The Food Industry
The modern food industry is everyday producing enormous quantities of a grand variety of products. Scientific advances have been readily applied to create the most out of the least.
The 19th Century
New production methods were applied during the industrial revolution, the supply of high-quality iron ore made precise machinery possible and cost-effective. Scientific advances led to methods where food was sterilized, conserved and packed in manners that made them more easy to transport. Farming had already moved to a bigger scale and fertilization became systematic. Animals started to be kept in bigger barns and fed on a more scientific basis. Pasteurization and knowledge of microorganisms led to more consumer safety. All the foundations of today´s food production were laid out.
New production methods were applied during the industrial revolution, the supply of high-quality iron ore made precise machinery possible and cost-effective. Scientific advances led to methods where food was sterilized, conserved and packed in manners that made them more easy to transport. Farming had already moved to a bigger scale and fertilization became systematic. Animals started to be kept in bigger barns and fed on a more scientific basis. Pasteurization and knowledge of microorganisms led to more consumer safety. All the foundations of today´s food production were laid out.
The 20th Century
Propelled by a strong market economy the industrial and scientific development continued to change the way food was produced. It is also in this century when the advances were taken to far, so far that food actually became unhealthy - the processing of food many times make food less nutritious and does not satisfy the needs of our bodies, genetic manipulation has created sicknesses. The negative impact on our environment has also been immense - fertilizers and pesticides destroying ecosystems, garbage mountains, overfishing and exhausting of soil are examples. The treatment of humans and animals has been under a lot of debate as well - poor farmers exposed to dangerous poisons, animals treated below any standard of dignity. Reactions to this we see today and it has given rise to a whole new movement for organic food, animal rights, recycling, and worker's rights.
Propelled by a strong market economy the industrial and scientific development continued to change the way food was produced. It is also in this century when the advances were taken to far, so far that food actually became unhealthy - the processing of food many times make food less nutritious and does not satisfy the needs of our bodies, genetic manipulation has created sicknesses. The negative impact on our environment has also been immense - fertilizers and pesticides destroying ecosystems, garbage mountains, overfishing and exhausting of soil are examples. The treatment of humans and animals has been under a lot of debate as well - poor farmers exposed to dangerous poisons, animals treated below any standard of dignity. Reactions to this we see today and it has given rise to a whole new movement for organic food, animal rights, recycling, and worker's rights.
Today
We are at a breaking point. Environmental issues are discussed in the UN and the methods of the food industry are under strong scrutiny. It seems like we have to take a few steps back and reconsider how our food should be manufactured. We already have the results, now we just have to apply it in practice!
We are at a breaking point. Environmental issues are discussed in the UN and the methods of the food industry are under strong scrutiny. It seems like we have to take a few steps back and reconsider how our food should be manufactured. We already have the results, now we just have to apply it in practice!
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