7 Ways
Science has Improved Food Variety
David Pinzon, Corteva Agriscience
Thanking farmers should be an everyday
occurrence, and National Agriculture Day is yet another great opportunity to
recognize the work being done throughout the agriculture industry to innovate
and support the ever-changing needs of the consumer.
As parents, we sometimes tend to think about
the good old days, when we played in the street all day and sat down on the
curb with an ice cream purchased from the neighborhood truck. While I’m
nostalgic for the past, from a food science point of view, what we have today
far outpaces what was available even two decades ago.
During the past
100 years, the variety in food choices has gone from minimal and reserved for
the wealthy to widespread and affordable. Even though this is not true
everywhere in the world, agriculture innovation is helping ensure everyone has
access to a variety of food options.
Feeding children
the healthiest possible food is top-of-mind for all parents; however, it is
often easier said than done. With my first daughter, who is now 4, I
prioritized healthy food options when she started eating. I focused on just a
few foods I knew were good for her that she liked. However, I missed a very
important point: variety. My good intentions backfired, as she started hating
her favorites, such as broccoli and spinach.
Luckily,
scientists have created innovations that allow us to choose among a variety of
foods while maintaining good eating habits. National Agriculture day marks a
time when we thank producers, agricultural associations and others, for their
commitment to agriculture and to supplying a growing world with a variety of
healthy food options. Let’s take a look at several important advancements that
have helped us have access to a variety of healthy food options at affordable
prices.
- Breeding: Do your kids like kale but not cabbage? Or maybe broccoli
but not cauliflower? No problem, they are all the same species, Brassica oleracea, for which breeders
selected variants of the plants. This allows us to have a wider variety of
options out of the same plant species, while benefiting from a similar
nutritional profile when the same part of the plant is eaten (for example,
broccoli versus cauliflower).
- Frozen food: Flash-freezing allows us to have meals that include
nutrient-dense ingredients that may not be local or seasonal. This includes
salmon that has been flown thousands of kilometers or ensuring there is enough
turkey in stock for the holidays. Frozen foods also helped us to have the
capacity to afford more healthy options. Cauliflower rice is a great example of
something that has a longer shelf life when frozen.
- Food fortification: Not everyone has access to enough variety of foods.
Fortifying staple foods allows us to supplement our diet. Great examples are
iodine in salt, vitamins in milk and folic acid in multiple cereals, breads and
pastas. Folic acid can help women get the correct nutrients in case of pregnancy,
as it is critical in neural tube development in utero. It is also beneficial to
men, supporting heart health.
- Pest management: Keeping plants healthy and growing to their maximum potential is
crucial to producing more on the same amount of land. Protecting these plants
from pests and diseases is crucial to maximizing growth potential. This
translates to increased quantities of food, lower food prices and greater
variety.
- Preservatives: While daily grocery shopping would be ideal, it often isn’t practical.
Food preservatives allow us to keep food fresh longer, making it easier for
that once-a-week grocery trip.
- Trait modification: Food variety is not always a matter of healthy options. Many
times, it enables us to perfect the art of cooking. Think about apples. There
are numerous options specific for snacking, salads, baking, juicing and
cooking. And now we even have access to apples that don’t brown, the Arctic
apple, a GMO variety that helps reduce food waste. Additionally, scientific
advancements, like CRISPR-cas, a genetic-editing tool, are helping trait
modifications become even more prominent and beneficial.
- Processing: Baby carrots aren’t harvested that way. They are created
when normal carrots are cut to the perfect size and with rounded edges, making
it a perfect snack for kids and adults.
Overall, we
have plenty of choices, and as long as we keep trusting scientific
advancements, food is just going to keep getting better. I can’t wait for 50
years from now, when our kids may think of how, in the old days, their food
choices were limited.
I’m proud to
play a role in helping advance food variety improvements and agricultural
advancements by working for Corteva Agriscience. At Corteva, we’ve harnessed
the best and brightest minds in agriculture to help enrich the lives of those
who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come.
Join me in thanking and celebrating farmers and other agricultural
professionals during National Agriculture Day. Their tireless work helps us make
tomorrow a little brighter than today.
About David:
David
Pinzon
Regulatory Affairs Manager, Crop Protection and Seeds, Corteva
Agriscience
David grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to Canada in 2009
with his wife to study for a PhD at the University of Alberta. They had their
second child in May 2018.
“It is a constant learning to find out what’s the best for them.
That’s why being able to share my science knowledge and experience with other
parents is gratifying.”
David dedicated 12 years of his life to become a scientist.
“Learning science is probably simpler than knowing what’s best for my kids, so
I understand how it feels being exposed to so much conflicting information.”
David’s priority is always to do what’s best for his daughters. “I
have the pleasure to see the huge amount of scientific support needed to prove
GMOs and pesticides are safe for humans and the environment, so I can pass
along my knowledge to those that are eager to learn.”
