Silvia Lazzaris, she works as a scientific journalist and radio producer for Italian and international newspapers. Silvia is responsible for the food content of Will Media and works as an editor for the platform FoodUnfolded, funded by the European Union. His work has been published in Corriere della Sera (Innovation section), BBC World Service, Domani, and Wired UK. On Instagram and Twitter he is @silvialazzaris.
The pandemic has acted as a magnifying glass on the contradictions (and on the responsibilities) of a food production system that is too often unsustainable. Is a greater environmental sensitivity manifesting in global political lines?
"No doubt. The Biden administration is prioritizing the climate crisis and social justice, and as such its policies could significantly change the American food system. The European Union has been working on these issues for some time and has made some timid steps forward - but nothing revolutionary. A real “legislative framework for sustainable food systems” is currently in incubation and will be introduced in 2023. The next two years will be a period of negotiations between European politics and industry. At their end we will find out if politics has decided to accept some turbulence in the short term to safeguard ecosystems and communities in the long term ».
From your point of view as a journalist in the sector, how have food and catering companies (food companies, but also chefs, restaurants etc) changed communication in this period? Are there any initiatives that particularly impressed you or that you wanted to highlight?
“Various companies in the food sector are increasingly explicit about their sustainability strategies, and this has been the case for some years now. In recent years, companies have increasingly concentrated on communicating virtuous initiatives to the consumer. But more communication does not always mean more transparency and concrete actions. I am happy when I find a detailed report and verifiable information.
Among the initiatives that I liked the most during the pandemic are digital maps that show where you can go to buy products directly from manufacturers or small retailers. In England this initiative is called Big Barn, in Italy there are both Zizzu.it, which organizes home deliveries from small local shops, e Live without supermarket.it, which created a map to connect consumers with bulk stores, agricultural and social businesses, shops and neighborhood stores.
These initiatives are necessary because it seems to me that most of the problems in the food system we are witnessing are due to a culture of convenience and comfort, whereby we go to the supermarket spoiled, expecting to find whatever food we want any day of the year. This perception of food availability is unsustainable. We need to find humility in our relationship with food, and there is no better way than to reconnect with those who produce it ».
How did Will's readers react? Have you noticed a greater attention or request for information on certain issues related to the world of food?
«We have started to propose the topic of food on a more regular basis since last summer, and our community has shown a lot of enthusiasm towards these topics. For every piece of content we publish, there are a myriad of requests for further information. There is a lot of attention to sustainability, looking for accurate information, but also a lot of emotional fervor. Opinions split in half on hot and controversial topics. Our task is to try to mend a space between the two poles, to foster dialogue and a healthy confrontation between different positions ».
One of the thorniest issues related to Brexit concerns the management and legislation of food import / export to and from European countries. Living in the UK, have you noticed any relevant or interesting changes in the corporate and journalistic food storytelling triggered as a result of Brexit?
“Several newspapers gave the floor to producers and retailers who were frustrated because they would no longer be able to export or import certain products. Export and import taxes now effectively price off-market products. Then there was the attention to the protests of Scottish fishermen. And then how can we forget the photos of the kilometer queues of trucks stopped in front of the English channel. Perhaps for the first time in a long time they have made the country perceive the insularity of the country as a disadvantage. However, journalistic communication has mostly focused on trying not to create panic and preventing people from accumulating food reserves unnecessarily. After all, "only" just over a quarter of all food consumed in England was produced in Europe. More than half of the food consumed in England is produced locally, small percentages come from other countries around the world. In recent months I have seen a lot of communication that seems to point to a kind of proud food autarchy. But also a lot of self-irony and discouragement towards this new direction. After all, the British have never boasted so much of their own cuisine as of that which they import from abroad and which they have made their own in some way ».
When the pandemic period starts to end, what do you think will be the most revolutionary changes that will remain in communication in the food sector? Will new communication channels be privileged, others who will have had their day?
«I think, or perhaps I hope, that more and more attention will be given to food as a journalistic theme in its own right, to be explored at three hundred and sixty degrees. Perhaps during this pandemic it was realized that communication about food cannot be just gastronomic, cultural, or healthy. It is also environmental, social, political. But even if this pandemic were not enough to sanction this expansion of food journalism, there will be other problems in making communication around food dominant in the media. Water scarcity, natural resource depletion, global warming, sea depletion, just to name a few.
Food journalism follows the trend of the rest of journalism - I don't think there are communication channels that have had their day, as long as the formats and contents are renewed. Then obviously the increasingly predominant use is that of multimedia and digital journalism, and of tools such as podcasts. But I think there is also space for paper magazines made well for a more niche audience ».
To close a look at the future: do you have any projects in the pipeline that you want to anticipate linked to your journalistic collaborations or more generally to your professional life?
«I live more time in Italy which means being able to put more and more projects in the pipeline with Will.
With FoodUnfolded, on the other hand (the platform financed by the European Union of which I am the editor) we are preparing for the United Nations summit on the food system. At the moment I am organizing, on behalf of the United Nations, a dialogue with more than fifty millennials on the growing problem of water scarcity in the Mediterranean area ».
