How far should we accept commercial interests in shaping the food environment in which people make their choices? Our food system is extremely successful at producing abundance, choice and convenience. At the same time, it is also contributing to some of the most pressing health and societal challenges of our time. Unhealthy diets, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases are rising alongside food environments that reward overconsumption, while the environmental costs of producing and consuming food continue to grow.
In his talk, nutrition and health expert Jaap Seidell will explore the tensions between what is good for individuals, what is profitable for businesses, and what is sustainable for society. He will further consider where individual responsibility ends and collective responsibility begins. He also argues that improving health requires more than educating consumers: we also need to examine the incentives, inequalities and commercial forces that shape what food is available, affordable and attractive. The challenge is not to eliminate markets or pleasure from eating, but to establish sensible limits where private gain comes at the expense of public health and the planet.
Science & Cocktails is a series of public talks by scientists with live music and smoky dry-ice chilled cocktails in your hand.
