Superfood Sellout?

Consider your own attitudes to healthy eating in an evening of in-depth discussion on superfoods. After short introductory talks from each of the participants, you’ll have a chance to speak to them directly in small groups before we wrap up with an audience-wide question-and-answer session.

In a world where people think more deeply about the food they put into their mouths and how to live healthily, superfoods are fast becoming another ‘must eat’ cornerstone of the food market. As far as consumers are concerned, superfoods equal health. But if there is no standardised definition of ‘superfood’, who really benefits from describing food in this way?

‘Bad Science’ columnist Ben Goldacre outlines where superfoods may be misleading unwary consumers. Is it all just media hype? What is fuelling the superfood phenomenon, and why?

Will superfoods make us superpeople? Do we buy into the concept because we are inherently lazy and addicted to fast fixes? Dietician Catherine Collins explains the pros and cons of the superfood concept and how superfoods can play a part in our diet.

Jeremy Spencer discusses his research into blueberries and brain function from a scientist’s perspective. How are the antioxidant compounds that reputedly make superfoods super absorbed by the body? How do these scientific findings get translated by the media and what impact might the research findings have on the blueberry market?

Find out how a superfood business runs with Adam Pinkerfield from Of the Earth Ltd. Adam’s personal experience of the benefits of particular foods drove him to set up Of the Earth, which started to stock and sell superfoods three and a half years ago. How does one go about selling superfood, and where is it all going?

Finally, Jill Pitt gives a consumer perspective on the issues. Health claims made by some superfoods may confuse rather than enlighten the consumer. So what counts as a health claim and how do we recognise one? Where does the responsibility lie?

What really counts as a superfood? And what can superfoods do for you? Come to find out and make up your own mind.

Event organised by:
The Science Museum

Speaker

Catherine Collins, registered dietician, St George’s Hospital, London
Ben Goldacre, ‘Bad Science’ columnist, The Guardian
Adam Pinkerfield, Of the Earth Ltd
Jill Pitt, Senior Policy Advocate, National Consumer Council
Jeremy Spencer, School of Food Biosciences, Reading University

Facilitator:
Melanie Ruffell, Independent Consultant (former Executive Director, Joint Health Claims Initiative)