Food, Technology, and Identity

Abstract

Technology has become indispensable in all the processes of food and agriculture, whether we like it or not. This has created a tension between what we would like as ‘being natural’ and the reality of technology. Furthermore, food is intimately connected with identity; thus when technology comes in to play its role in changing the sense of identity with regards to food is an interesting phenomenon. I argue that technology does not have to destroy food identity as some scholars have claimed. On the contrary we can use technology even to enhance our identity, but there are many necessary conditions that have to be met before that can become a reality.