Nanotechnology - the future of food?

There is a whole lot of future possibilities for nanotechnology in the food sector. The following examples are just a few of many, many ideas which are currently under research:

Nanotechnology in food directly:

- Nanocarrier systems could improve the delivery of nutrients and food supplements

- Nanotechnology could help produce healthier foods (e.g. lower fat, lower salt) by nano encapsulation - without losing taste or texture.

- There could be ingredients with improved properties.

- Smart-aids for processing foods to remove allergens such as peanut protein

- Nanocapsules containing nutrients which they would release when they detect a deficiency in the body.

Here are some ideas what nanotechnology could do for food packaging:

- Smart packages could tell the consumer about the freshness of food.

The food company Kraft together with scientist of the Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut have developed an “electronic tongue”. This is a technology, where nanosensors can detect spoilt food and by releasing of gases change the colour of the packaging. This again will alert the consumer and tell him that the food has begun to spoil.

- Nanoparticles could increase the barrier to oxygen and slow down the degradation of food while it is being stored.

Interactive food:

Nanomaterials are being developed to improve the taste, colour, and texture of foods and would allow you to choose which flavour and colour a food has.

Nanoparticles in our body - is it safe?

The major concearn of those who are against nanofood has to do with what happens to nanoparticles once we ingested them. Research shows, that nanoparticles do not only have different proberties, they also have the ability to access cells via different pathways and may be able to wander around in our body. Jonathan J. Powell, Head of the Biomineral Research Group at the University of Cambridge, has done some research on this topic. He came to the conclusion that we, inhabitants of a western country, have been exposed to nanoparticles throughout evolution. Therefor we have generated strategies to utilize nanoparticles for dietary and physiological benefit. There even are special cells outside our gastrointestinal tract whos job it is to absorb wandering nanoparticles for safe storage. While this might sound as if Powell was giving his approval for nanoparticles in food and food contact material, he stresses the point that he is not. He says that "nanoparticulate structures are neither inherently toxic nor inherently safe: like all molecules these decisions will rest upon molecular structure, biological environment, degree of exposure and host susceptibility."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896841109001462http://monito91.blogspot.co.at/

Nanotechnology - A Lifesaver

Too many people in this world do not have access to clean drinking water. Here is Engineer Michael Pritchards TED talk about how nanotechnology can solve this problem. He invented the Lifesaver bottle - wich, with the help of a portable nanofilter can make the most filthy water drinkable within seconds.

Nanofood, Law and Regulations

The vast majority of laws implemented on food in the European Union comes directly from the EU themselves. The General Food Law Regulation is the base for Food Laws all over Europe and ensures that everywhere in the EU the same standards are followed. Specific food laws concern novel foods, food enhancers, food supplements, materials in contact with food and labelling. Mostly there are no extra laws for nanofood, since they already have to follow the strict rules set up for all foods and food related products. 

This is with one exception. The law of food additives is the only piece of food law that refers specifically to “nanotechnology”. Usually a food additive is not allowed to be used, unless its safety has been tested and it has been authorised. Once that is done, they are being put on the approved list and can within certain conditions be used within the EU. Concerning nanomaterials this law says that authorisation has to be obtained for nano versions of food additives,irrespective of what’s on the approved list.

There is, however, a special legislation on novel foods, which makes it obligatory for producers to label products containing engineered nanomaterials. In the list of ingredients, those substances must be followed by the word “nano” in brackets. Very recently, in March 2014, the European Parliament objected to a change of the definition of nanomaterials. The change, which would have exempted foods containing additives which might be nanomaterials that are already on the market from being labelled, has been proposed by the European Comission.

The reason, the European Parliament presented for the decision to shut this change down, was for consumer protection. The Parliament sees the different properties nanoscale materials have in comparison to their bulk form as a source of great uncertainty about these compounds’s health and environmental impacts. Because of these uncertainties the Members of Parliament see labelling as a way of giving the consumer a choice until more research is done.  

At the moment all producers have to follow special guidelines for testing engineered nanomaterials before adding them to food products. These guidelines have been published by the EU in 2011 and basically state what kind of approval those materials need to have, what criteria they have to fit and what tests have to be completed before they can be used. Still with all those laws, rules and regulations the European Government still sees this new technology critically. 

http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/foodlaw/index_en.htm

http://corporateeurope.org/agribusiness/2014/03/food-lobby-fights-labelling-nano-ingredients

http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/regulation/foodlaw/#.U4we_Pl_trM

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/edinterviews/docs/corporatenanotechnology121003.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/nanotechnology/pdf/nano_com_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/health/nanotechnology/policy/index_en.htm

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/nanotechnology.htm

http://www.nanoandme.org/regulation/nano-food-and-safety/which-laws/

http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our_activities/nanotechnology/Nano_Food

http://www.nanoandme.org/regulation/nano-food-and-safety/which-laws/

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/nanotechnology.htm

Instructions how to kill Hitler

This set of instructions will tell you  how to kill Hitler in a few simple steps.

Before you start, make sure you have got all the materials needed:

- everything you need for building a time machine which is able bring you back again.

- a still operating gun, that has been commonly used during World War One

- a still operating gun, that has been commonly used in 1933

- a still operating bomb, that has been commonly used in 1933

If you got all your materials assembled, then move on to step one.

1. Use the material for building a time machine and build a time machine. Be careful that it is a time machine that will be able to bring you back.

2. Choose a time in which you want to kill Hitler. This set of instructions is valid for 1915 or 1933.

3. If you decide to kill Hitler in 1915, then move on to step four.
   If you decide to kill Hitler in 1933, then move on to step six.

4. You have decided to kill Hitler in 1915.
   Take the gun from 1915 and use the time machine to travel to 1915.

5. Now go to the battlefield where Hitler is currently fighting the French, take your gun from 1915 and shoot Hitler.

6. You have decided to kill Hitler in 1933. Pack the gun and bomb from 1933 and use the time machine to travel to 1933.

7. Once again you have two options: you can either develop your own plan, or help someone who is already working on a plan how to kill Hitler.
   If you decide to develop your own plan, move on to step eight.
   If you decide to help someone who is already working on a plan how to kill Hitler, move on to step 12.

8. You decided to develop your own plan, how to kill Hitler. Now, figure out a way how to get close to Hitler.

9. Once you are close enough to Hitler, decide on how to kill him. You can either use the gun from 1933, or the bomb from 1933.
   If you decide to kill Hitler with the gun, move on to step ten.
   If you decide to kill Hitler with the bomb, move on to step 11.

10. You decided to kill Hitler with the gun. Now, take the gun from 1933 and shoot Hitler.

11. You decided to kill Hitler with the bomb. Plant the bomb from 1933 and blow Hitler up.

12. You decided to help someone who is already working on a plan, how to kill Hitler. Find Karl Lutter and his friends from the KDP and help them prepare Hitler’s assassination. Steps a. and b. will tell you how to do that.

1. Join Lutter and his KDP friends.
2. Stop the people who want to betray Lutter from doing that.

13. Together with Lutter and his KDP friends kill Hitler in Königsberg.

Congratulations! If you carefully followed these Instructions, you have just succeeded in killing Hitler. Now here is a little tip: HURRY BACK HOME BEFORE ANYBODY NOTICES WHAT YOU JUST DID!!!!!!

These instructions are based on this document: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1mUz3PXJoI4n6poNeGAjNHj18yRbvX0g0OuNN28hyw5I/edit

Say no to ADA's!!!

PSA against after-death avatars – TV commercial:

1^st scene: Funeral of a young girl. Everybody offers their condolences to the family.

The camera zooms in on her best friend standing on the side, separated from all the other people. She obviously is very sad and pale, no tears. She looks straight to the grave and talks to nobody.

2^nd scene: We see the same girl in her room looking through the facebook page of her dead best friend. Suddenly she notices an eterni.me add on the side. She clicks on the link.

3^rd scene: We can see the girl, now happy again, and the after-death avatar of her best friend walking in a park. The other people in the park, some of them are familiar from the funeral, look at her like she needs to be in the closed psychiatric wing. The camera zooms out and we see other couples like her and her best friend.

4^th scene: It is night, all the post-death avatars from before and some others have now changed into zombie like creatures. They obviously just slaughtered a whole city and are on the move to the next one.

5^th scene: Black. In a white fond it says across the screen: “Stop the apocalypse! Say no to ADA’s!!!”

Writing an Academic Paper...

Writing an academic paper, I noticed that 1000 words are far less than they sound.

Writing an academic paper, I realized how difficult it is to focus on one topic and not get to far from it while writing.

Writing an academic paper, I found out how crucial it is to always write down where you've read what.

Writing an academic paper, I discovered the world wide web to be my enemy, with all it's unreliable sources which would contain sooooo much unreliable information.

This is just a short list of problems I so far had to face so far. However, most difficult for me has been to figure out what exactly my topic is about, and how to structure the paper, so I would not be tempted to run riot. My biggest problem is not that I am not interested in my topic, but the exact opposite: I am way too interested. Reading more and more about it just makes me want to extend my paper endlessly. It is really hard for me to figure out what information to I have to include in my academic paper and what is dispensable. Yet, I have not found the perfect way to get rid of this obstacle. What I did do, is writing a concept like we have to do for our first Proseminar Paper. I already have the headings for all the parts in my paper and i have assigned my sources to these headings. Now I am carefully reading through the sources and writing down important information with all the details about where I found them. The next step, and hopefully the easiest one, will be to sum all this information into nice paragraphs. The last step will be to put all the nice paragraphs together in order to have them form a well structured and perfectly written academic paper.

African Migrants Taking Action

by Dunja Deveci, Mariña Fernández, Borja Escuer, Julia Seemann

Life for African migrants within the EU can be challenging.The great majority came to the EU expecting a better life not being aware of all the difficulties they have to overcome first. Now many of them are taking action in order to improve their situation, whether it being bad housing conditions in Paris or Italy or getting a working permit in London or France.

In London African immigrants found a way to work without having any proper papers. They simply become somebody else by “cloning”. Cloning describes the act of borrowing the documents of someone who is legally allowed to work and live in the United Kingdom and then basically becoming that person. Crucial is that the two people resemble each other. Later they would use the borrowed documents when applying for a job and that get a new identity. Although this has often worked in the past nowadays cloning has become nearly impossible because prosecution has tightened. Many undocumented migrants have now united to fight for their right to legally earn their living and getting a working permit.

Meanwhile in Paris undocumented migrants also joint forces and are now raising their voices to fight for their rights. Together they start petitions and organize demonstrations where they claim papers for themselves. The reason for that are the policy changes which made it almost impossible for undocumented people to find work or a home. Many had a job but lost it because of high charges for those who employ them. Also, the need for uneducated workers went down after the economic crisis. Without papers those people can not find a job or get help because officially they do not exist. Many undocumented migrants came from former french colonies in Africa. They have a strong feeling that France is partially responsible for what is happening in their countries and caused them to flee. Now they demand France to step up and take responsibility by giving them papers so they can work and built a life in their new home country.

Another issue that needs to be addressed concerning migrants in Paris are the poor housing conditions. About 90 percent of the unsafe houses in Paris are being lived in by immigrants. That is because housing in Paris is very expensive. For a nine square meter apartment you would have to pay approximately 200 Euros which is a lot, especially if you are a migrant without a steady job. The organization Malaika tries to improve this situation. They do this by installing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in the houses. Furthermore they train people for emergencies. That way they improve the living standards and prevent deathly accidents.

Also in Italy African migrants fight in order to improve their housing conditions. Recently the populist party in Italy introduced a new law that prevents illegal immigrants to get a permanent residence. Without a permanent residence those migrants have no chance of getting employed.  An example is the Senegalese Prealpino community. In this community Senegalese migrants lived and even worked in a building they did not rent legally. After the new law was introduced they were evicted and the building was demolished. They decided to fight and occupied a building crane for 16 days. Eventually the government caved in and annulled the law.   

These examples give us an impression of the difficulties illegal migrants have to face in Europe. The European Union does not help them by closing its eyes and pretending they do not exist. Apparently many changes need to be done in order to find a permanent solution for this highly important issue.

[600 words]

Paper Ideas for SUK3

Welcome back to the new semester to everyone!

It has already been a week for everybody now since our third semester has started. I am already very much looking forward towards all the interesting things we are going to learn this semester. As the paper on the EU everyone of us has to write is going to be a huge deal to each and everyone of us here are my suggestions for topics:

Education in the EU - How does the EU handle the differences?

Since the Programme for International Student Assessment is again in every Newspaper, why not try finding out what the difference between the Finnish education system and that of other EU members is? It would be very interesting for me to find out what the EU has to say to that topic.Since in someway we are still part of the educational system and some day our children will be again I find this topic very fascinating. (Maybe it is also because I am going to visit Finnland very soon)

The Nobel Peace Price for the EU

On Friday it is again time for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to announce who the new Nobel Peace Prize goes to this year. In 2012 they decided the European Union to be warded. The official reason stated on the Nobel Peace Prize website is: "The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." I would very much look deeper in to the matter what the EU has actually done to earn this. For example, that in 1980 they introduced democracy as a condition for EU-membership.

The role of the EU in european sustainable farming

I am sure we have all heard about the ridiculous cucumber law. But what exactly is the European Union doing in order to help our farmer grow sustainable food for all of us? How are European agricultural laws helping or how are they keeping us from increasing the quality in food? Being very much aware of the food production situation in Europe I find this topic fascinating.

The role of the EU in the fall of the Berlin Wall

I have never ever before thought about this: But when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 the EU had already existed and the BRD was one of the founding Members. So it would be really interesting for me what part the EU played in this historic event. Did they do anything at all to help Germany unifying the country? What happened after the Wall fell and suddenly there were a vie thousand EU citizens more?

Health insurance in the EU - What happens when you cross the border?

This topic has to be of special interest to all of us. Because sooner or later we have to cross the borders and what happens than? In Austria we all live in this super safe Bubble where you can always go to your doctor and hardly ever have to pay for it. But what rules are there in other countries? And more important what law applies when you need medical advice somewhere else in the EU?

So many interesting topics, so many questions to answer...
I am really looking forward to reading our papers!