 Issue
date: Nov 14, 1999
In this article:
 Genetic
modifications
Organics
Food
safety
Nutraceuticals
The next big
thing in food: CHOICES
Not
just more, but better, easier, smarter choices for which foods you
eat -- and how you buy them.
In the 21st century, food will be an adventure. Food won't
just look and taste better -- it will cure your ills. It'll be faster
and easier than ever. Smarter science and smarter sales tactics
will push you to be a smarter consumer.
Here's help getting the best from your food choices, today and
tomorrow:
What
is science doing to your food?
Lifestyle
stores offer what YOU want to eat
Groceries
on the Web: 5 great places to start
The
tastiest century: A Timeline
Phil
Lempert's favorite food and industry resource sites
The
flavor of the future: Special recipe section for a Latino Thanksgiving
Turkey
2000: Updating the classics
What is science
doing to your food?
Science makes food hardier, safer... even helpful.
Or opt for all-natural organics. The choice is yours.
By Phil Lempert
 cience
is changing the way food looks and tastes (think giant red strawberries
year-round) and working to maximize nutrition and minimize safety
concerns. But some worry science is creating new problems. Before
deciding to shun Frankenfood or embrace organic exclusively, fill
yourself in on the facts.
Genetic
modifications. Beefed-up tomatoes are here to stay, but
so is consumer demand for proper labeling of these foods. The results
of breeding to enhance or change foods' natural properties are amazing:
Tomatoes have four times the amount of beta-carotene; wheat has
more fiber; hardier crops thrive in extreme environments.
This happens through genetic engineering, the process that splices
genetic material from plants, animals or bacteria into the DNA of
other organisms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that,
in 1999, genetically engineered crops occupied 25% of U.S. cropland:
35% of corn and 55% of soybeans. The Organic Consumers Union lists
36 altered veggies and fruits.
As industry groups push for mandatory labeling (none exists yet),
most consumers have no idea of the genetically modified foods on
supermarket shelves. Some: Ovaltine, Bac-Os Bacon Flavored Bits,
Green Giant Harvest Burgers, Old El Paso 12 Taco Shells, Jiffy Corn
Muffin Mix. The FDA will hold meetings this week to hear consumers'
concerns. Some big food companies, including Gerber, Monsanto and
NestlŽ, already have segregated crops and, in some cases, changed
formulas.
Check labels for these commonly altered items: soy, corn oils
and flour, lecithin, canola, and soy protein isolates.
Organics.
The only way to ensure your food is all-natural: Buy organic. What
is organic? Simply put, all ingredients in the food have been grown
on land that hasn't been treated with artificial fertilizers or
pesticides for at least three years. (Consider: 71 known carcinogenic
pesticides are sprayed on food crops.) The label must say the product
was grown and processed in accordance with Oregon Tilth Standards
and the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.
Food safety.
It's in the handling. Last year, the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported 76 million cases of foodborne illness.
Among traceable outbreaks, 77% resulted from improper handling in
food service (as in restaurants); 20% in the home. Food itself was
found responsible in only 3%.
One solution: irradiation, which uses ionizing energy to kill bacteria
and extend shelf life. Used to kill insects in bulk dried spices
since the 1950s, the process also has been approved by the FDA in
produce, and in recent years for beef, poultry, pork and lamb. Federal
law requires that all irradiated foods be labeled as such. Consider:
Irradiated meats get 10 times less radiation than such items as
baby powder. Still, reviews are mixed: While 55% of shoppers in
a recent survey said they'd likely buy irradiated foods, 62% of
families with children under age 6 were unlikely to buy them.
"Nutraceuticals."
More people view food as a natural way to fight illness and disease.
In a recent HealthFocus poll, more than 50% of consumers said they
thought the need for some medical therapies and drugs could be reduced
by eating certain foods -- a significant increase since 1994. Ahead:
foods with natural and genetically engineered components designed
to cure specific diseases and maintain health. Quaker Oats and Benecol
margarine and salad dressings, which lower cholesterol, are just
the start.
How do you stack
up?
$2, 618 is spent on food, per person, each year in the United States.
Today vs.
25 years ago
The U.S. diet has changed dramatically in a generation. The shift,
per person, per year:
122 pounds more vegetables, fruit
57 pounds more grain
28 pounds more sugar
16 pounds more cheese
74 fewer eggs
Have you
churrascoed yet?
The next restaurant trend will be "churrasco," a Brazilian barbecue
where you sit at group tables and choose from a variety of meats
carved to order off a sword or skewer by traveling waiters.
sources: Food Marketing Institute, National Cancer Institute
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