Food Security - vulnerabiities in global trade

Teaching about Food Security this year with Year 9, I have been reminded of the nature of the definition, and how some elements of it are in a state of flux at the moment, such that the UK's food security is by no means secure in the longer term...

Apart from other elements of the definition a key part of food security is "physical access". Food needs to be moved around the world as it is not grown close to where people need it. One thing that has been picked up by some of Ben Hennig's mapping is the differences between where most people live, and where most food is produced.
This Chatham House Report is a little technical and detailed, but it has been unpicked in this BBC article
Students could be asked to explore these locations and find them on a map.
There is a connection with the resource that I wrote last year for the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)
Recently, there was a story linking food security to the issue of Brexit. It seems likely that there will be food price increases (as well as a whole range of other additional 'costs') which could mean that some people are forced into food security. We may also be forced to move to food imports from the US, and see a rise in larger scale food production.
We are also into the summer holidays for many, and this causes issues for some families which rely on free school meals for part of their daily nutrition needs... There has been some coverage of that issue in the news, with some schools putting on clubs which also provide a free lunch.
And finally, here's Jay Rayner's views on our current food system. He was asked by the new Environment Secretary Michael Gove to come to a meeting, but declined. Here's his open letter as to why. I have his book which is also very useful as a resource on food.
There is plenty more to come on this I am sure.
Coincidentally, this also comes at a time when we not only have Earth Overshoot Day, but also the day when we would run out of food if we only relied on the food that we actually produce in the UK, according to the NFU.

What are you having for tea?

Comments