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Future of Food

There is a significant amount of misinformation regarding genetically modified (GM) foods, and mainstream media often suggest that you must be either vehemently for or radically against GM foods. We wanted to sort through some of the commonly held opinions and evaluate what information is scientifically valid. Our priority is obtaining real facts, and so we brought in an expert in to help educate us, and hopefully our listeners, more on this topic.

Episode 05: Dr. Christina Walters – What is Seed Banking and Why is it Important in our Food System?

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Moving forward into a changing climate, and with our agricultural system being set up in a way that decreases natural diversity, it is extremely important that we have a system in place to preserve our resources. The National Center for Genetic Resource Preservation, also known as NCGRP, does just that.

Christina tells us about what originally drew her to the science of seed banking and explains how seeds are actually stored. We were amazed to find out that NCGRP currently stores 600,000 seed accessions, each a bag of seeds that is designed to hold the keys to some of the genetic diversity of that one species. We also touch on where the seeds come from and their importance in agriculture and ultimately food production into the future.

For those of you without a background in this field, just like us, this is simply mind boggling stuff. We hope you take away a better understanding of seeds and their preservation

Christina mentions the ‘Green Revolution’, also referred to as the third agricultural revolution where genetic research and development led to significant increases in crop yields increasing global food production. Some more information on this can be found on the USDA website.

Episode 04: Nathan Shaw of Vindeket Foods

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In this episode of the Future of Food we bring the conversation to Nathan Shaw, an activist from here in Fort Collins who addresses food security from a much more social perspective. Although we focus on his involvement here within the local community, most of the social aspects we cover can be applied across the world. That being said, we spent most of the conversation … [Read more...] about Episode 04: Nathan Shaw of Vindeket Foods

Episode 03: Dr. Garry Auld – Insight into Human Nutrition and our Current Food System

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We all learnt about human nutrition early on in school years, but it is always good to revisit old knowledge and see how the science has changed. We wanted to learn more about some of the common human ailments related to food and its consumption, whether it be lack of access to sufficient food, or even its overconsumption, we brought in an expert from CSU’s Food Science and Human Nutrition department to discuss these and other issues with us.

Our third podcast guest Garry, shares wisdom on the current state of malnutrition and undernutrition, obesity and gluten intolerances. We also cover general nutrition and revisions on the traditional recommendations for what makes a good diet. We delve into why humans do not all have access to to great food, perhaps due to food pricing, or maybe a food desert, and food insecurity as both a local and global issue. We also discuss food regulation, food labelling, food waste and sustainable agriculture in the food system.

We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and hope you do too! Please feel free to reach out to us if you would like any additional information or have any feedback.

Lastly, some of the resources we discuss in the podcast are below;

The University of Missouri’s Family Nutrition Education Program and the USDA’s Women, Infants and Children program.Garry mentions the shift away from the food pyramid, this has been replaced by My Plate here in the US. He recommends simply measuring a portion size as one cup for fruits and vegetables of at least 4 servings per day, and that a serving of meat is just 3 ounces recommended at not more than one serving per day. On each plate, that ⅔ to ¾ of your plate should be plant based with the remainder made up of protein. You can find My Plate recommendations here if you would like to compare their recommendations.

Episode 02: Dr. Scott Haley – Wheat as a Commodity Crop and its Significance in the Food System

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In this edition of the Future of Food, we continue the food conversation with another Colorado State University Specialist this time with a special focus on wheat breeding.  Wheat is a global commodity, so common that it is often overlooked. We discuss plant breeding and plant genetics throughout the conversation, yet we tackle this topic from a new perspective. Wheat may not … [Read more...] about Episode 02: Dr. Scott Haley – Wheat as a Commodity Crop and its Significance in the Food System

Episode 01: Dr. Patrick Byrne – what really is Genetic Modification?

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There is a significant amount of misinformation regarding genetically modified (GM) foods, and mainstream media often suggest that you must be either vehemently for or radically against GM foods. We wanted to sort through some of the commonly held opinions and evaluate what information is scientifically valid. Our priority is obtaining real facts, and so we brought in an expert … [Read more...] about Episode 01: Dr. Patrick Byrne – what really is Genetic Modification?