On the radio yesterday morning we heard some depressing headlines about the extreme weather we've been having recently, and the effects its been having on the country's crop production. The general consensus being: less crop => higher prices. Now this type of thing happens from time to time and is nothing new really, but the population of the world is ever increasing, and eventually these shortages could be big big deals.
Later in the day, I came across an article that I thought was really quite interesting in light of the morning shortage report. There's a new chemical called bisin being researched that has the ability to prolong the shelf life of our food. Apparently its not really meant for fruits and vegetables, but things like meats and cheeses can theoretically last "almost indefinitely". According to the article it is a naturally occurring chemical that kills the bacteria (i.e. E.coli, salmonella, listeria) that spoils food. They already have it patented and are looking to get approval to begin adding to foods within the next three years.
...I don't know about anyone else, but as neat as the technology might be, this bothers me. On one hand, it would be really convenient to be able to take the surplus from good production years, and instead of selling it off at discounted prices, be able to keep it for times like this when there's a shortage. But on the other hand...I don't really feel comfortable eating a 5 year old cheeseburger...no matter what it looks like.
Here is the link to the article.
-J
No comments:
Post a Comment