1 April 2024

1 April 2024

 

We began to brief about different fields of national security here since January 2023.  We must not pretend that we are experts, for we are not.  The purpose of a passage a month is to arouse readers’ attention in the importance of national security through common ideas, world affairs, and everyday news, rather than lecturing away the details, with an aim that anyone on campus will understand the passages and be on the alert when similar topics are seen. So far, the following have been introduced: homeland security, military security, economic security, cultural security, public security, cyber security, resource security, nuclear security, overseas interests security, biosecurity, outer space security, deep sea security, and artificial intelligence security. In this issue, we will look at food security.

 

I have always been puzzled at the food packaging, the detailed descriptions of the contents and their nutrition values on the package baffled me. I probably understand one-third of what is printed; what stops me from buying and consuming is probably the price, rather than the descriptions. That has become my habit: reading and ignoring.  I should reform. We try to scrutinize, without really knowing what we are stamping out. Many of us also ponder before entering a restaurant. If there are too many people queuing to enter, we hate to wait; but if there is no queue and just a few patrons, we might think the quality of the food is questionable.  A similar mentality also comes to play when we shop in the wet market. If the fruits are too beautiful and cheap, we worry; if the fruits look damaged, we worry. We cannot make up our mind, and we are so hard to please.  It seems that we are more at ease if the prices of the food items are slightly above average, and not in a completely perfect condition. In addition, where the food items come from is a concern for a few weeks only, but not a long-term for regular shoppers who have little means.  What is worst, we cannot tell the small punctures on packaging surfaces, to tell if the items were being tampered with, which poses further safety and security concerns.

 

However, we seldom worry about these things when we are having a buffet dinner with friends. The all-you-can-eat environment makes you trust that everything you see and eat are safe and healthy, or we can suffer and go to hospital “together”. Accidents cause safety concerns; ill-intentions cause security concerns. We understand that food consumption could be a long-term damage to the body, we want to be careful, but we don’t know how careful is careful, and how much or how little is good enough. We depend much on the authorities concerned to provide proper and easily-comprehensible information, and to stop undesirable items from circulating in the market.  We also depend on the authorities to educate the public not to hoard certain food items when facing rumours.

 

So, what is proper and enough? I believe taking in less and buying less, rather than more, should be the way to go. When the authorities provide us with proper information, we study; then we consume moderately to lead a healthier life, both physically and spiritually.

 

 

Anson Yang