1

Zoom Meeting Information

• Topic: UGEC Food and Hunger
• Join Zoom Meeting
– Meeting ID: 959 4882 3810
– Passcode: 311350

2
House Rules for Zoom Meeting
• Join the class around 5-10 mins in advance
• Turn the camera ON
– Show courtesy to the speaker
– Otherwise the speaker is just like talking with no one
• Turn the microphone OFF (mute the microphone)
• Use “Reaction” or “Raise Hand” to make responses, or
arouse the speaker’s attention
• Use “Chat” to communicate, by text, with all audiences or a
particular audience

3
“Sustainable Development Goals x General Education”
Study Scheme

4
5
 CONTENT
I. The power of food
A. People & Food
B. Economy & Food
C. Society & Food
D. Politics & Food
II. Food problems for people
1. Food security
2. Food safety

6
I. The Power of Food
• Food is an essential of life.
– There is nothing more important than eating.
– A basic need and a basic pleasure!

• Food is universal.
– Eating is something all human beings do.

7
A. People & Food

• Energy and nutrition are important for human survival and growth
• FOOD: main source of ENERGY and of NUTRITION

• Food: Sustain of life and growth

• Our bodies have certain basic requirements of food (in
terms of quantity and quality) in order to grow and maintain
themselves.

8
Food and Energy

• Is energy important for

human survival?
– Variant:
• Age
• Sex
• Occupation BMR=Basal Metabolic Rate 基础代谢率

• Health etc

• Energy expressed as calories or kilocalories

9
Food and Nutrition
• Nutrients in food are grouped into
several categories.
1. Macronutrients means fat, protein, and
carbohydrates.
2. Micronutrients are the minerals and
vitamins.
3. Additionally food contains water and
dietary fiber.

• To promote growth, to supply force and heat, and to furnish material

to repair body tissues
10
Food: Nutrition and Energy

• Food elements
– Digestible substances
– Indigestible substances

11
每日食早餐 TSA成績較好 相當於多讀1.5年書

12
營養標籤管制 於2010年7月1日生效

13
 香港落後歐盟星洲

• 標示非統一每100克含量, 便利廠商魚目混珠，混淆消費者。
• 「銷量少於3萬」豁免標準恐濫用
• 標籤法不管少甜少肥 ----

14
高膽固醇人口 10年增百萬

15
 B. Economy & Food

• Food production is the largest industry on the planet.

– Employ nearly 50% of the world’s labor force

– Use more than 50% of all habitable land

– Utilize 70% of all freshwater withdrawal

– Produce 3.3 trillion dollars worldwide

16
Example: U.S.
• 1 in 6 jobs are food-related

• Beef production
– The largest segment of the agricultural industry
– 1.4 million jobs
– $188.4 billion of economic activity
– All 50 states

• Dairy industry
– 900,000 + jobs
– $29 billion in household earnings
– $140 billion overall output

17
B. Economy & Food

• Economic contributions by food production

1. Production contribution
2. Market contribution
3. Foreign exchange contribution

 Our economy depends on food production.

 Food production affects every person in some way.

18
C. Society & Food

For human, “appetite for food is nature”

• Food is a vital part of life.

• However, food is more than just vital.

• Food: Infinite variability

– People of different backgrounds eat very differently.
– Within the same culture, the food habits are not at all necessarily
homogeneous.

19
Food, Eating and Social Status
• Family’s social standing may be discerned in terms of the
people with whom the family will eat.
• How to drink the coffee?

20
西安泡饃 列國家文化遺產
1. 「牛羊肉泡饃」是遊客到西安的必定一嘗的
小食，西安「同盛祥」的牛羊肉泡饃製作工
藝，日前被列為國家級非物質文化遺產。

2. 牛羊肉泡饃這種小食歷史悠久，食法獨特，
很能代表西安的飲食文化。

3. 食相看為人: 有一種說法是，單從一個人如
何吃泡饃，就能看到此人到底是溫文爾雅還
是粗枝大葉。

21
申報茶餐廳倡列文化遺產

• 香濃幼滑的 絲襪奶茶，除了是香港人
的心頭好，也令不少外國遊客一試難
忘。茶餐廳文化一旦成功申報為聯合
國「人類非物質文化遺產」，相信可
令這門手藝發揚光大。

22
C. Food and Society

• Food performs a number of interrelated social roles in a society.

• Gastronomic meaning
• Means of expressing cultural identity
• Religious and magical meaning
• Means of communication
• Expression of status and distinction
• Means of influence and power
• Means of exchange
• Ethical value

23
Ethical Values?

• Drying shark fins in the street of Hong Kong

24
No to shark fin
• Shark’s fin soup, considered a symbol of wealth, has been a
mainstay of the Chinese wedding banquet for hundreds of
years, but the tradition is contributing to the deaths of 73
million sharks annually

25
Declining Import, Re-export and Consumption

26
海關搗破走私受管制瀕危乾魚翅

海關檢26噸瀕危魚翅 值860萬 專家料逾3.8

葵涌海關獲約600公斤走私魚翅，估計市值約 萬鯊被殺
120萬元 7 May 2020
12 Feb. 2019

27
As A Summary:
• In real life, food is an essential fixture of culture, society, and
socialization; and comes with a complete set of custom, history, and
nuance.
• Food is and was and will continue to be an integral part of human life,
society, culture, law, custom, tradition, science, health, and concern.

28
D. Politics & Food

• Food production - - policies

• Food supply and price - - social stability
• Food aid – diplomatic relations
• Food trade – social fair

29
30
Example: Geopolitical considerations on food aid

31
Other considerations on food aid

32
Less than a quarter of WFP
budget for 2009
Jul 30, 2009

• The UN World Food Programme has received only a quarter of

its projected budget for 2009, forcing it to cancel breakfasts for
hungry schoolchildren in Cambodia, halve the rations for
tuberculosis patients and drop plans to feed four million people in
North Korea.

33
Reflection on Food Aid

• Over the past 40 years, the good initiative of food aid is

deteriorating into a political instrument.
• Food aid increase when surpluses increase.
• Food aid is a necessary evil.
– It should only be given for short periods to overcome
disasters
– It has led to a structural dependency for the country and its
people, keeping both in poverty.
– “fishes” or “fishing” argument?
34
 35

II. FOOD PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE

People suffered from different food problems

1. Food security: Quantitative food problem

2. Food safety: Qualitative food problem

36
1. Food Security

The World Food Summit of 196 defined food security as

existing “when all people at all times have access to
sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active
life”.

FOOD
‘…access to nutritionally adequate and safe food
is a basic individual right.’
FAO/WHO World Declaration on Nutrition 1992

37
Many people are suffering from the hunger

• Source: FAO, IFAD and WFP (2015), The State of Food Insecurity in the World, Meeting
the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress

38
A Global Phenomenon of World Hunger

• Source: FAO, IFAD and WFP (2015), The State of Food Insecurity in the World, Meeting
the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress 39
Global Hunger Index in 2019

• Source: IFPRI (2019) Global Hunger Index 2019

40
Source: IFPRI (2019) Global Hunger Index 2019; Forced Migration and Hunger
41
Food Production and Population Growth
• The Pessimists

– Thomas Malthus: a tendency of the population to expand at a

faster (geometric) rate than the (arithmetic) growth in agricultural
output.

– Lester Brown: high population growth which is not accompanied

with increase in food production.

42
 Main Points of the Pessimists’ Arguments
Population growth • Coupled with the increase in income
• Rapid acceleration in food demand
Food producing resources • Approaching the limit
• Reduction in the availability of agricultural
resources
Unsustainable human • Environmental degradation
activities
Changing weather pattern • Global warming
• Negative impacts on productivity
More other demands • Biofule production

Technological • Technological improvement in production

improvement cannot offset the negative impacts

43
Food Production and Population Growth
• The Optimists
– Changes in cultivation and the technological innovations
(e.g. biotechnology) help increase food production

– Eg: high-yielding varieties of crops

– In long run, the balance between population and

resources will be maintained.

44
2. Food Safety

• What is food safety?

– It is an action of monitoring food to ensure that it will not cause
foodborne illness .

• What is foodborne illness?

– commonly called "food poisoning," is any illness resulting from the
consumption of food.
– caused by bacteria, toxins, viruses, parasites, and etc.

45
Why should we pay attention on
Food Safety?

• Roughly 7 million people die of food poisoning each year, with

about 10 times as many suffering from a non-fatal version.

• “Foodborne illness is perhaps the most widespread health

problem in the contemporary world and an important cause of
reduced economic productivity.”
– FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Safety

• Problems on food safety in Hong Kong?

46
Food Safety Problems

47
Causes of Foodborne Illness
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS CHEMICAL HAZARDS

1. Biological hazards
– Microbes and microbial toxins

2. Chemical hazards
– Cleaners, pesticides

3. Physical hazards
– Glass, Radioactive contaminants
PHYSICAL HAZARDS “FREE” OF HAZARDS

48
 SAFE FOOD FOR ALL
SHARED RESPONSIBILTY
Food Educated and Good Practices by
Legislation and Knowledgeable Primary Producers
Enforcement Public and Distributors
Advice for Discriminating and Quality Assurance
Industry/Trade Selective and Control of
Consumers Processed Food
Consumer Safe Food Practices Appropriate
Education in the Home Processes and
Technology
Information Trained Managers
Gathering and Community and Food Handler
Research Participation
Informative
Provision of labelling and
Active Consumer
Health-Related Groups Consumer
Services Education

GOVERNMENT CONSUMER INDUSTRY/TRADE

WHO Leadership for International Consensus on Food Safety Issues

49
消委檢驗58款烘焙食品測試結果
16 Jan. 2019
• 六成烘焙品含損腎物
九成含基因致癌物

50
食環驗蔬果鬆懈 14 Nov. 2017

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
51
6 Aug. 2016

52
 Your Role as a Consumer ???

CONSUMER / YOU BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS CHEMICAL HAZARDS

BASIC PRINCIPLES:
Understanding that Foodborne Illness
caused by:

Understanding how to avoid, remove or

manage:
PHYSICAL HAZARDS “FREE” OF HAZARDS
53
Safe or Sorry
--- Your Choice

54
Conclusion….

• Food is very important to people,

economy, politics, culture and
society.
• Solving food problems:
– Working together works!

55
Please share your view on Blackboard:
• Give one of your favorable food and discuss its importance to
you and society

56