Latest news with #sustainableEating
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Safe route' or ‘sushi route' − 2 strategies to turn yuck to yum and convince people to eat unusual foods
What will the diets of the future look like? The answer depends in part on what foods Westerners can be persuaded to eat. These consumers are increasingly being told their diets need to change. Current eating habits are unsustainable, and the global demand for meat is growing. Recent years have seen increased interest and investment in what are called alternative proteins – products that can replace typical meats with more sustainable alternatives. One option is cultivated, or cultured, meat and seafood: muscle tissue grown in labs in bioreactors, using animal stem cells. Another approach involves replacing standard meat with such options as insects or plant-based imitation meats. All of these products promise a more sustainable alternative to factory-farmed meat. The question is, will consumers accept them? I'm a philosopher who studies food and disgust, and I'm interested in how people react to new foods such as lab-grown meat, bugs and other so-called alternative proteins. Disgust and food neophobia – a fear of new foods – are often cited as obstacles to adopting new, more sustainable food choices, but I believe that recent history offers a more complicated picture. Past shifts in food habits suggest there are two paths to the adoption of new foods: One relies on familiarity and safety, the other on novelty and excitement. Disgust is a strong feeling of revulsion in response to objects perceived to be contaminating, polluting or unclean. Scientists believe that it evolved to protect human beings from invisible contaminants such as pathogens and parasites. Some causes of disgust are widely shared, such as feces or vomit. Others, including foods, are more culturally variable. So it's not surprising that self-reported willingness to eat insects varies across nationalities. Insects have been an important part of traditional diets of cultures around the world for thousands of years, including the ancient Greeks. Many articles about the possibility of introducing insects to Western or American diners have emphasized the challenges posed by neophobia and 'the yuck factor.' People won't accept these new foods, the thinking goes, because they're too different or even downright disgusting. If that's right, then the best approach to win space on the plate for new foods might be to try to make them seem similar to familiar menu items. During World War II, the United States government wanted to redirect its limited meat supply to troops on the front lines. So it needed to convince home cooks to give up their steaks, chops and roasts in favor of what it called variety meats: kidneys, liver, tongue and so on. To figure out how to shift consumer habits, a team of psychologists and anthropologists was charged with studying how food habits and preferences were formed – and how they could be changed. The Committee on Food Habits recommended stressing these organ meats' similarity to available, familiar, existing foods. This approach – call it the 'safe route' – focuses on individual attitudes and choices. It tries to remove psychological and practical barriers to individual choice and counteracts beliefs or values that might dissuade people from adopting new foods. As the name suggests, the safe route tries to downplay novelty, using familiar forms and tastes. For example, it would incorporate unfamiliar cuts of meats into meatloaf or meatballs or grind crickets into flour for cookies or protein bars. But more recent history suggests something different: Foods such as sushi, offal and even lobster became desirable not despite but because of their novelty and difference. Sushi's arrival in the postwar U.S. coincided with the rise of consumer culture. Dining out was gaining traction as a leisure activity, and people were increasingly open to new experiences as a sign of status and sophistication. Rather than appealing to the housewife preparing comfort foods, sushi gained popularity by appealing to the desire for new and exciting experiences. By 1966, The New York Times reported that New Yorkers were dining on 'raw fish dishes, sushi and sashimi, with a gusto once reserved for corn flakes.' Now, of course, sushi is widely consumed, available even in grocery stores nationwide. In fact, the grocery chain Kroger sells more than 40 million pieces of sushi a year. Whereas the safe route suggests sneaking new foods into our diets, the sushi route suggests embracing their novelty and using that as a selling point. Sushi is just one example of a food adopted via this route. After the turn of the millennium, a new generation of diners rediscovered offal as high-end restaurants and chefs offered 'nose to tail' dining. Rather than positioning foods like tongue and pigs' ears as familiar and comforting, a willingness to embrace the yuck factor became a sign of adventurousness, even masculinity. This framing is the exact opposite of the safe route recommended by the Committee on Food Habits. What lessons can be drawn from these examples? For dietary shifts to last, they should be framed positively. Persuading customers that variety meats were a necessary wartime substitution worked temporarily but ultimately led to the perception that they were subpar choices. If cultivated meat and insects are pitched as necessary sacrifices, any gains they make may be temporary at best. Instead, producers could appeal to consumers' desire for healthier, more sustainable and more exciting foods. Cultivated meat may be 'safe-ly' marketed as nuggets and burgers, but, in principle, the options are endless: Curious consumers could sample lab-grown whale or turtle meat guilt-free, or even find out what woolly mammoth tasted like. Ultimately, the chefs, consumers and entrepreneurs seeking to remake our food systems don't need to choose just one route. While we can grind insects into protein powders, we can also look to chefs cooking traditional cuisines that use insects to broaden our culinary horizons. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Alexandra Plakias, Hamilton College Read more: Plant-based meat alternatives are trying to exit the culture wars – an impossible task? Gluten-sensitive liberals? Investigating the stereotype suggests food fads unite us all Would you eat 'meat' from a lab? Consumers aren't necessarily sold on 'cultured meat' Alexandra Plakias does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Kelp noodle stir fry, soybean spaghetti and dandelion salad: Climate scientists reveal what we'll be eating for dinner in the future - so, would you try it?
The likes of shepherd's pie and fish & chips soon be off Britain's dinner menu in favour of more eco-friendly options, according to a new report. Scientists have teamed up with HelloFresh to predict what Brits will be eating in just 10 years time as we fight to halt climate change. And the menu of the near future reveals five very bizarre options – with no meat in sight. There's a stir fry with noodles made out of kelp (a type of brown algae) as well as 'meatballs' made with mushrooms on a bed of sorghum. There's also teff galette – a French-style tart made out of teff, a highly-nutritious ancient grain – served with dandelion salad. Spaghetti will be formed from soybean protein, while ramen will be served with tempeh, an alternative protein from fermented soybeans. Experts say we will see these dishes in the next 10 years or so, but by 2050 they will have gone mainstream and be commonly eaten in homes. So, would you try them? All five dishes are free from any meat and very little cheese, which studies show are a big drivers of greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide and methane. Many of the crops used in these dishes emit minimal emissions as they're being grown. But others are particularly heat-resistant, making them well-suited for growth in a world blighted by hotter temperatures. 'Our diets will probably look different in 2050, but perhaps not in the way that people might think,' said Dr Joseph Poore, climate scientist at the University of Oxford. 'Climate change will mean that a broader range of drought and heat-resistant crops will need to be cultivated, some of which our ancestors would have grown. 'We'll also need to eat a diet lower in animal products to avert severe global warming; these foods will be good for our health and the planet.' Experts think popular foods of the future will fit into four categories – native UK crops, greenhouse gas absorbers, Andean & African crops, and 'exotic' foods grown locally. Native UK crops will include salad leaves and flowers such as sorrell, ribwort and fat hen, alongside grains and seeds like buckwheat, rye and camelina. These were once part of a traditional British diet but have fallen off the menu over the last 50 years or so. Greenhouse gas absorbers includes tree crops such as nuts, citrus fruits and olives, which remove greenhouse gases from the air, as do mussels and oysters, which absorb carbon in their shells. Other carbon-absorbing ingredients that will become more common in our diets include seaweed, a staple in many Asian cuisines, and edible cacti, which can be used in everything from tacos to jam. Meanwhile, Andean and African crops are largely suited to an unpredictable climate and will become regulars on our dinnerplates in the years ahead. Kiwicha and kañihua, two Andean relatives of quinoa, and teff and fonio, both African 'millet' grains, are likely to become the new 'supergrains'. Meanwhile the bambara and marama bean could soon compete with lentils, chickpeas and common beans for a place in our stews. Lastly, 'exotic' foods that used to be grown abroad will be grown in the UK, largely thanks to hotter temperatures here. Examples include the beloved avocado, a hipster, favourite, plus durum wheat (used for pasta), soya beans, chickpeas, okra and citrus fruits. Native UK crops will include salad leaves and flowers such as sorrell. Pictured, sorrell, which can be easily mistaken for spinach. Sorrell released a remarkable citrus burst a few seconds after being bitten into. London restaurant Dabbous once served a dish called Iced Sorrell - a single frozen sorrel leaf dusted with icing sugar HelloFresh – which delivers customers with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes – could soon be introducing some of these crops. The company also expects several food trends to be common by 2050, including AI sorting out the weekly shop and more ingredients being grown in the home. However, eating together will continue to be an important social event – one that AI and robotics won't threaten. 'We can expect numerous changes in the way we live and eat in the future,' said Dr Morgaine Gaye, a food futurologist involved with the new research. 'Despite all the changes in how and what we eat, the experience of cooking and eating together will remain an important way to connect with our senses, our friends and family, and the natural world. 'AI will not be able to replace the joy of a home-cooked meal with the people we love.'
