Food Tech

There’s a new environmental trend in the food industry, with a funny name: upcycling. Basically, it means taking ingredients that would otherwise have been thrown out, and turning them into or using them in new food products. But are upcycled foods safe? Are they healthy? Can you actually make good food out of those scraps and byproducts? And can it really help save the planet?

We used to check our watches only when we wanted to know what time it was. Now, that little device on your wrist can display your heart rate, blood oxygen, stress level, calories burned, and how many steps you’ve taken since you got out of bed. Health trackers are here to stay. And they’re getting ever more sophisticated in the data they can collect, and the nudges they can provide. But should you wear one? And if so, which kind? And are there any downsides to them?

While you have the greatest control over the food you make at home, it can still be nice to eat out once in a while. Whether via curbside pickup, delivery, or old-fashioned pre-pandemic dining, eating out lets you experience different foods and take a break from cooking and cleaning. And if you travel, eating outside the home can be required. But do you have to throw away your healthy eating standards, or is it possible to eat well when dining out?

Worldwide, figures for obesity continue to rise to mind-blowing levels, including obesity in children. A fundamental shift in awareness and nutritional education is necessary in order to address this issue head-on. Jyl Steinback, of the nonprofit Shape Up Us, discusses the issues influencing our children’s eating habits — and the ways in which teachers, parents, and the children themselves can improve nutritional knowledge and experience for kids.

Ocean sits down with Peggy Liu, chairperson of the Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, for a conversation about the global impacts of our food choices — and how what we eat impacts our health and our climate. They also look at how we can reclaim our relationship with food to make it a source of beauty and meaning in our lives.

Beef burgers, veggie burgers, and now… lab-grown meat? You may have heard rumblings that cultured meat — made from animal stem cells — may become a mainstream consumer option soon. Is it true? And if so, is it a good thing? What is lab-grown food? And should we be preparing for it to change the food system as we know it?

The Impossible Burger and its parent company, Impossible Foods, are taking the plant-based meat alternative world by storm. Their products are helping to cut down on factory-farmed meat consumption, which is good for fans of animal rights and of the planet. But is there a hidden dark side to the Impossible Burger’s environmental impact?

Concerned about food safety? Watch this important new video from two food revolutionaries...

By Debbie Denard As the struggle for GMO labeling rages on, app developers are taking matters into their own hands....