Agricultural News
"Truth about Wheat" Takes on Consumer Myths, OETA Special Starts Airing Thursday on OETA
Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:16:02 CDT
As consumers have lost their connection to how their food is grown, there are a lot of misconceptions about food. An Oklahoma Public Television special will take on myths about wheat. The "Truth about Wheat" special will air on OETA starting Thursday, September 3rd and the special will air a total of six times this month on OETA-HD and OETA-OKLA. The program is a joint effort of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
Fellow farm broadcaster Ken Root is serving as the moderator, while the panel consists of Dr. Brett Carver, Regents Professor and Wheat Genetics Chair in Agriculture from Oklahoma State University, Dr. Julie Miller Jones, Board Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Nutritionist and current Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of nutrition at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn., and Sara Olsen, a Colorado wheat farmer, mother and Colorado Wheat Administrative Council board member.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with OSU Wheat Breeder Dr. Carver to talk about the top myths associated with wheat. Click or tap on the LISTENBAR below to listen to the full interview.
One of the myth is that today's wheat is toxic. Carver said that's so far from the truth. That's a myth, he has been fighting since 2011.
"One thing that's for certain, that doesn't change and those are the facts," Carver said. "This is not a chronic poison that we are producing. This the same wholesome grain that was being produced 100 years ago and same wholesome grain that we inherited through evolution, domestication of this plant."
Another myth is that today's wheat is addictive. Carver said this argument stems from opponents finding older research on the topic, but those findings will not hold up scientifically.
"They'll use that to frame their argument and the argument is not scientifically-based," Carver said. "It's not fact-based."
Wheat has been a part of the human diet for thousands of years and Carver said the profile of wheat has not changed.
"Let's not mess up a good thing," Carver said. "So much of wheat breeding is more about - let's ramp up production, but let's try to maintain the quality composition of that grain, because it's so good."
The OSU Wheat Improvement Team aims to develop new genetics for the farmer, while delivering a high quality product for the consumer. Carver said it's actually the consumer, who they are breeding wheat for, because if the consumer doesn't want the product, than the farmer will not need to produce it.
"So, really the consumer is right on target for who we want to satisfy," Carver said. "We are going to satisfy that consumer through quality characteristics that have been preserved over time."
One of the other panelists is Dr. Jones, a Board Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Nutritionist and current Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of nutrition at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. Click or tap here to read more or listen to the full interview as she discusses gluten.
The OETA special is scheduled to air on OETA-HD at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 3; 10 p.m. Sept. 7; and 6:30 a.m. Sept. 10. It is also scheduled to air on OETA-OKLA at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 14; 7 a.m., Sept. 22 and 4 p.m. Sept. 22.
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