第213回 Workshop報告(2月8日) /参加者46名

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《 今回のworkshop 》
○ workshop参加人数:46名
○ 前半:Are “Food additives” our friend or foe?
○ 後半:Knowing about Veganism
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≪FIRST HALF≫

<Agenda>Theme: Are “Food additives” our friend or foe?
What do you think against “Food Additives”?

Food additives are widely used in various processed foods such as bread, beverages, gummy candy and hum/sausages. You can see the array of name of additives written on the label of a package. As a reality, these foods cannot be produced without food additives. It goes without saying that they play many different important roles in processed foods and food industry. To give you some examples, preservatives can prevent foods from getting moldy. If ready-made meals (so-called Bento) did not have preservatives, they would become moldy within one day. Another example is gelling agents. The additive can change liquid to jelly and create many different textures. We can enjoy the unique texture thanks to the food additives. What is more, food additives are used for even producing Tofu. Therefore a lot of the most common daily food products could not be consumed conveniently nor timely without food additives.

Most of us take these substances into their body almost every day unconsciously. It also can be said that it is impossible for you to avoid them. As described in the above paragraph, food additives bring foods some benefits. Nevertheless, food additives are apt to be regarded as substances which we should avoid in taking. Sometimes they are addressed as like a poison. The reality is that food additives are substances permitted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The number of food additives which are allowed to be used is more than thousand. On top of that, the amount of usage of each food additive is set under a regulation. Naturally, food processing companies are using food additives within the strict regulations set by the government.
Are Food additives our friend or foe?

I would like you to discuss the food additives and to have exposure to them through the session. Please get rid of your prejudice and bias, and dive into the world of food additives.

【Questions】

Ice breaking; Please feel free to pick some topics up from the following questions; (7-8 minutes)

A) Do you cook by yourself or eat out?

B) How often do you eat out or go to a supermarket to buy foods?

C) Are you picky about foods when you buy something to eat?

D) If you have a favorite processed food, please share product name and reason.

1. What do you think against food additives? (7-8 minutes)

2. Have you ever cared about food additives when you pick some foods out? (10 minutes)
All food ingredients and food additives are written on a label of packaged foods. You can check the all food additives very easily.

3. What are some roles/benefits or risks of food additives? Are these benefits necessary for us? (10 minutes)
Please share some information about food additives as far as you know.

4. Should we accept food additives? or Should companies reduce amount of usage of food additives? Please share with members your opinions along with reasons through this session.
Please share your conclusion/opinions of No.4. in front of E’s members after discussion.

【Reference】
1. 一般社団法人日本食品添加物協会 (Japanese)https://www.jafaa.or.jp/tenkabutsu01/siryou

2. Food Additives: Definition, Examples & Uses (a video in English)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy3-QHhzvPE

【Optional Reference】1. Historical background, Definition, Regulation of Food Additives (Ministry of Health, Labour Welfare.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuten/index_00012.html

2. 安心安全のための生活情報局(Japanese)
https://useful-lifeinfo.com/food-safety-2

3. 全豆連 豆腐の添加物を知る (Japanese)
http://www.zentoren.jp/dish/additive.html

≪LATTER HALF≫

<Agenda>Knowing about Veganism
CHALLENGE: If you can, I suggest that you give a try to go vegan for one day or just one meal before this discussion day.
As we are going to hold Tokyo Olympics this summer, we expect to have a lot more tourists this year. And a few percent of them might be vegans.

Vegan is a type of person who doesn’t consume any animal products. It is more strict than being vegetarians, vegans not only avoid eating meat or fish but also they try not to wear or use any products made of animals. According to some non-Japanese vegans, they have difficulties in Japan. We often use Dashi, a Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp. Most of the labels on food are in Japanese that makes it hard for foreigners to distinguish if it is acceptable or not.
You might wonder why they struggle so hard being a vegan. One of the reasons is for health, as some statistics say plant-based diet decreases the risk of cancer and heart diseases. The other reason is for the environment. (cf. the discussion material about Sustainable Eating in the 212th workshop) Lastly, the main reason is because they feel compassion toward animals. They simply don’t want any sentient being to be unhappy.
NOTE: This discussion material does not aim to deny someone’s way of living. I just want you to face the fact and think about our eating habits again. In fact, the author is not a vegan.

【Questions】
1. If you tried to be a one-day vegan, how did you feel while doing so? How did you feel when you finished it?
2. According to the reference, 200 million of these young birds are ground up alive or tossed into bags to suffocate every year because the male chicks of egg-laying breeder hens are unable to lay eggs and are not bred to produce excessive flesh for the meat industry.What do you feel about it? Do you empathize with those who feel compassion toward animals like vegans?

3. What are the difficulties of becoming a vegan and ways to overcome it? What do you think is the disadvantage of being a vegan?

4. What do you think is the reason to kill animals and the way to justify it? Human murdering is usually prohibited in any country, why is it? What is the difference between killing animals and human beings?

【Reference】(Must)Chickens Used for Food
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/

【Further Reading】(Optional)A. Why I’m An Animal Rights Activist When There Is So Much Human Suffering In The Worldhttps://www.thedodo.com/why-im-an-animal-lover-1236421957.html

B. ‘Ethical down’: is the lining of your winter coat nothing but fluff?https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/14/winter-coat-ethically-produced-down-goose-feathers

C. Vegan Restaurants in Osaka, Japanhttps://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/osaka/?sort=highest-rated

D. Japan: A Survival Guide For Veganshttps://justhungry.com/japan-survival-guide-vegans

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