Did you know the term "sustainable" is used in food marketing to achieve price advantage, without any science backing the claim? For example, greenhouse gas emissions associated with a glass of milk today is 1/3 what it was in 1944, but many people have been led to believe both milk and meat are not environmentally friendly.
In this Earth Day episode, our guest is Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, a livestock geneticist at University of California, Davis. She sheds light on why genetics is an important component of sustainability. She shares that practices such as selective breeding (which is like Match.com for cows) and artificial insemination have allowed each generation of cows to improve in health and milk production. In the 40's there were about 26 million cows producing milk, and today nine million cows produce all the milk we need.
Alison also warns that anytime useful breeding innovations are taken off the shelf (e.g., GMOs) it is associated with the very real opportunity cost of a less sustainable food production system. In order to overcome food bullying, she recommends you make choices based on your own standards, avoid food fads, and ask a scientist about any technology or labels you don't understand.
Key Points
- Alison is from Australia - so her accent makes this interview delightful. She is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the field of Animal Genomics and Biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at University of California, Davis.
- Right now dairy farmers are under increased pressure. The cows can't stop producing milk, and it would be cruel to stop milking them. If farmers have to dump milk, it is like lighting your paycheck on fire.
- The term "sustainable" is used in food marketing to achieve price advantage without any backing in science.
- "GMO" is a marketing term without a scientific definition.
- Technically, what people worry about with "GMO" is genetic engineering, or changing the genes of a food in a lab (in contrast to selective breeding).
- There are no genetically engineered meat products sold in the US.
- One meat product, fast growing salmon, was developed 30 years ago and is just now getting through the approvals for sale. This fish would allow Atlantic salmon to be raised locally and significantly decrease the distance it travels — which is certainly earth-friendly.
- Fear-based marketing that uses an absence label (such as non-GMO or rBST free milk) misleads the public about science. Fear of innovation in agriculture led to the end of rBST in the US and many other countries, despite the lack of evidence there was anything wrong with the milk. Stopping the use increased the environmental footprint of milk by 6%.
- Alison has spent her whole life applying science to agriculture and is frustrated by the lack of investment in technology that could protect our food system.
- Fear has stopped research into how to fight animal diseases using genetics, such as African Swine Fever.
- Alison contends that if we invested in technology to eliminate such diseases and protect our food system, it would decrease the likelihood of pandemics like COVID19.
- Consider the environmental trade-offs when purchasing food. For example, foods without preservatives spoil more quickly and increase food waste.
- Make choices based on your own standards, avoid fad, and ask a scientist about any technology or labels you don't understand.
Links
Website: https://animalbiotech.ucdavis.edu/
Alison's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/alison.vaneenennaam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/biobeef
US Davis Biobeef Blog: https://biobeef.faculty.ucdavis.edu/
Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying BS by Michele Payn: http://foodbullying.com
Embrace Your Heart with Eliz Greene: http://www.embraceyourheart.com/
Food Bullying Podcast's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/foodbullyingpodcast
