Future if Food - An Opinion

[roosterchef21]

I want to be a food writer, better start writing!

Future if Food - An Opinion

Food. Once only a necessity for life, it has now become a heavily debated multi trillion dollar industry. Various factors have brought food to the forefront of world policy decisions, from famine's and humanitarian issues which have had an effect on the production of food to environmental factors such as climate change. Along with world policy decisions, a greater public awareness has occurred, with a number of media outlets such as the Food Network channel & print media focussing on issues that directly affect consumers. Today I will focus on us, the consumer.

Produce - from paddock to plate. As governments and industry bodies come to realise the fact that there can only be a finite amount of resources on this planet, and with the population of the world set to grow exponentially over the coming years, much research has been done to combat what could potentially be a devastating worldwide shortage of food. The Green Revolution, which involved an approach developed in the 1940’s & 50’s to produce improved strains of various grains, has been influential in many government’s thinking. Why not follow this approach with other food items. It may seem simple – engineer new improved strains of any number of food items, grow more and that’s world hunger fixed. However, a study done by the World Bank in 1986 has shown that this is simply not the case. It basically states that you can produce more food, but if poor countries can’t afford to buy it, then you can’t fix the problem.

Genetically Modified food has been a big issue in recent years. It is quite a controversial subject in world terms and arguably the most controversial subject in food terms. A number of topics have become associated with the phrase Genetically Modified (GM) – organic, free-range and sustainable being the most obvious. What’s the concern? In my opinion, there are two major concerns – playing God and safety.

I am God – or am I?

A number of people are concerned with the modification of what nature has provided and why it needs to be changed. Does a tomato, for example, need to be modified to look better or be larger? Does it need to have its flavour changed in such a way that it is no longer what it originally was? Or should it be just left the way it was? Having said all that, should governments be allowed to modify produce so that it is easier to grow, if it will help hunger or ease the economic burden on consumers? So where does that leave us? There can be any number of viewpoints, all of them quite valid in someway. The way I see it, developed countries have an easy decision to make. We can afford (in most cases) and I believe we should make the choice to pick unmodified foods. However, it is a completely different for undeveloped or developing countries. If a government (through it’s producers) can produce cheaper, nutritious food - whether it be the own countries government or another countries – and have satisfied their own needs, then shouldn’t there be an obligation to satisfy as much of the world hunger problem as possible? I guess the human factor comes into this though. Distribution and food security is always an issue, and greed has played a part in many countries society. If I can eat really, really well, then I’ll keep the food rather than eat only well. He who controls the needs of a nation is most powerful.

I don’t want two heads!

Safety is another concern of GM food. What happens once you have consumed GM food? It’s not the way nature intended it to be so are we ready for it? According to a number of research studies, no effects have been noted from the consumption of genetically modified. There has also been no issues noted in the actual food products themselves. So why the fuss? It’s a relatively new approach to food, with GM food only been available in the last 15-20 years. It may well be that GM food is perfectly safe and safety issues become irrelevant. But how far can you modify something until safety does become relevant. At the end of the day, it all comes down to research and an ethical responsibility from producers to be open about any potential issues they foresee.

Organic? Where’s my tractor?

What is it? In its simplest form, it is produce that has been cultivated in a certain way using certain materials and methods. It can involve the use of pesticides & chemicals, but does require the use of organic chemicals (who would have thought) and only as an absolute last resort in as small a quantity as possible. To be labelled organic, it must follow a regulated set of procedures, however care must be taken when purchasing. Depending on the country where purchased, it can quite often not be regulated by an independent body and the consumer needs to research this before hand. Is the food better? Yes, in a way. In some cases, in may not make any difference to flavour, texture or appearance. But producing something naturally, using only materials provided by nature is rather comforting to say the least. Chemically enhanced or naturally produced? Easy decision I must say.

Free Range – Run free my darlings!

It is my opinion, that nine times out of ten, free range produce tastes, looks and smells far better than factory produced goods. Free range animals are allowed to roam free and live as naturally as possible. Non free range is – well - scary. Chickens kept in sheds where they quite literally have no room to turn around and are kicked and abused by workers, pigs living in cramped, dark spaces never seeing the light of day, cows walking through their own faecal & urine matter to be milked or slaughtered, quite often being milked while their teets are infected. It goes on and on. There is no question here. Buy free-range. It tastes better, the price difference is usually negligible and you know you will be getting quality.

Sustainable – I can’t catch any fish…

Sustainable produce has become a more discussed topic recently but a subject that has been part of food for some time. Essentially, sustainable produce is produce where you can purchase or catch an item and that item of produce will be instantly replenished and if managed well, replenished more than 100%. As an example, buy an apple, a producer will have grown an apple to replenish that one without increasing production and if it has been managed well will have replenished with more than one apple. Sustainable produce becomes very important in food pricing i.e production meets and if possible exceeds demand.

What it all means…

It is of my opinion that as consumers in developed nations, we will become better educated and have a greater range of choice. As research continues and new methods are introduced, a greater range of produce will be available to us. However, a key issue is sustainable produce and the ability of producers to meet & exceed demand for goods. I believe governments will place a greater emphasis on efficiency of production and its methods and thus increasing the emphasis on Genetically Modified foods. However, we will be also given a greater choice and the ability to choose what we purchase, and thus a greater emphasis will be put on organic, free range produce. As these are brought into focus more and more, they will become better regulated and better funded, both for consumers and for producers.

The food scene in General

Having being in the industry, and having an avid interest in food, I will now give my opinion on where I think the future lies for restaurants, producers & the media.

Molecular Gastronomy – my beef tastes like passionfruit and looks like a pea!

May as well start with the big one. Molecular Gastronomy. Much talked about, barely understood by the general public, but virtually everyone wants to be in on it. What is it? As most of us know, Molecular Gastronomy is involved with the research of food in a scientific sense, by showing what processes occur - whether by physical means (such as poaching) or chemical means (such as the use of alginates) - and in a broad and commonly used form how it can be applied in gastronomy. Molecular gastronomy is the best thing that has happened to cooking in years – in a way. It has brought new techniques and methods of cookery to the industry and has really opened up avenues in food that never existed. However, it is very much a used and abused form of cookery, with a lot of uneducated, misinformed approaches to it. Is it here to stay? No, I don’t think so. At least not in the way that we know it now. It is my prediction that Molecular Gastronomy will grow over the next 7-10 years, forming new techniques and continuing to define an era in food. However, as consumers become more focused on value for money and approachable food, I feel that Molecular Gastronomy will take a backwards step. It won’t disappear though. For serious diners – chefs, critics, people with an extreme interest in food – as well as the be seen people, Molecular restaurants such as el Bulli & The Fat Duck will continue to exist. I believe that Molecular will go down the same path as Nouvelle Cuisine, but as a more practical, usable approach or discipline.

Restaurants

As I previously stated, I believe that consumers will be more driven by sustainable, free range and in most cases organic produce as well as value for money food and approachable dishes. Consumers will want to know where there food came from and how it was produced, slaughtered and treated and will begin a more paddock to plate approach. There is definitely, and will always be, the need for high end restaurants. While there is that need, the bread and butter of this industry will be lower priced, more approachable restaurants. Not lesser quality though. As quality of education increases – both from a consumers point of view as well as training for industry professionals – a restaurant will begin to rely on being a quality restaurant. This will be a long slow process, and is only in it’s infancy, but consumers will become better educated over time. I will discuss this below.

Education – I’m no dunce!

As previously mentioned, I believe that education will begin to play a big part in food over the coming decade. It is my opinion that industry training is already well on it’s way, with most training institutions being quality providers and a rather multicultural background from trainers and students. I believe that students & trainers feed off each other quite often, especially with classes being such a multicultural affair. I have seen international students teach a trainer a new technique, such as making a potsticker dumpling or baklava, and vice versa. Organisations such as the Slow Food Movement are now becoming more common which has allowed a better quality of education to be available. With the media playing a larger role in making food popular, consumers will also and have become better educated in their own choices and what is right or wrong. I don’t believe the media will stop producing - although it may plateau slightly – programs and print media related to food in the distant future.

The media – I want to be a star…

The media in recent years has caught on to the trend of food and it seems to be the latest fad. The media has brought a lot of people into kitchens, as well as got more people cooking and provided an education into food. I believe the media has done some good in this sense. But as always there are some bad things.

The bad

Quite often, new apprentices come into kitchens or front of house and decide they want to be the next Jamie Oliver. They quickly learn that most chefs & wait staff will never have their own show or their own cookbook and as with most careers will only earn enough to get a house out of it. They decide that the hours are too much, the stress and pressure gets to them or that the pay is not good enough and end up quitting. But for every ten that join, maybe two or three will stay and make a career out of it. I believe the media is an ally in this recruitment process and as food becomes more popular, more people will want to join this industry. I also believe the media has a responsibility to not always show the happy, cook at home with a big smile on my face show and sometimes show what it is really like to work in a restaurant. Because of those eight that quit, in my experience at least two of them will badmouth this industry.

Forms of Media

The internet and blogs are becoming increasingly prevalent in food circles, with opportunities to shrink the world and learn more about food better than ever. Twitter, Facebook and many other forms of social networking have reduced the size of the globe and increased the ability to network with various like minded people around the world. Blogs are prevalent, with sites such as Chez Pim and Chocolate & Zucchini receiving worldwide recognition. Blogs are becoming almost the norm amongst food folk, with more and more sites opening every day. Print media is also seemingly on the increase, with more cookbooks than ever before, column after column in papers and magazines and reviews usually a goodly part of the weekend paper. Chef’s have also become stars, with entire pages dedicated to who has left, who is going where and the next big event they are at.

The industry – If only I had of studied harder at school

Ahhh… The industry. Research suggests that the Travel & Hospitality Industry and it’s related components will be comfortably the biggest industry in the world in the not to distant future. With baby boomers beginning to retire (76,000,000 in America alone), a substantial increase in business is likely to happen in the next 5-10 years. This could well become a problem for this industry. We are beyond short staffed at the moment and with an increase in business of the magnitude suggested, hours will be longer, we will be working twice as hard and judging by past performances, pay is not likely to increase relative to the amount worked. As an industry we need to focus on recruitment, and most importantly, retainment of quality staff. This could be accomplished any number of ways, from a better paycheck and benefits, to less hours worked with your role being filled by a casual staff member or less skilled worker with a guarantee of employment retainment. It is something which needs to be focused on soon.