“Enjoy food today and tomorrow” was the tagline for FoodDrinkEurope’s exclusive launch event for its new publication Balanced Diets and Healthy Lifestyles on the rooftop terrace of the EU stand at Milan’s World Expo. As director general Mella Frewen said, “it’s time to stop feeling guilty about food and enjoy it – in moderation of course.”
This second day of the FoodDrinkEurope 2015 Congress covered many aspects of “nutrition of the future”, ranging from malnutrition (with 10.9% of the world population still suffering from chronic hunger) to obesity, particularly among children where numbers have doubled alarmingly since 1980.
Here are my top quotes from the day:
The Expo has an incredible number of electronic devices but it is evident that people come here to meet – it is not just a showcase for technology. We have to analyse the feasibility of personalised healthy diets and recognise the impact of our longer lives. Kurt Weil predicted we will be able to live to a 1,000 years of age after 2100 – and already for every decade that passes our life expectancy increases by 2.5 years.
— Giancarlo Caratti, DGC for EU participation for Expo 2015
It is the 3bn emerging middle classes who will put most pressure on the food chain. Many of us are guilty of over-consumption of food – we have to learn how to address this.
— John Ingram, Oxford University
We have to recognise that what is seen as a healthy diet in one part of the world is not the same as in another.
— Warren TK Lee
Despite obesity being high, there are many of these same people suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, in particular vitamins D and E.
— Lynnda Kiess, UN nutritionist
The food industry is providing a high quantity of safe food but we now have 1.3m tons of food waste with 40-50% of this being fruit and vegetables.
— Anne Heughan, Unilever
There is now an app called The Happy Fork that monitors every mouthful and whether you are eating too quickly. People today are looking for shared experiences not mass consumerism. Take the new JaffleChutes in the US – your sandwich arrives by parachute and you eat with the crowd who have also made it to the white cross on the ground near your office.
— Ken Hughes, consumer behaviourist
So some fascinating insights. I am now looking forward to all that today has to offer with the topic of ‘innovation as a driving force’ – totally relevant to FoodBev.com and publications Beverage Innovation and Dairy Innovation.
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