Event

Monday 22 October, 19:30

Feeding the World

Security and Sustainability in Global Food Production

In recent decades, food production has evolved into a complex system of industrial processes as a result of both the need to supply an ever-growing population and because of the business opportunities offered by the new globalised markets. Accordingly, the distance between producer and consumer has steadily been increasing and we know less and less about the products we are eating. The false abundance of a market that offers products from all around the world tends to conceal processes that often give rise to doubts about the chemical substances used in food conservation or to enhance flavour or appearance. The consumer’s knowledge of, and decision-making capacities about food are undermined by a barrage of contradictory information and difficulties in understanding the complex technological aspects of food production. In addition, many aspects of industrial food production endanger the environment and agricultural diversity while also bringing about great social inequality. This situation always brings us back to the same question: what should we eat? How much can we trust the food products we buy on a daily basis? Can biotechnology contribute towards healthier eating and a more just world food system?

With the aim of contributing towards the debate about the way we eat, the CCCB and B-debate offer this approximation to the ways in which the food we consume is produced and its impact on our health and the environment.

 

Monday 22 October at 7.30 p.m.

“Do We Know What We Eat? Challenges of Food Security and Healthy Eating”

Andreu Palou, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Balearic Islands University.

Moderator: Pere Puigdomènech, research fellow at the CSIC (Council for Scientific Research) and director of the Agrigenomics Research Centre (CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB).

Monday 29 October, at 7.30 p.m.

“Agricultural Biodiversity: Opportunities for Sustainable Development”

Stefano Padulosi, senior scientist at Biodiversity International, an agency member of the consortium Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Moderator: Enric I. Canela, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Barcelona.


Monday 5 November, at 7.30 p.m.

“The Role of Biotechnology in a New Food Model”

Wilhem Gruissem, professor of Plant Biotechnology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich).

Moderator: Pere Arús, scientific director at the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology).


Thursday 8 November, at 7.30 p.m.

“Food Modernity: Between Overabundance and Insecurity”

Jesús Contreras, professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Barcelona and director of the Observatori de l’Alimentació (Food Observatory).

Moderator: Toni Massanés, general director of the Alícia Foundation.