Science: Unlocking Potential

News and chat from Dr Caroline Oprandi on the frontline of science and technology at PACA

A new, cutting-edge technology to hit the headlines recently is the 3D printing of food. British start-up Choc Edge is already selling a 3D printer that can create chocolate printed patterns. NASA is funding an engineering firm to build a food printer that could be used by its astronauts. Surely by now, we must also have the necessary knowledge to produce a chocolate treat that is not only yummy but healthy too? NASA also carried out extensive research into hydroponics. Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants without soil. Instead, plant roots are suspended in an aggregate material (like sand or rockwool) and are fed by a liquid nutrient solution. Hydroponics offers an option for growing food without soil and with less water input than traditional farming.

I’m all for embracing new food sources and whilst we are at it, studying Food Economics. Food Economics has shaped our society, going right back to the roots of human civilisation. Food Economics as an area of study, could potentially cover a huge array of topics ranging from: human nutrition and health, to production, globalisation, business economics, sales and marketing, consumer science and policy development. I believe that in order to tackle this complex issue fully new players need to be brought into the field, studying the area as a comprehensive package rather than taking the traditional piecemeal approach. It is an area of study where significant barriers need to be crossed between business, academia and policy development.

Norwich is home to the Norwich Research Park that houses the Institute of Food Research and the Sainsbury’s Laboratory. Biotech start-ups are looking at ways to reinvent food, which is great, as long as these new technologies also take into consideration their impact on nature. On a beach, not far from Norwich, happens to also be home to this spectacular seal colony.