Milan Food Expo

"A vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet and its equilibrium"

"Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" is the central theme the Milan Food Expo, which starts this week, continuing through October. International agencies and 140 countries are participating: in particular, they are presenting their technology for advancing this theme. This is a part of the Milano World's Fair, which opened a few weeks ago -- including the usual complaints about who participates and what they have to gain, reported the New York Times.

Marion Nestle, the expert on food politics and various nutrition topics, is writing about her visit to the Expo this week. She writes:

"The U.S. has a gorgeous pavilion framed by an undulating wall of vertical vegetables." 

According to the website of the US Pavilion:

"Expo Milano 2015 will enable the USA Pavilion to showcase the United States as an innovator not only in the food sector, but also in many aspects of culture, science and business. Feeding ourselves engages a massive infrastructure, advanced technologies, and dynamic systems that touch on just about every aspect of the world we live in. Each step from farm to table reflects a set of values and connections that impact our identities and shape our future."

Among the open questions are the sponsorship of big food organizations. According to the NYT article:

"After Expo officials announced in late February that McDonald’s would be an official sponsor, alongside partners like Coca-Cola, exhibitors like Slow Food, an international movement that advocates local and quality foods, protested. 

“'The presence of McDonald’s means that the planet can continue to gorge itself on fast food or junk food — call it whatever you like — without concern for our own well-being,' the Slow Food association said in a statement. Including such multinationals at the fair gave the message that 'feeding the planet or fattening it, caring for it or depleting its resources, seems to be the same thing,' Slow Food said in the statement."

Marion Nestle's post today is about the Slow Food Pavilion. She writes about their exhibit of raised beds for growing vegetables, and about a large sculpture in their exhibit:

"I particularly liked the hefty guy made out of corn."

The Slow Food Pavilion theme is "Save Biodiversity, Save the Planet."

I find this all very intriguing -- so many countries and organizations giving lip service to so many good ideas. But will anything about the food problems of the planet really change? I wonder! You can see so many vested interests in not changing!