The latest episode of ECPA’s own cooking show invites food safety and nutrition consultant Barbara Bray to the kitchen, answering some big questions about our food.
Presented by Graeme Taylor, ECPA Director of Public Affairs, Let’s Cook! is a series all about exploring modern challenges of producing food in Europe. He is back, with a new guest, making a big bowl of vegetable noodles with cashews, lime and chilli pepper – perfect for a cold winter’s day.
Is organic food healthier?
There are varying perceptions and (mis)perceptions around what kind of food is healthier or more beneficial to people’s diets. One common theory is that organic food may be grown in a way so that it contains more vitamins and nutrients. However, as Barbara explains, the secret to a healthy meal is not necessarily how food is produced, but how you combine the ingredients. Nutritional science is all about evidence, Barbara explains, and there is no real evidence that there is any discernible difference between organic or conventionally grown produce. It is more important to pay attention to diet and exercise to get the best health outcomes, together with fresh and nutritious ingredients in meals – much like those in the veggie noodles being prepared today.
Is conventional food production sustainable?
Different food systems have different advantages and drawbacks – in Europe we have safe, affordable and available food, something that people are starting to take for granted. Barbara, as a director of the Oxford Farming Conference, stresses that there needs to be recognition of an industry that supports the choices consumers want to make, while also being a sustainable source of income for farmers.
How safe is our food?
Food safety is a subject in which everyone has a vested interest, yet misperceptions still arise about the safety of food. However, as Graeme and Barbra discuss, despite what they might read in their online news and social media feeds, consumers should have absolute confidence in the food they eat, due to European safety regulations and the absolute care taken by farmers to grow safe, healthy food.
Let’s Cook!
Watch this episode and try out Barbara’s noodle recipe, and if you haven’t already, also watch the first instalment with Will Evans, host of Rock & Roll Farming. And stay tuned for the final Let’s Cook!, to be released in March.