Event 1: LASER

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For the first event of this course, I had the opportunity to participate in Professor Landecker’s presentation for the LASER event. As someone with almost no biology and food science background, I learned quite a lot from this event. Professor Landecker’s presentation explained the usage and definition of emulsifiers, gums, and clouding agents and shed more light on different food classes.


Figure 1: Beginning of the presentation by Professor Landecker.
Credit: Professor Hannah Landecker

One thing from the event that stood out to me and enabled my brain to connect the dots between the event and our course was the discussion on the NOVA food classification system. The NOVA system “assumes that the extent and purpose of processing to which food is subjected determines its nutrient content and other attributes” (Nupens, 2023). This classification consists of four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.


Figure 2: Professor Landecker showcasing and explaining the NOVA food classification system.
Credit: Professor Hannah Landecker

This specific system caught my attention due to its showcase of how we use technology to alter our food. This, however, is creating many issues in our society. One way we modify our food is by using emulsifiers, an essential substance in processed foods, “which appear to increase people’s risk of type 2 diabetes” (INSIDENOVA, 2024). Unfortunately, things get worse as we process our food even more.


Video 1: A UK doctor switches to an 80% ultra-processed food diet for 30 days to measure the effects.
Credit: BBC

Going simply from processed to ultra-processed foods brings on even more serious health issues. A study of almost 10 million people “shows that a higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with approximately 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death and common mental disorders” (LaMotte, 2024).

As Professor Landecker mentioned and parallelized in her presentation, when it comes to what we do with our food, we have to shift from studying nature to studying nature and what is natural with industrialization in mind. I am glad to have attended this event because of the eye-opening effect it had on me and my understanding of food and society. I am hoping, for the sake of humanity, that we figure out a healthier way of engineering our food.


Proof of participation:


References:

BBC. “UK Doctor Switches to 80% ULTRA-Processed Food Diet for 30 Days 🍔🍕🍟 BBC.” YouTube, 28 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4PFt4czJw0&ab_channel=BBC.

“Emulsifier Chemicals Are Everywhere in Foods. Could They Raise Diabetes Risk?” INSIDENOVA, 25 Apr. 2024, www.insidenova.com/lifestyles/health/emulsifier-chemicals-are-everywhere-in-foods-could-they-raise-diabetes-risk/article_6922d537-7629-50c2-8242-a5df4f152d88.html. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

“Food Classification Nova | Nupens.” Www.fsp.usp.br, 6 June 2023, www.fsp.usp.br/nupens/en/food-classification-nova/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

LaMotte, Sandee. “Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to 50% Higher Risk of Dying from Cardiovascular Disease and Developing Other Health Conditions.” CNN, 28 Feb. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/02/28/health/ultraprocessed-food-health-risks-study-wellness/index.html.

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