Why don't we eat the same things as our parents or grandparents? For a number of reasons, ranging from the transformation of farming and fishing practices to the globalization of trade, genetics, preservation and transportation techniques. Since many of today's agricultural practices are unsustainable, it's certain that our children won't be eating what we've been eating either.
Unsustainable? Globally, even though the number of farmers is declining, global food production continues to increase in quantity and value, but not in quality. By producing more on over-exploited land, the nutritional value of food is significantly reduced: less protein, vitamins and nutrients but, in correlation with the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, cereals systematically produce more carbohydrates than before.
Behind these trends lie other realities: deforestation for the production of cereals and other plantations or for grazing; increased consumption of fertilizers, pesticides and energy; depletion of water tables, collapse of fish stocks, disruption of entire ecosystems, not to mention the loss of bio-diversity, soil compaction, land salinization, resistance to antibiotics and pesticides, desertification, etc. Everywhere, quantity and profit take precedence and, paradoxically, most farmers are not getting rich, to the point where the next generation is becoming scarce. Unsustainable indeed, even for its craftsmen, whose burnout is increasingly recognized. And that's not to mention the waste at every stage, from the farm to the plate, and the effects of poor nutrition on our health.
As the population continues to grow, we need to produce more and better food. Farming techniques are evolving towards practices that are more respectful of biological balances. Food alternatives are more plant-based and varied, insects and algae are on the menu and new fermented foods are appearing. To sell this salad, the palette of flavors, colors and textures is expanding. Children don't mind too much; when faced with a choice between a GMO chicken croquette and an organic tabbouleh with insect proteins, they'll just ask to try it, and we'll just have to get used to it.
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: mazzzur - DepositPhotos
