Public dialogue in Weimar: "Healthy food and education absolutely belong together!"

"Due to their composition and flavouring, highly processed foods from the food industry unfortunately mean that we eat more than we need to", explained Prof. Stefan Lorkoswki from the University of Jena and Chairman of the German Nutrition Society. But there was also good news from the discounters: "The demand for meat substitute products is increasing by double digits," reported supermarket manager Lucas Günther Weimar. "We've become too comfortable when it comes to food. Everything has to be quick," said organic farmer Johannes Gramm and star chef Maria Groß (restaurent "Die Bachstelze" in Erfurt) agreed with him: "There are enough regional vegetables, but you also have to know how to cook them: chard, parsnips, turnips and cabbage, for example! Vegetarian nutrition is not a trend, it has always been the standard, prosperity has simply replaced it." The President of the Thuringian Farmers' Association, Dr Klaus Wagner, had some interesting things to say about our lifestyle: “All potatoes have to be the same size, says the industry, otherwise they won't fit through the chip machine.” But all other potatoes are really tasting the same, but will be often food loss.

In his keynote speech Frank Horlbeck had also previously pointed out that regional vegetables and fruit varieties contain more vitamins and fewer pesticides: "In the past, everyone thought the pesticides would just stay in the field...", he said with black humor. The fact that organic products such as milk or butter are often cheaper than widely advertised conventional branded products was also proven with figures in the keynote speech. Prof Lorkowski: "Milk from organic production naturally has a better nutritional quality."

The Weimar Nutrition Dialogue is a joint event of the Community College (vhs) Weimar and EIT Food in Germany. It is integrated into numerous events on nutrition in Weimar.