FOOD FOR THE BRAIN....

– “A closed mouth don’t get fed and a lazy hustler don’t get bread!!!!!!!!!” (e-40)

Interdependence and our food supply, or should I say “food miles”

Interdependence as I am learning can occur anywhere and at any scale. Interdependence is everywhere, as we (as a nation) are utterly useless; we rely on food from all over the globe to get by on a day to day basis. The UK is dependent on the food supply from other countries in order to feed its ever growing population with the little luxuries it requires. Our reliance on food from overseas ranges from the basic’s; it could be one of our 5 a day, or it could be a specialty ingredient in that green Thai curry that’s being cooked for dinner.

     The UK over the last 10 years has seen an 200% increase in the amount of food that is imported to the country (agristats).  The graph below (made using data from agristats) shows the increase in food imports over the last 10 years in the UK.  Where is all this food coming from? Why is the UK importing all of this food?  Why has there been a sudden increase in the last 10 years? How did, as a nation and as a species ever survive without importing food?

Is our demand for a “high class, well cultured” life style to blame for our lack of self sufficiency?

We as a nation are informed by the government to eat at least 5 a day. 5 portions of fruit and vegetables as a minimum/day/person... that is a lot of fruit and veg, (if everyone took this advice on board!) where would we get all the food from?

The national health service advice us to....

For breakfast...

“...chop up pineapple and kiwi for breakfast, add banana chips to your cereal, and slice up an avocado for toast” and for lunch/dinner... “enjoy an avocado and prawn salad, a spicy bean and rice salad, rice cakes with vegetable dippers” I’m no expert on diets, nutrition and food however what I do know and understand is that the UK doesn’t produce half of those foods listed above, therefore they would have to import them.  For this the UK relies on trade links with other countries, and also leaves its self vulnerable to changes in commodity prices. For instance 5 years ago the price of a ton of rice was $290.00, now in 2010 the price of a tonne of rice is $517.00 (indexmundi), the price of rice has nearly doubled in 5 years.   The UK’s reliance and adoration for “exotic” food leaves it exposed and vulnerable to changes and fluctuations in other countries, countries from which it sources its food to feed its nation.  Thus the UK is reliant upon the

·         Weather

·         Climate

·         Environmental

·         Political

·         Economical

...conditions within the country of growth for the food supply of its nation.  If one of these factors is to falter it could affect, the price and quantity of supply of a particular food.  However as this is interdependence, we are not the only population that is affected.  The supplying country is also affected by the same conditions that are bullet pointed above; however, the severity of the condition will increase.

Here are some pictures I have taken on a recent trip to the “super-market”; they are also some examples of our interdependence.

Interdependence in the context of food supply is strongly linked to sustainability. 

One way in which this is measured is by food miles, above is a picture from next generation food in which they show the average food miles for some our dietary “bread & butter”.

So who is to blame for our interdependence on exotic food?... the NHS informing us to consume 5 a day; the brighter and more colourful = the better, the culture of “high class”, or the notion of being “well cultured”?

Sources:

 http://www.ukagriculture.com/statistics/farming_statistics.cfm?strsection=Export / Import

http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/5aday.aspx

http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=rice&months=60

Next generation food.