“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are."
Jean-Anthelme Brillat Saverin
Just a few days back, Channel NewsAsia reported that
Singapore has began to lift bans for food grown in Fukushima, some 3 and a half
years after the Fukushima nuclear crisis (see article here). While AVA will
continue to conduct radiation checks, Singapore is making a bold move in
re-introducing potentially radioactive foods into the market, considering that
even within Japan, people are turning their backs on Fukushima produce (see
article here). Regionally, contaminated foods also threaten the image of fast
food in China, where the meat supplier for McDonalds’ has been accused of
providing expired meats (see article here).
In light of all these food scares, it has made me question
what I have been eating off the shelf all this time, and whether it has been
safe for me or the environment. For that matter, what really makes food safe
anyway, when what happens to your body in the short term (i.e. food poisoning)
and the long term (i.e. cancer), can be very different?
naturallysaavy.com,
an organic living blog, highlights what they think are the 7 most dangerous ingredients in foods
today
While technological innovation(s) like preservatives and GM
foods have greatly improved our food supply, many have been a topic of environmental
controversy as well. In particular, the heavy use of
pesticides in agriculture to kill pests has been linked to poisoning our
water supply (via leaching into groundwater), and causing pesticide-resistant ‘superweeds’
to emerge (Sattler and Kächele, 2007).
In Canada today, environmentalists continue to be engaged in banning the use of neonicotinoids as a pesticide, for it has causing
the death of nearby pollinating bee populations, and potentially causing neurodegenerative
disorders amongst humans whom consume these foods sprayed. (see article here)
On the bright side, many Singaporeans have begun to support organic food instead, citing health and
environmental reasons (Weber Shandwick,
2014), and suppliers are responding to this demand. The next challenge lies
in making organic food an economically viable option in a nation of growing
income inequality. During my groceries shopping for the week, I took a peek at the supermarket's organic corner and found the price differences between organic
foods and non-organic ones to be staggering .
How would you like to
pay close to 7 times more for 5 oranges?
Contamination of food however, will remain something people
will never take lightly. With respect to the lifting of bans for Fukushima
produce, I still feel Singaporeans will likely still avoid them, and look
towards substitutes imported from other areas, even if they come at a higher
price. Somehow Singaporeans, for all our bargain-hunting, will never compromise
on personal health, and that’s a good thing. Hopefully for that we make
smarter, environmentally-friendly food choices as well.
References
Channel NewsAsia, 2014. Fukushima food imports ban lifted, but AVA still conducting checks. [Online]
Available at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fukushima-food-imports/1323994.html
[Accessed 27 August 2014].
Sattlera, C., Kächele, H. & Verch, G., 2007. Assessing the intensity of pesticide use in agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 119(3-4), pp. 299-304.
Available at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fukushima-food-imports/1323994.html
[Accessed 27 August 2014].
Sattlera, C., Kächele, H. & Verch, G., 2007. Assessing the intensity of pesticide use in agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 119(3-4), pp. 299-304.
Weber
Shandwick, 2014. Food Forward Trends Report 2014 , Singapore: s.n.