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Food Engineer Batuhan İnanlar stated that accounts with millions of followers can distort the facts with content that has not been questioned for the sake of more interaction and gain, arguments that do not have fields.
“This situation supports the rapid spread of misinformation with economic benefits and causes damage to ethical values in the sector,” İnanlar said.
Pointing out that we need about 10-12 kg of milk to produce a litre of cheddar cheese, if we add 70 percent cocoa powder to cocoa biscuit instead of percent, İnanlar explained, “We cannot form the structure of the biscuit, the irradiation process applied to spices is to destroy microorganisms, there is no radiation in spices, the saturated fat ratios in 100 grams of bowl margarine and olive oil are the same, the packaging of foods is to make it safer, putting insects in a product does not make it natural, it puts food safety at risk.”
“We can extend the list, support our field with studies and share information in various media. However, accounts with millions of followers can distort the facts with content that is not questioned for the sake of more interaction and profit. This situation supports the rapid spread of misinformation with economic benefits and causes damage to ethical values in the sector. In this context, we are facing new regulations on food safety assessments and transparency in the sector,” İnanlar noted.
Batuhan İnanlar, Food Engineer from the Plant-Based Foods Association, started his article published in the September – October 2024 issue of Gıda Türk Magazine with the above sentences and listed the answers to the question ‘Where can we correct similar misinformation?’.
Inanlar emphasized that institutions such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the European Union and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA play an important role in protecting public health by making scientifically based assessments on food safety.
“These institutions increase the transparency of the food sector by assuring consumers that food products are safe and healthy. In Türkiye, a similar approach to food safety should be adopted and an independent scientific authority should be established. This institution should combat food-related information pollution and provide accurate and reliable information to consumers.”
Highligting that it should not be forgotten that account holders who produce content on food and nutrition on social media have the responsibility to share accurate and reliable information, İnanlar added, “Reliable information should be made available to consumers through certification and auditing systems that will make it compulsory for these accounts to share false and misleading content.”
Establishing the ‘Türkiye Food Literacy Strategy and Action Plan’ will be an important step in this regard…
“We need to make the content on labels understandable for consumers through food literacy as soon as possible. The list of counterfeiting and adulteration should be announced more up-to-date with more stringent inspection results and should be announced to the public correctly. Fast and clear solutions should be produced against misinformation pollution in social media. Food literacy issues should be given more space with trainings for the consumer and the sector. Food is not only feeding the stomach, but also a way of understanding the world. It is the duty of all of us to explain and reach the truth,” İnanlar concluded…
