Village Raw - ISSUE 4

VILLAGE RAW
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We can all reduce the amount of edible food we needlessly
throw in the bin (or hopefully food waste caddy or compost
heap) by changing our habits, but what can we do about what’s
happening on the farm? Us urbanites are very disconnected
from where our food comes from, largely because we have come
to rely so heavily on the supermarkets to source and supply us
with the vast majority of our groceries. But there is a co-dependency
there – in fact, they need us more than we need them
– and we can use that to affect positive change.
When enough people stand up and make their voice heard
– whether through petitions, engaging with local politicians,
supporting organisations lobbying the supermarkets, or by
some other means – supermarkets will eventually listen and
take action. We can demand greater action to reduce avoidable
farm-level food waste; we can call for greater transparency
around the quantities and causes of farm-level food waste; and
we can communicate our willingness to purchase fruit and vegetables
that are currently rejected by supermarkets on cosmetic
grounds. The supermarkets have engineered the food system
in the UK for the sole benefit of their bottom line – such is the
nature of any company that wishes to survive and thrive in a
particular market – but it’s also one of their biggest weaknesses,
and it’s one we, their customers, can use to the advantage
of our communities and environment.
You can, of course, cut the middleman out altogether and
support your local farmers’ market, grocers, butchers and bakers,
of which there are plenty to choose from. This is a great
way of taking power away from the supermarkets, and buying
locally brings with it a range of other benefits. And while there
remains a criminal amount of food being wasted on farms, you
can always volunteer as a gleaner – someone who goes onto a
farm post-harvest and gathers food that might otherwise go to
waste, which is then redistributed to charities supporting vulnerable
members of our communities.
I would like to leave you with this thought – our food system
has a direct impact on all the environmental issues of our
time, from climate change to ocean acidification; deforestation
to biodiversity loss; soil degradation to water security. If we’re
wasting a third of the food we produce globally, addressing the
flaws in our system, along with changing our own habits, can
potentially have an incredible impact on helping mitigate the
damage being done as a consequence of those issues.
So, let’s take action! •
You can find out more about the issue of food waste by visiting Chris’s website:
www.foodiswasted.com. To volunteer as a gleaner, visit: www.feedbackglobal.org.
Feedback, the Food Ethics Council (www.foodethicscouncil.org), and many other
great organisations lobby for a more sustainable food system.
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