featured in this issue - NZIFST - The New Zealand Institute of Food ...

..and so to food and health
Then, how should we design healthy foods Food and health
was, is and will be a complex topic. Is obesity a new concern of
our modern society “Certainly not!” said Janet Mitchell (University
of Otago). Janet showed evidence from old newspapers that
obesity was already a concern 100 years ago in New Zealand,
initially related to the concern about appearance, but nowadays
the focus is more about health concerns linked to diseases.
Associate Professor Russell Keast (Deakin University, Australia),
explained that understanding the human taste system with respect
to lipids could help achieve a better understanding of the
potential links between food and health/disease. Issues in micronutrient
malnutrition in the New Zealand population in the
last 100 years were also discussed. Dr. Sheila Skeaff (University
of Otago) clearly showed a remarkable trend in deficiency to
sufficiency, and back again to deficiency, in the iodine status of
the NZ population over the last century.
The latter deficiency could be due to reducing salt consumption
because of health issues such as cardiovascular disease
and high blood pressure. Sook Ling Leong (University of Otago)
also reported a significant, 2.8% increase in the BMI of the
NZ population. Faster eating was associated with high BMI of
NZ middle-aged women. Thus, changes in consumer choice,
perception and habits clearly affect the nutrition status of the
population.
What is the future
With regards to what has happened over the last 100 years,
Dame Alison Holst (NZ writer) took a serious look at what is
likely to happen in the future, “cooking and sewing seem to be
dying arts and many people cannot grow good vegetables in
gardens. Children are our future, and these disappearing practices
are as important a part of childhood as learning about
healthy foods,” Dame Alison explained. In the last century,
adoption of science and technology has improved the production
and quality of New Zealand products such as sea urchins
(Professor Phil Bremer, FNZIFST), dairy products (Dr. David
Everett, FNZIFST), olive oil (Margaret Edwards, MNZIFST) and
tallow (Dr. John Birch, MNZIFST). Laurence Eyres (FNZIFST)
also clearly addressed how New Zealand food industries should
respond to nutritional dietary guidelines.
Now the question is, “How should healthy foods be promoted
in this changing world” Professor Indrawati Oey (MNZIFST)
showed that the internet was a powerful medium used by a
large proportion of the New Zealand public to search for information.
The ongoing challenge is how to tell the non-scientific
New Zealand public where to get the correct information. At this
conference, Professor Oey pointed out that the current global
situation demanded well-developed communication skills for
today’s scientists to eliminate communication barriers between
the public/consumers and scientists. Hereto, science communication
in food science should play an increasingly important
role in the future of New Zealand food research and technology
promotion, both nationally and globally.
This Centenary Conference delivered wide, but thought provoking
information around Home Science issues over the last
100 years. Remembering our “disappearing” heritage (e.g. home
cooking, sewing and gardening) and looking to and learning
from the past does not mean that we step backwards. Conversely,
it will give us a stronger foundation to adopt and integrate
new technologies that are important for our society, the
economy and the future.
Conference ReporT
April/May 2011
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