Event 1: Food and Technology

           On July 25, 2014 I attended Professor Vesna’s lecture on food and technology. The lecture focused on raising awareness of what’s in the food we eat, how advances in technology have played out in the food industry, and how to use this information to be smart consumers and protect our health.

            Since the dawn of the agricultural revolution, the way we produce food has constantly been evolving. Crop rotation, the process of rotating which crops are grown in a specific area to prevent mineral depletion in the soil, as well as irrigation techniques and land availability shape the layout of the land, creating interesting patterns and shapes.

Aerial view of farmland in various parts of the world

Source: http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery-detail.asp?name=agmontage

            A current hot button issue centers around genetically modified (GM) food, which can be genetically engineered to express certain traits such as resistances to pests, herbicide, disease, cold, and drought. The Golden Rice project saw the development of GM rice containing vitamin A, the deficiency of which is especially prevalent in regions where rice is staple crop. If Golden Rice were to replace non-GM rice in those regions, it could help save the lives of the over half a million children under the age of 5 who succumb to vitamin A deficiency annually.

            Not everything about GM foods is great. These foods can have a negative impact on the environment, such as cross breeding to produce pesticide-resistant weeds. Additionally, the consumption of GM foods increases the risk of food-based allergies. The long-term health effects of GM foods haven’t been adequately investigated and the United States doesn’t requiring them to be labeled as genetically modified, leaving consumers in the dark.

Activists taking labeling of GM foods into their own hands to spread awareness

Source: http://organicconnectmag.com/the-gmo-labeling-revolution/

            Relatively unknown to most consumers, nanotechnology is currently employed in products we see every day, such as clothing, cosmetics, sunscreen and even food. Long-life packaging and antibacterial kitchenware that comes into contact with food can leech nanoparticles, leading to nanoparticle consumption that can cause serious health effects. Unfortunately, there’s no regulation regarding the use or labeling of products containing nanoparticles.

            While the FDA should be responsible for creating stricter regulations, average people have the ability to use media such as YouTube to create and spread awareness about food-related issue.

YouTube is used to spread awareness of food-related issues and to prompt consumers to think about what they're purchasing

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uHxRwQqWFo

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHx6BX3HZJc

            I would strongly recommend this lecture to everyone, as it raised my awareness of the technology that goes into many seemingly inconspicuous products and their potential health effects, expanding upon the issues raised in NanoTech+Art. This type of technology could have serious repercussions on future generations and it's important that these artists continue to spread awareness and spark discussions. Consumers should be given all of this information so they can make informed decisions about their own health.

Professor Vesna spotted in person

Works Cited

Baldwin, K. R. "Crop Rotations on Organic Farms." Center for Environmental Farming Systems. North Carolina A and T State University (2006)

Black, Robert E. et al. "Maternal and Child Undernutrition: Global and Regional Exposures and Health Consequences." The Lancet 371.9608 (2008): 243-60. Web.

Deneen, Sally. "Toxic Nanoparticles Are Entering the Food Supply." MSN News, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://news.msn.com/rumors/rumor-toxic-nanoparticles-are-entering-the-food-supply>.

Harmon, Amy. "Golden Rice: Lifesaver?" The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/sunday-review/golden-rice-lifesaver.html>.

"Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods." Health Research Funding. 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-genetically-modified-foods/>.

Whitman, Deborah B. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" CSA Discovery Guides, Apr. 2000. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php>.