Tim Lang - Feeding People in An Era of Food Shocks

The post World War 2 vision for food was simple.

Grow more.

Make it cheaper.

Industrialise food supply.

Then quantities would rise.

Prices would drop.

People would eat better and be healthier.

A great vision but it's gone awry.

There is an over- and mal-production problem more than an under-production problem.

Diet is a major driver of ill-health.

How we grow food is a key cause of environmental (and climate) crises.

Choice culture creates a fantasy consumerist world that is now facing reality.Despite mounting data, UK food policy remains bizarrely complacent.

We assume others will feed us.

A tweak here and there will suffice.

In his Feeding Britain (Pelican) Tim Lang laid out the facts and in his Just in Case report for the National Preparedness Commission he now goes harder.

We are not preparing for the new era of multiple food shocks: climate change, volatile geo-politics, food weaponisation, misinformation (influencers), ransomware, near total oil dependency, and vulnerabilities to the brilliantly efficient Just-in-Time logistics system.What is needed ahead? He proposes that 21st century food security is all about resilience - how and where the food system prepares to bounce back from shocks.

But to what? The status before shock, or something new? He argues that this is a matter of deep public importance requiring attention from us all, not just policy-makers.

He describes this as a shift from a Just-in-Time food system to Just-in-Case.SPONSORED BY VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDEN