On Our Foods

I got something  to share about. When i was scrolling along on instagram feed during my lunch break, i stopped by one posting posted by @jamieoliver, our one of favorite celebrity chefs.

As we could comprehend, Jamie and other concerned Australian peps have been disturbed with the "school canteen approved" label as this product seems erred to put attention to its nutricial guideline. Based on Sarah Wilson's blog, i found that several processed food companies (case in Australia) are allowed to design their own logo such as "canteen approved" and stick them to their products yet there is still no indepedent authority has approved those such lables. So thought i could assume, there is actually no particular checklist for  whosoever to get the canteen approval. 

Further googling research showed me several reason why food concerned people seem to pissed off about this case. First, those such products often manipulating the nutricial guidelines so kids could have their own warranty to keep consuming their favorite products without revealing the nutricial facts and for the worst part, parents tend to be okay with that because actually parents get the mixed message on those products due to the 'actual unproved' proved label. 

Second, those such products are evidently contain a high level of sugar or salt or fat or preservative or other artificial materials even if the products also along with fat free, sugar free and other biased labels. These thing recalled me to (i assumed it) the good book written by Michael Moss, the pulitzer price winner (which i have never read yet, it is always on my wish list lol). On book titled "Salt Sugar Fat : How the Food Giants Hooked us", Moss ever said to the interviewer,

"Salt, sugar, fat are the holy grail for the processed food industry. They know when they hit the right formulas, they'll just send us over the moon for their products. They're not just getting us to like their product, they're also getting us to eat more and more" 

 he also added,

"Take salt. I thought it was just a rock taken out of the ground and ground up. There are more than 40 types of salt available to the processed food industry, everything from powder that goes into salty canned soups to chunks that hit your tongue instantly and create what the industry calls flavor bursts to go to your brain until you eat more."

which we could assume that there is a big black hole which we as consumer never realize about how our daily products are made, we just out of the ball. The other point why food concerned people are aware is simply because they care. Care about the children, the education, the nutrition and simply the future. 

So how was my reaction first i saw jamie's feed ? -- I was like "o my why choco pops!" 

At first, as Indonesian, i had a tendency to choose the imported products (especially when it comes from big industrialized country such as Oz) because we seem to give our trust to it as we also assume that imported products come from a such reliable hands and high reputation company. This particular trust to imported products is developed by our disappointment to local Indonesian products which (several) still upset the consumer with their unhealthy low standard process, high level of presevative and other deceptive product activities. Moreover, we unconciously have a perspective about the high price of imported products which we believe, the more expensive is the more healthy products. 

So what's on your mind if at sudden you just found out those 'imported high price' products also cannot give you something you had expected ?

This case just woke up my senses to life about our real condition as Indonesian. We still have a little attention to how industry products, in particular processed foods, have given a such impact to our future security. Maybe mostly we, as Indonesian, have never ever heard the words of 'canteen approved' here in our public schools. It is a common thing here that some parents give their kids a daily small allowance (besides lunchbox) before go to school hence, our kids at school still have a touch to street snacks outside school canteen, which mostly contain unreliable ingredients. Moreover, most schools have not implemented the restriction to street snacks access. We do have an option to school canteen to limit the access to street snacks, but it does not mean our school canteen also offer healthy foods, for instance, some canteens prefer to supply instant meals (which contains a high preservative) as their menu and so far, i never heard about the particular school effort to improve the quality of their food canteen beside providing the pupils with a proper canteen facilities such as increasing the hygiene standard (but not its meals). 

Our people still react compulsively to their foods. I bet Mrs Wilson or Jamie will shock seeing what happen here in Indonesia. I often find some parents give their kid a candy or other snacks with no worries, just to make the kid could behave or low their temper tantrums especially in public area or public transportation. There is nothing wrong with giving a snacks to our children as occasional treats, but we as parent still have to ensure treats as occasional, not a daily things. I still remember when i was kid, my parents let me to eat Mcdonald's just when i reached some points like having a best grade in class. People nowadays seem not again follow that rules of giving a reward, Mcdonald's and other fast food restaurants not again become a fancy place, they now reborn as a common place where kids could find the wi-fi connection while waiting their next courses or while they are doing the homework. How about what meals they consume outside the house ? You could imagine.

It is quite sad (at least for me) on how Indonesian have just a little attention to what they had consumed. Our position still so far from where our Australian peps stand now. Our problems on food are not just about its quality but also about the weak regulation which manage the food industries and most important is, we still have a poor policy to protecting consumer rights. Furthermore, we still not common to eco friendly or other proper food labels, we often forget a nutricial facts parts and we do not realize on how much our foods' level of sugar, salt and other articifial ingredients could make an effect. We have a lack of effort to prevent such an impact and let the number of diarrhea and other poisoning cases keep increasing on this nation. 

Choosing the right foods is not that simple, it takes efforts. Fortunately, i experienced a witness on how our local producer keep on increasing their quality standard. I also know that several Indonesian products still rely on ensuring their consumer consume a best product, which is a huge valuable thing for several person who concerned. We just have to keep this good vibrancy can spread along to every aspects. We can take a leap on becoming a smart consumer who understand better from where, what and how our foods come. Because what food we choose is our own responsibility. I really believe that smart consume behavior is one of the keys to Indonesian could evolve to sustainable living and ensure our food security. The crutial thing is, we have to more care about the future especially for the kids.