Food Inspiration Magazine

Critics consist mostly of large food producers who are of the opinion Nestle is trying to remove their authority over their own products. They also claim she has a personal vendetta against certain food businesses

COUNTERPOINTS:

• The standard four food groups are chosen by the American agricultural lobbies. Why do we have a milk group? Because we have a National Dairy Council. Why do we have a meat group? Because we have an extremely powerful meat lobby.

• You get a lot more calories for the price of a hamburger and a side of fries than you do for a bag of carrots, not least because the government subsidizes the production of corn and soybeans, the basis of cheap corn sweeteners and vegetable oil.

• The foods that sell best and bring in the most profits are not necessarily those that are best for your health. The conflict between health and business targets is at the root of public confusion about food choices.

POSITION:

Home country: USA | Profession: Consumer activist, nutritionist and Professor at New York University | Subject: Food politics and the connections between agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.

Critics think Petrini’s movement is elitist, because it turns its back on economical ways of producing and preparing food. Petrini’s followers claim that the Slow Food approach is cheaper, because it saves money on transport and pesticides.

COUNTERPOINTS:

• Take the time to eat in peace, and think about what exactly it is you are eating and how it contributes to your overall health.

• Take the time to enjoy your meal. This will help you appreciate the taste of simple foods.

• Give small-scale producers the appreciation they deserve. Make sure they get a fair price for their product. Improve contact between producers and consumers.

• Act responsibly towards Mother Nature. Choose tasty food grown without causing harm to the environment.

POSITION:

Home country: Italy | Profession: Writer & founder of the Slow Food Movement | Subjects: Attentive eating, craftsmanship, local & regional products.

on fertilizer, chemicals and modified cattle feed. Research conducted by the UN shows that ecologically intensive methods are more effective than fertilizer at increasing production in hunger stricken areas.

Fresco’s book ‘Hamburgers in Paradise’ caused a significant uproar by criticising organic agriculture. Critics argue that ecological intensification is necessary to move away from the monoculture-based industrial production that is too dependent

COUNTERPOINTS:

• Organic food is often not healthier, not more environmentally friendly, not tastier, and not better for animals, but is instead a fashionable trend among higher income groups, and a danger to the world’s food production.

• We cannot feed the world’s population using small-scale or organic agriculture. The local baker isn’t going to feed the world. We should be happy to have mass- produced superstore bread.

• In theory, we can produce enough food to feed the entire world population, but not without making changes. Food and its production and distribution have to become a part of the political agenda.

POSITION:

Home country: The Netherlands

Profession: Professor at Wageningen University, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Wageningen University Research Centre and several related functions.

Critics claim that Jamie’s focus on healthy and good food awareness is a privilege limited to the ‘very posh’ and middle classes.

COUNTERPOINTS:

• We need to revolutionise the way people feed themselves and their families at local, national and international level and be vocal about what needs to be improved to governments and businesses further incentives to help us achieve positive changes in food education and public health.

• We need a sugar tax on fizzy drinks.

• Teach children about food: where it comes from, how to cook it and how it affects their bodies. These resources and recipes will arm children with the knowledge and confidence to cook from scratch.

• Cook from scratch. Build confidence to cook good, affordable, nutritious meals for yourself and your family.

POSITION:

Home country: United Kingdom | Subjects: Home cooking, school meals, education | Profession: TV-chef, author of a number of successful cookery books and ‘foodfighter’

giving poorer countries more opportunities for export, providing additional income for more farmers, and making our diet more varied than ever before.

Pollan’s opponents claim that food processing has improved the quality and safety of our food tremendously. Processed food also has the benefit of worldwide distribution,

COUNTERPOINTS:

• Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

• Avoid foods containing ingredients you can't pronounce.

• Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot.

• Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle.

• Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmers' market or CSA.

• Pay more, eat less. • Eat a wide variety of species.

• Eat food from animals that eat grass.

• Cook, and if you can, grow some of your own food.

• Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible,

and always with pleasure.

POSITION:

Home country: USA | Subjects: Homecooking, processed food

Profession: American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Critics focus on the First Lady’s programme allegedly promoting a ‘nanny state mentality’ that would affect families at a personal level by asking parents to change their daily eating habits.

COUNTERPOINTS:

• Try new types of fruit or vegetables. There are thousands of fruits and vegetables available that most kids have never tried. Take your kid grocery shopping and let them pick out their own fruits and veggies to try.

• Stop stocking the house with soda, encourage the consumption of drinking water.

• The family has the biggest influence on a child’s lifestyle. Plan the daily dinner menu with the kids and have them help decide what to eat and do the shopping with you.

• Schools have an amazing opportunity to both teach children about the importance of physical activity and also allow them to be active with all of their friends.

POSITION:

Home country: USA | Profession: First Lady of the United States and wife of U.S. President Barack Obama | Subject: Childhood obesity