No Bad Foods, Only Bad Eaters: Popular TV Host and Author

Newswise — "Food is related to just about every single challenge people have living on this planet," is the perspective of Alton Brown, television personality and author of the popular book, I'm Just Here For The Food, who spoke Sunday at the opening of the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®, the world's largest annual scientific forum and exposition on food.

Brown brings the science of food chemistry to a broad audience as host of the Food Network program "Good Eats" and "Iron Chef America," two food shows that Time magazine named as "worth their salt."

Addressing an audience of food scientists and business professionals, Brown didn't mince words.

"The [food science] community is no longer cloistered," he said, "You can no longer hide behind politicians and academic structures. If you are going to do your job you are going to have to learn how to communicate outside your field," said Brown.

Brown cautioned against an over-reliance on facts and information-overload and the use of high-tech props.

"I care about big-picture concepts," he said. While facts may be the "proof or evidence," they "don't point to what we're doing."

And what many Americans are doing today is over-eating.

"There are no bad foods," said Brown, "Only bad eaters. Unhealthy food is the food designed to keep you away from good food."

His example: A bag containing dozens of cookies that keeps you from enjoying two really good ones made with butter.

"Food doesn't get up and jump down our throats," said Brown.

Now in its 66th year, IFT Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO® is the world's single largest annual scientific meeting and technical exposition of its kind, regularly registering up to 20,000 attendees, nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies, and more than 1,000 technical presentations. Rated among the largest shows in America*, the meeting and expo delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders.

* According to Tradeshow Week® magazine.

Founded in 1939, and with world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Institute of Food Technologists is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues. For more on IFT, see http://www.ift.org.