Technology Technological Advances Have Impacted Every Area

Technology

Technological advances have impacted every area of human existence on almost every area of the planet, with few exceptions. Nearly every aspect of daily mundane life is affected by technology, including communication and transportation. However, one area of daily life is even more impacted and transformed than others. That area is food and eating. Food production has changed dramatically since the Industrial Age. Indeed, since the invention of the cotton gin, all agricultural practices have depended on technologies that have gone far beyond ox carts and donkeys. Mechanical food production increased food outputs, and greater yields have subsequently improved health and livelihoods for large groups of people. However, the fusion of technology and food production has not been completely positive. There are many negative repercussions of using technology at every stage of food production, and the integration of technology and food proves political and highly controversial. Problems such as pesticide use, genetically modified organisms (GMO), and industrialized animal food production plague modern society. Overpopulation makes is necessary to keep food yields high, but ethical standards are calling into question the need for some technology. Technology has had both a positive and a negative impact on food and food production.

Overall, technology has had a positive impact on such things as agricultural yield, crop diversity, distribution, food preservation, and cooking technologies. Each of these areas continues to be improved via the use of new technologies. Technology has allowed for greater control over environmental forces, making it possible to withstand problems such as drought or pests. Famines are less likely now, not only because of the introduction of chemical and irrigation technologies but also because of food distribution channels related to transportation technologies. Because areas that would otherwise suffer without food can now enjoy food trucked in from outside sources, human beings living in extreme climates enjoy food all year round.

In addition to increasing crop yields, technology has changed the way food is produced and distributed. The use of trains, planes, and automobiles to distribute food has made it possible to have fish that was caught in Japan or the Mediterranean on the same day. This has made it so that people are familiar with new ingredients, and are more open to other cultures. Overall, transportation technology has improved human relationships with food. New technology has improved the cultural dimension of food. For instance, there is far less xenophobia now related to food, due to the media promoting shows like Anthony Bourdain. Because of technology, Americans can eat British cheese, and British consumers can eat avocados grown in Mexico. The importance of learning about food through new media like the Internet cannot be underestimated. There is greater respect for other cultures due to new technology.

In addition to changing channels of distribution, technology also changes the way food is made throughout the world. People used to need to cook over a wood fire, and now, a number of electric and gas appliances are used. There are still foods produced in old-fashioned methods, but generally all people now have access to basic cooking technologies in their homes. It was not long ago that people did not cook much in their homes due to technology limitations. Similarly, refrigeration has altered the nature of food storage and makes it possible for people to store food. While not all people in the world have access to these technologies, they are changing the relationship between people and their food. What was once only possible in fine dining establishments is not possible also at home.

Although the general impact of technology on food has been positive, the negative impact of technology on food production has been the subject of recent debate, especially in light of the corporatization of food. In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan (2007) discusses the problems with modern food production. Ball (2014) also notes that ordinary people in America are concerned about the ramifications of GMOs, which are banned in some parts of the world but which some scientists claim are no different from traditional hybrid grafting of crops.

Pesticides and herbicides, once considered technological boons, are now widely viewed with suspicion and contempt (Flandrin & Montanari, 2013). Both Pollan (2007) and Flandrin & Montanari (2013) also note that technology used to increase food production and to manufacture processed foods has contributed to health problems ranging from diabetes to obesity. These problems were once in the province of wealthy countries only, but now due to burgeoning increases in middle class populations around the world, processed and fast foods are contributing to health problems everywhere. Technology has made it possible to manufacture flavors from chemicals, thus creating what is basically artificial food. Cheaper to produce and with a longer shelf life than real, fresh food, artificial and manufactured foods contain higher amounts of sodium and sugar than the body can handle (Flandrin & Montanari, 2012).

Technology has also created ethnical dilemmas regarding the treatment of animals. As Pedrocco (2013) points out, animals were eaten rarely and only on special occasions prior to the industrial age. Increased consumption of protein has some health benefits, but those benefits have been outweighed by problems like obesity and the deplorable conditions of factory farms. Pollan (2007) shows that factory farms keep animals confined in criminally cruel spaces. Animals are fed hormones and antibiotics to help them withstand the diseases of living in close confinement and sleeping in their own excrement. Likewise, animals used to grazing, like cows, are being fed corn. Unable to digest corn, the food industry gives drugs to the animals to help them assimilate the feed. These are serious problems in industrial food production, leading to environmental degradation, ethical dilemma, and human health outcomes. Food has become a slave to technology rather than the other way around.