IS THERE A VALID ALTERNATIVE TO NOVEL FOODS?

 

By Dr. Flavio di Gregorio

Gelsana Scientific Manager

 

One of the biggest problems that human kind is facing and need to solve in the near future is how to guarantee food for all, based upon the progressive demographic growth. Many Onlus organizations, Associations and Foundations, for the most part American, are investing considerably to support construction of infrastructures to commercialize and add some appealing glitter for consumers regarding the new food called NOVEL FOOD.

 

Europe will be one of the markets that will trade the novel food.  Investors must meet the requirements of the EU food legislation regulations n. 2015/2283 and of the European food Safety Authority (EFSA).  The novel food is actually not present yet in the European Western/Mediterranean diet, even though recently Europe has started to import novel products such as Algae, Chia Seeds, Snail Caviar, Macadamia nuts, Kefir and Jellyfish, which are peculiar of other continents and with a high nutritive level.

 

Investors are currently requesting to EU permission to import two other categories of Novel Food: insect-based foods, including the dried larva of the Flour Moth (already  approved in EU for consumption), and  monoclonal or cultured artificial meat also called synthetic meat.

 

The good thing about use of NOVEL FOOD is the consistent benefit for the Planet due to very limited water and soil consumption and the strong reduction of greenhouse gasses and electricity,  because  insects can also grow on organic substrates  such as waste or on products of the food industry, that are seldom utilized.

 

Insects are considered rich in protein and especially in fiber due to the presence of chitin, the insoluble fiber which is the main component of their exoskeleton.

 

We should ask ourselves a couple of questions: which further and future changes in the planet ecosystem will cause the breeding of billions and billions of these beings and how should we feed them to achieve their precious dietary intake?

 

Production of artificial meat is still too expensive to be widely produced. The meat is created in a laboratory from the duplication of  original animal cells (beef, pork, etc.),from which reconstructed tissues are obtained and processed into a sort of hamburger or steak  simply by clicking a digital printer.

 

The gains from this ultra billionaire business is causing to  under-estimate the possible  medical side effects  that a Novel food diet could originate like allergies, or  additional supplements to meal as condiment.

 

Will our intestinal flora have new and obscure issues since our digestive system is not used to digesting insects or a lab made steak?

 

We should reflect and think before being  too enthusiasstic , since it took the Europeans  three centuries of constant crossbreeding to finally digest tomatoes.

Hormones or other growth accelerators must be used to increase production of insects and laboratory made meat.

 

Will these have a high carcinogenic risk factors for the consumer? We should consider it.

 

Do we know any other alternative food, with the same nutritional and dietary value that is already present in our diet and that  we are not considering?

 

Modern society has created hunger, overfeeding and waste, especially in the Western world. Isn’t there any other alternative food that could really help reduce these plagues?

 

This food exists and It belong to the Italian/Mediterranean diet. Known since the late nineteenth century, we eat it often, we use it as a tasty dessert, but we have never considered it like an essential food.

 

This mysterious food is Gelato!

 

Gelato is tasty food diluted in water or milk. It can be also be made from vegetable derivatives taken from the main ingredient, that give us the flavor and from secondary components that provide its structure.

 

It can become a valid alternative to food if it gets processed according to the nutritional criterias requested by the World Health Organization.

 

Gelato has been created by Master Gelato Makers over the decades, and valued just like the Michelin-starred Chef’s dishes.

A variety of flavors have been experimented and created over the years, such as the ones based on cheese, vegetables and even fish or meat.  They have been considered as weird experiments, but if diluted they can become a nourishing tasty food that can satisfies both the body and the soul.

 

The producers of the “Perfecto Gelato” the Gelsana Team have demonstrated that following the nutritional criteria of a healthy diet, you can produce a crafted and very tasty gelato.

 

Perfecto Gelato uses only natural selected and easily traceable ingredients, excluding all processed industrial additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial coloring.

 

“Perfecto Gelato” has a reduced level of fats and added sugars with consequent reduction in calories. It is gluten free (no soy no eggs). The production of “Perfecto Gelato” follows the international health and nutritional regulations and can become a valid alternative to the novel foods.

 

Moreover the Team has created a new Line, Perfecto 0, which is sugar free and is also reccommended for people who follow restrictive diets like   diabetics type 1 and 2, obesity, heart, neurological, and oncology patients.

 

The nutritional values of “Perfecto Gelato” can address the request for foods of the Planet and become an initial and creative solution to the endemic lack of food: we really are at the beginning of a New Food “Era” for all human beings.