photo by John Hunter of wine-berries from his Garden.Food needs ‘fundamental rethink’
The new approach needed to address key fundamentals like biodiversity, energy, water and urbanisation, he added.
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Water scarcity: “One of the key things that I have been pushing is to get the UK government to start auditing food by water,” Professor Lang said, adding that 50% of the UK’s vegetables are imported, many from water-stressed nations.
Biodiversity: “Biodiversity must not just be protected, it must be replaced and enhanced; but that is going to require a very different way growing food and using the land.”
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“In Europe, 30% of the food grown did not appear on the shelves of the retailers because it was a funny shape or odd colour.
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“The way that seeds are selected is about immunity to any known disease; they have also got to grow big and fast, and have a fantastic shelf life. “Never mind taste, texture or nutrition, it is all about how it looks.
…
Water scarcity: “One of the key things that I have been pushing is to get the UK government to start auditing food by water,” Professor Lang said, adding that 50% of the UK’s vegetables are imported, many from water-stressed nations.
Biodiversity: “Biodiversity must not just be protected, it must be replaced and enhanced; but that is going to require a very different way growing food and using the land.”
…
“In Europe, 30% of the food grown did not appear on the shelves of the retailers because it was a funny shape or odd colour.
…
“The way that seeds are selected is about immunity to any known disease; they have also got to grow big and fast, and have a fantastic shelf life. “Never mind taste, texture or nutrition, it is all about how it looks.
I agree. The food system is broken. We have moved to mono-culture food production. We have changed our diets to eat food like concoctions. We need to return to healthier and sustainable food production.
Related: Grow Your Own Food and Save Money – Protecting the Food Supply – Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. – The Science of Gardening – Pigs Instead of Pesticides – Obesity Epidemic Explained – Kind Of
I agree too that we should make efforts to have good eating habits at the personal level. Major quota of the food/vegetables that we eat comes from the imported or so called “scientifically generated” stuff. Hybrid food is not bad, but the way it is grown is where we all need to look. One more thing that I would like to point out is, availability of non-seasonal food items. We usually feel excited by getting our favorite fruits and vegetables even in their “off-season” without ever thinking about the techniques these items are generated (heavy use of pesticides and chemicals etc). Therefore, we should try to consume “more natural” food than “more vegetarian”.
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