Food is essential

Food is essential, but it is also threatening, so as to feed fears, hoaxes and myths. "The various forms of communication do not exist only to tell the truth. Communication is ambiguous, full of possible misunderstandings and possible lies, often involuntary.

The journalist's job is to try to deny the buffaloes, but also to help people understand why energy is deposited in as many food fears ". Peppino Ortoleva, president of the degree course in Communication Sciences of the University of Turin, to explain "Food fears and contemporary myths" al Festival of Food Journalism.

In dialogue with Carlo De Blasio, editor-in-chief of RAI Piedmont, Ortoleva explained that "myths are present in all cultures. While those of the past were mainly sacred, today's myths are mainly concerned with food fears". Among the most widespread myths in every age and place, the possibility that food contains something poisonous and can harm not only individual but entire communities. "Then there is the fear of unnatural food - added Ortoleva - like the one containing GMOs. The widespread idea that food is bad is becoming one of the great themes of contemporary culture ".

Not surprisingly, on the shelves of supermarkets are multiplying products "without palm oil", "gluten-free", "without caffeine". "The deprived food - added Ortoleva - was born in the years' 50 with decaffeinated coffee, it is in recent years that it has had a great diffusion. This is a giant marketing discovery, they sell products thanks to what they do not contain. It is a refined marketing from the point of view of cunning, expensive products are sold, for a medium-high market range ".

So what can be done to counter false myths and hoaxes? "I find that the idea of ​​simply contrasting the idea of ​​the true with the false - Ortoleva explained - is nice, but not decisive. With myths we must talk, not pretend to deny them, but try to understand them together with the people who believe ".