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I'm a researcher in the areas of the sociology of food, science, technology and ecology. My research centres on the development of a framework for understanding the ways in which science and technology shape and transform structural, cultural and ecological relations in the contemporary era, particularly with respect to systems of food production and consumption. My work focuses on a range of contemporary technosciences, including the new biotechnologies, information technologies and nanotechnologies.
My research on the agri-food system includes work on theorising and categorising forms of agricultural production; genetically modified foods; nano-foods; food processing and marketing, such as 'functional foods'; and ways of understanding the relationship between food and health, including the rise of what I call the paradigm or ideology of 'nutritionism'.
I'm currently a Research Associate in the Globalism Institute at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
I'm also an activist on these issues, particularly with Friends of the Earth (Australia) over the past decade, on the GM Food Campaign, the Nanotechnology Project, and as a spokesperson for the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Campaign.
• A major report on nano-foods prepared by Georgia Miller and Rye Senjen for the Friends of the Earth (Australia) Nanotechnology Project, with which I'm involved, was released on March 11 2008. The report, Out of the Laboratory and into the Food Chain: Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture, was also released simultaneously by Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth USA. The launch of the report received good media coverage in Australia, including in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian and ABC Science Online.
• I was interviewed on the BBC Radio 'Food Programme' on February 3 2008, for an episode focusing on Michael Pollan and nutritionism. Pollan's new book, In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating draws quite heavily on my concept of the ideology of nutritionism and my critique of nutrition science, and has been at or near the top of the US non-fiction best-sellers list since its release in January 2008.
new •"Functional Foods or Functionally Marketed Foods?: A Critique of, and Alternatives to, the Category of Functional Foods", Public Health Nutrition, Vol.11 (5), May, 2008. (Published version now available)
[A critique of definitions of "functional foods", and alternative categories proposed, such as "functionally-marketed foods".]
new •"On the Ideology of Nutritionism", Gastronomica, Vol.8, No.1, February, 2008, pp.39-48. (Published version)
[The ideology of nutritionism defined, and a number of other new concepts and categories introduced.]
new •"The Emerging Nano-Corporate Paradigm: Nanotechnology and the Transformation of Nature, Food and Agri-Food Systems", with Kristen Lyons, International Journal for the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, Vol.15, No.2, 2007, pp.22-44.
[On the introduction of nano-foods across the food system, and the technical, ecological and socio-economic characteristics of what we call the nano-corporate paradigm.]
• "From Techno-Corporate Food to Alternative Agri-Food Movements", Local Global, Vol.4, 2007, pp.112-140.
[An overview of the dominant global food system — including the agricultural, processing and retailing sectors — and of alternative systems of food production and distribution.]
• "The future of food: where a hamburger is not what it seems", The Age, Op-Ed, September 19, 2007.
[On functional foods, functional hamburgers, funky pizza, and health claims.]
• "Food production must not be controlled by a few corporations", The Age, Op-Ed, August 17, 2007.
[On the lifting of the bans on genetically-modified canola crops in Australia.]
• "The artificial taming of the fat scare", The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, May 11, 2007.
[On trans-fatty acids, and how the "good and bad fats" discourse has played into the hands of the food industry.]
new •"Functional Foods or Functionally Marketed Foods?: A Critique of, and Alternatives to, the Category of Functional Foods", Public Health Nutrition, Vol.11 (5), 2008. (Published version now available)
[A critique of definitions of "functional foods", and alternative categories proposed, such as "functionally-marketed foods".]
new •"On the Ideology of Nutritionism", Gastronomica, Vol.8, No.1, February, 2008, pp.39-48.(Published version)
[The ideology of nutritionism defined, and a number of related concepts and categories introduced.]
new •"The Emerging Nano-Corporate Paradigm: Nanotechnology and the Transformation of Nature, Food and Agri-Food Systems", with Kristen Lyons, International Journal for the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, Vol.15, No.2, 2007, pp.22-44.
[On the introduction of nano-foods across the food system, including the functional food applications of nano-processing techniques.]
• "From Techno-Corporate Food to Alternative Agri-Food Movements", Local Global, Vol.4, 2007, pp.112-140.
[An overview of the dominant global food system — including the agricultural, processing and retailing sectors — and of alternative systems of food production and distribution.]
• "The future of food: where a hamburger is not what it seems", The Age, Op-Ed, September 19, 2007.
[On functional foods, functional hamburgers, funky pizza, and health claims.]
• "The artificial taming of the fat scare", The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, May 11 17, 2007.
[On trans-fatty acids, and how the "good and bad fats" discourse has played into the hands of the food industry.]
• "High in protein, low in fat and too good to be true", The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, April 7, 2006.
[On the ideology of nutritionism.]
• "Reducing and Integrating", Letter to the Editor, Public Health Nutrition, Vol.9, No.1, 2006, pp.95-96.
[On nutritionism and the New Nutrition Science project.]
• "Labels: An unhealthy trend", The Age, Op-Ed, December 30, 2005.
[On the introduction of health claims on food labels in Australia. Also published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, December 30, 2005.]
• "Engineering the Food Chain", Arena Magazine, 77, June-July, 2005, pp.37-39.
[On nutritionism and genetically modified foods with modified nutrient profiles.]
• "A Diet Thin on Science", with Rosemary Stanton, The Age, Op-Ed, August 29, 2005.
[On the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet and nutritional reductionism. Also published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, August 29, 2005; & in Australasian Science, October, 2005, pp.37-38.]
• "Sorry Marge", Meanjin, Vol.61, No.4, 2002, pp.108-116.
[On the ideology of nutritionism.]
• "Time to End Industrial Cuisine", The Age, Op-Ed, December 27, 1997.
[On nutritional reductionism.]
• "Industrial Cuisine and the Scientific Management of Nutrition, Green Left Weekly, August 25, 1993, p.12-13.
[On nutritional reductionism.]
new •"The Emerging Nano-Corporate Paradigm: Nanotechnology and the Transformation of Nature, Food and Agri-Food Systems", with Kristen Lyons, International Journal for the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, Vol.15, No.2, 2007, pp.22-44.
[On the introduction of nano-foods across the food system, and the technical, ecological and socio-economic characteristics of what we call the nano-corporate paradigm.]
• "From Techno-Corporate Food to Alternative Agri-Food Movements", Local Global, Vol.4, 2007, pp.112-140.
[An overview of the global food system.]
• "Food production must not be controlled by a few corporations", The Age, Op-Ed, August 17, 2007.
[On genetically-modified canola crops.]
• "Engineering the Food Chain", Arena Magazine, 77, June-July, 2005, pp.37-39.
[On nutritionally-engineered, genetically-modified foods.]
• "The Precise Problem with GM Foods", The Age, Op-Ed, April 14, 2000.
[On GM foods.]
• "Colonizing the Seed", Arena Magazine, No. 36, Aug-Sept, 1998, pp. 41-44.
[On genetically modified foods. Also published in Biodiversity, Vol.2, No.2, May, 2001, pp.35-38.]
•Colonizing the Seed: Genetic Engineering and Techno-Industrial Agriculture, Friends of the Earth, Melbourne, 1995, pp.48.
[On genetically modified foods and industrial agriculture.]
• "GM foods will not help feed the world", The Age, Op-Ed, July 8, 2003.
[On GM foods. Also published in: The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, July 10, 2003; Debating the Issues, ed. Justin Healey, Spinney Press, 2005, pp.85-86; Genetic Modification, ed. Justin Healey, Issues in Society, Spinney Press, Volume 203, 2004, pp39-40.]
• "Integrating the Industrial Food System", Chain Reaction, No. 85, 2001.
[On GM foods.]
• "Uniting to Oppose Genetically Modified Food", Chain Reaction, Spring, 1999, pp.34-35.
[On GM foods.]
• "Sowing the Seeds of Disaster", The Age, Op-Ed, 31/12/97.
[On GM foods. Also published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, 1/1/98; New Vegetarian and Natural Health Magazine, Autumn, 1998, pp. 32-33.]
• "Sowing the Demon Seeds", The Age, Op-Ed, 7/6/99.
[On GM foods]
• "Consumers Need to Know What They Are Eating", The Age, Op-Ed, 4/5/98.
[On GM foods. Also published in Australasian Science, July, 1998, pp.15.]
• "Sowing the Seeds of Discontent", The Age, Op-Ed, July 25, 1996.
[On GM foods.]
new •"The Emerging Nano-Corporate Paradigm: Nanotechnology and the Transformation of Nature, Food and Agri-Food Systems", with Kristen Lyons, International Journal for the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, Vol.15, No.2, 2007, pp.22-44.
[On the introduction of nano-foods across the food system, and the technical, ecological and socio-economic characteristics of what we call the nano-corporate paradigm.]
• "When Small Isn"t Beautiful", Arena Magazine, No.83, June-July, 2006.
[On nanotechnology.]
• "Nanotechnology and the Environment: The Nano-Atomic Reconstruction of Nature", Chain Reaction, No. 97, 2006, pp. 23- 26.
[On environmental implications of nanotechnology.]
• "Mega fear over something nano", The Age, Op-Ed, December 29, 2004.
[On nanotechnology. Also published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Op-Ed, January 5, 2005.
• "A One-Sided World", The Age, Saturday Extra, 9/1/99.
[On the disappearance of the other side.]
• "Unravelling the Mystery of Human Nature", The Age, October 10, 1997.
[On animal cloning and cultural cloning. Also published in Cloning, ed. Justin Healey, Issues in Society, Volume 108, Sydney, Spinney Press, 1999, p.36.]
• "Road to Nowhere", The Age, Op-Ed, January 27, 1997.
[On road rage. Also published in The Sydney Morning Herald, January 30, 1997; and in Kaye Healey, ed., The Transport System, Issues for the Nineties, Volume 81, Sydney: Spinney Press, 1997.]
• "Global View of an Eco-Crisis", The Age, Op-Ed, June 5, 1997.
• "Sustaining Credibility: From Oppositional to Constructive Politics", with Cam Walker and John Hepburn, Chain Reaction, Summer, 1999/2000, p.12-14.
[On environmental politics.]
• "Technology Will Set More Wheels in Motion", The Age, Op-Ed, April 16, 1997.
[on information technologies and distance]
• "Cloning Puts Nature into the Factories", The Age, Op-Ed, March 6, 1997.
[on animal cloning]
Dr Gyorgy Scrinis
Research Associate, Globalism Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
Website: www.rmit.edu.au/globalism
Email: gyorgy.scrinis@rmit.edu.au
Telephone: (mobile) 0431 986 965
Website: www.gyorgyscrinis.com
RMIT University Globalism Institute: www.rmit.edu.au/globalism
Friends of the Earth (Australia): www.foe.org.au/
Friends of the Earth (Australia) Nanotechnology Project: nano.foe.org.au/