes the lettuce grow the way we want," says Mark Delissen. "But if you add just a bit more blue, you would get very different plants. It's amazing how nature responds to this."
Growing Plants Indoors With LED Lighting
The brothers say the best part about gardening indoors with LED
lighting is that you're in control, meaning you can manipulate the
plants with different kinds of lights. For example, adding more blue
light causes the plant to be longer and stretch more. While vastly
different than outdoor agriculture, the brothers stress that plant
knowledge is still necessary and predict that in the future farmers will
go from being growers to engineers.
"You still need knowledge of plants, but there will be more
technology," says Mark Delissen. Growing plants indoors using LED
lighting certainly has its advantages, including the fact that no
pesticides are needed during cultivation. Another great advantage is
that the process uses far less water; the Delissen brothers say they use
80 percent less water, in fact. It would also allow the crops to avoid
any rain that is contaminated with glyphosate.
However, there are also downfalls associated with gardening indoors
with LED lighting. Firstly, LED technology is still relatively new and
therefore expensive. "It's like computers in the 1980s," says Mark
Delissen. Secondly, growing plants indoors with LED lighting does not
include soil, which is a natural and important part of the food-growing
process. Because they aren't grown in soil, the plants cannot be
certified organic, either.
Thirdly, gardening indoors with LED lighting does nothing to combat
climate change because the growing process does not involve soil. As
discussed previously, soil-based agriculture — including organic and
regenerative agriculture — is extremely important for combating climate
change by building healthy soils capable of drawing down excess carbon
in the atmosphere.13
Why Our Current Food System Must Evolve
As technology continues to advance, hopefully so will our food
systems, and in a way that's healthier for the planet and us. Like
Pollan said, the ideas are in our heads and not in a bottle of
Monsanto's Roundup. While the U.S. government has done little to nothing
to support a healthier and more environmentally conscious food system,
an improved model continues to emerge through methods like organic and
regenerative agriculture — a phenomenon made possible only through
consumer demand.
"This is because people understand this public health crisis has
now spread worldwide, and this environmental crisis and its relationship
to the climate crisis are all due to an out-of-control, industrial,
chemical-intensive GMO agriculture," said Cummins in response to the sharp growth in organics and grass fed farming. "People are turning away."
Most everyone can agree that our current food system model is failing
miserably and won't hold up much longer. However, the key to fixing our
broken food system relies on a combination of old, less environmentally
impactful techniques and new technologies that allow better use of our
natural resources.
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