What four-letter word starting with F always sparks conversation? If you said food, you’re absolutely right. Never before has food been as talked about, as dissected or as analyzed as it is today. Consumers are hungrier than ever for information on new restaurants, hot chefs and new menu items. And, you can’t get away from the topic of food no matter where you live or who you are. Even the Pope and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, weighed in on various aspects of the food debate recently.
First, Pope Francis made headlines when he stated that “throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry.” In his weekly address in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff stated, “The culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste of food and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world unfortunately, many families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Once, our grandparents were careful not to throw away any leftover food.” He added: “Consumerism has led us to become used to excess, and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value.”
Then, in early June, as reported on FoodNavigator.com, while speaking at the Langenburg Forum 2013 in Germany, Prince Charles attacked the food supply chain. “The aggressive search for cheaper food” needs to be replaced by more sustainable and locally driven production, he said. “It may appear that things are well. Big global corporations may appear to be prospering out of operating on a global monocultural scale, but … if you drill down into what is actually happening, things are not so healthy. I am talking about obvious things like the vitality of the soil and local ecosystems, the quality and availability of fresh water and so on but also about less obvious things, like employment and people’s health.”
That message was echoed recently by author Michael Pollan, during a stopover in Toronto to promote his new book, Cooked. In an interview with CBC’s Matt Galloway, the erudite writer touched on the subject of burgeoning food activism, when he urged those in the audience to move away from factory- produced food and get back to their kitchens to prepare food that is honest, sourced locally and cooked with wholesome ingredients.
The new fascination with food bodes well for food purveyors in restaurants and grocery stores, but with that intense interest comes the need for greater responsibility and transparency, both about the provenance of food and its production. And, activism is starting at a younger age. For example, when a youth in the audience asked Pollan what advice he would give a grade-seven student, other than to learn to cook, the food activist reflected for a moment, and then responded thoughtfully, urging the student to call upon a food lot and organize a field trip with his classmates. “If they say, yes,” explained Pollan, “it will provide you with a great lesson, and if they say, no, it will provide you with a great lesson,” at which point the audience broke into spontaneous applause. Change is coming, and it’s coming faster than you think. It’s a reality the foodservice industry can no longer afford to ignore.
