The horsemeat found in some premade lasagne was probably the biggest food scandal of the year. Many were shocked and it has made it clearer than ever that we don't really know what is in the food we buy, particularly prepared food.
There have been many documentaries and reportages on the ingredients in our food and how we are increasingly being fooled to buy things that are not as they seem. Horsemeat instead of beef, adding oil or water - sometimes simply air - to push down the costs as far as possible and to lure the buyer to buy something for double its worth.
The horsemeat scandal turned out to be partially accidental as the trickery was done in an early stage by a supplier, meaning no one knew further down the line. Or at least so they claim. Assuming this is true, it is all the more frightening. We are importing food from unknown sources and there are so many suppliers and producers along the way that we no longer know what is in the end product.
I read an interesting article "Risky Meals" on how we import more food and become less self sufficient. Meanwhile, the countries experiencing insuffiency restrict their exports as they try to continue to nourish their people. There is a clear problem of distribution of resources, particularly food products. These are being redistributed through all kinds of imports and exports, but without any substantial monitoring and supervision. While there are more and more laws and policies regulating these exchanges, this remains an issue difficult to oversee.
The article is calling for a mapping where food comes from and where it goes. This could bring insight in the strong and weak points in our production versus consumption habits. Hopefully it can also cut out many unnecessary transports and provide incentive to improve local production. One thing is certain, if we continue down this same road, the export and import networks will only extend and become more complex and less transparent.
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