THE FUTURE OF FOODS: WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US?

Course overview

News headlines about our food supply are frequent and often upsetting, especially to consumers. Questions about how technology affects our food supply and diet abound -- will irradiation, genetic modification, functional foods, pre- and probiotics, fertilizers, pesticides, additives and preservatives end famine, improve food safety and lead to a healthier, more abundant future? Or are we blindly walking a path leading to disaster? This course deals honestly and objectively with the risks and benefits of pest and microbe control, and additives that may impact nutritional content and safety and allergies. Updates on research and regulatory issues, including a long discussion on the political push-pull over genetically modified (GM) foods and the role of functional foods are highlighted in this revision.